Pivotal Sentences in Chinese
兼语句
A pivotal sentence contains a noun phrase that is simultaneously the object of the first verb and the subject of the second predicate. In 老师让我回答, 我 receives 让 and performs 回答. The pivot stays between the two verbs, and compatible causative, request, or perception verbs license the pattern.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Pivot + Verb Phrase 2
Read the structure
A pivotal sentence contains a noun phrase that is simultaneously the object of the first verb and the subject of the second predicate. In 老师让我回答, 我 receives 让 and performs 回答. The pivot stays between the two verbs, and compatible causative, request, or perception verbs license the pattern. Keep the model Subject 1 + Verb 1 + Pivot + Verb Phrase 2 visible while you compare each sentence.
老师让我回答问题。
The teacher has me answer the question.
Choose the right context
Use 让 or 叫 before a person who performs the following action. Use 请 before a person invited or requested to act. Keep the pivot directly before the second verb phrase it controls.
妈妈叫弟弟回家。
Mom tells my younger brother to come home.
Respect the boundary
Do not move the pivot after the second verb. Do not insert 的 between the pivot and its following action. Do not use the pattern with a first verb that cannot take a person plus predicated action.
老师让回答问题我。
(The teacher asks me to answer the question.)
Repair the pattern
Pivot follows the second action: 我 is both object of 让 and subject of 回答, so it must stand between those two predicates. Pivot follows the action it should control: 弟弟 is both the object of 叫 and the subject of 回家, so it must stand between the two predicates rather than after 回家.
老师让我回答问题。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
老师让我回答问题。
The teacher has me answer the question.
老师
Subject 1
This part occupies the Subject 1 position in the model pattern.
让
Verb 1
This part occupies the Verb 1 position in the model pattern.
我
Pivot
This part occupies the Pivot position in the model pattern.
回答
Verb Phrase 2
This part occupies the Verb Phrase 2 position in the model pattern.
问题
Subject 1
This part occupies the Subject 1 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
老师让我回答问题。
The teacher has me answer the question.
妈妈叫弟弟回家。
Mom tells my younger brother to come home.
我请他喝茶。
I invite him to drink tea.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Use 让 or 叫 before a person who performs the following action.
- Use 请 before a person invited or requested to act.
- Keep the pivot directly before the second verb phrase it controls.
Do not use it when
- Do not move the pivot after the second verb.
- Do not insert 的 between the pivot and its following action.
- Do not use the pattern with a first verb that cannot take a person plus predicated action.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
老师让回答问题我。
老师让我回答问题。
Pivot follows the second action
我 is both object of 让 and subject of 回答, so it must stand between those two predicates.
妈妈叫回家弟弟。
妈妈叫弟弟回家。
Pivot follows the action it should control
弟弟 is both the object of 叫 and the subject of 回家, so it must stand between the two predicates rather than after 回家.
老师让回答问题我。
我 is both object of 让 and subject of 回答, so it must stand between those two predicates.
妈妈叫回家弟弟。
弟弟 is both the object of 叫 and the subject of 回家, so it must stand between the two predicates rather than after 回家.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 兼语句.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 兼语句. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Pivotal Sentences Questions
Why is the middle noun called a pivot?
It has two roles: object of the first verb and subject of the second.
Are 让 and 叫 identical?
Both can introduce a caused or requested action, though their tone and other meanings vary.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, Level 3 item 【三57】 (PDF p. 207)
Provides official Level 3 directory placement and examples only; it does not establish the learner-facing usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 51, Expressing Commands and Permission; Chapter 62, Invitations, Requests, and Refusals
Supports command and request verbs followed by the person who performs the following action, the core order of the pivotal pattern.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
主谓谓语句Topic-Comment Predicate Sentences
Distinguish between the internal and external subject levels of 兼语句, where the middle noun is simultaneously dominated by the preverb and serves as the subject of the postverb, and 主谓谓语句.
Easy to confuse
双宾语句Double-Object Sentences
In a pivotal sentence the first object subjects a second predicate; a double-object sentence has no second predicate.
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让/叫让 / 叫: Make Someone Do
Replace the preverb of 兼语句 with an imperative verb such as 让叫, and continue to master the dual syntactic identity of the middle participle.
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