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ParticlesHSK 5

Marking a topic with 嘛

The particle 嘛 placed after a topic marks it as obvious or well-known to the listener. It softens the statement by implying the topic is self-evident. Be careful not to use 嘛 when the topic is new or surprising, as it suggests shared knowledge.

Structure

Topic + 嘛 ，Statement

Examples

  • 大熊猫嘛，大家都喜欢。
    Dàxióngmāo ma , dàjiā dōu xǐhuan.
    Pandas. Everybody likes them.
  • 名牌嘛，一定不便宜。
    Míngpái ma , yīdìng bù piányi.
    Well, it's a name brand. It can't be cheap.
  • 孩子嘛，不懂这些很正常。
    Háizi ma , bù dǒng zhèxiē hěn zhèngcháng.
    Kids. It's not unusual that they don't understand these things.
  • 学生嘛，就应该有学生的样子。
    Xuéshēng ma , jiù yīnggāi yǒu xuéshēng de yàngzi.
    Students should act like students.
  • 开车嘛，最重要的是安全。
    Kāichē ma , zuì zhòngyào de shì ānquán.
    When it comes to driving, the most important thing is safety.

Words that use this