让
Pattern
Subject + 让 + person + verb phrase
Key words
Core idea
让 introduces a person who is allowed, asked, or caused to do something.
The pattern is:
让 + person + verb phraseUsage boundary
Depending on context, 让 can mean “let,” “have,” or “make.” The sentence does not always say whether the person wanted to do the action.
Compare with telling
叫 often emphasizes telling or asking someone to do something. 让 is broader and can also describe causing a feeling or result.
Examples
老师让我写名字。
Lǎoshī ràng wǒ xiě míngzi.
The teacher had me write my name.
妈妈让我早点回家。
Māma ràng wǒ zǎo diǎn huí jiā.
Mom told me to come home earlier.
这件事让我很高兴。
Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn gāoxìng.
This made me very happy.
Common mistakes
Avoid
老师让我名字写。
Use
老师让我写名字。
After 让, put the person first, then the verb phrase that person does.
Seen in stories
The Cheapest Winning Idea
评委让他们现场把架子拆掉再装好。
The judges have them take apart the shelf and put it back together on site.
The Sound Behind the Painting
她不敢乱动，就让同事先去叫馆长。
She does not dare move it, so she has her coworker go call the curator first.
The Sound Behind the Painting
馆长让她们关掉展厅的音乐，再仔细听。
The curator has them turn off the exhibition hall music and listen carefully again.
The Sound Behind the Painting
这条线让她想到，画后面可能不是墙，而是一个小门。
That line makes her think there may not be a wall behind the painting, but a small door.
The Sound Behind the Painting
馆长让保安把画取下来，后面果然露出一个旧机关。
The curator has security take down the painting, and an old mechanism is indeed revealed behind it.
Show 8 more story examples
The Sound Behind the Painting
几十年前，它会让木鸟从盒子里飞出来报时。
Decades ago, it would make a wooden bird fly out of a box to mark the time.
The Sound Behind the Painting
第二天，维修师傅让木鸟重新动了起来。
The next day, a repair technician gets the wooden bird moving again.
The Sound Behind the Painting
小林说，这个声音让小博物馆像醒了一样。
Xiao Lin says this sound makes the tiny museum seem as if it has woken up.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
馆长说，展览不该只把答案放出来，还要让问题活起来。
The curator says the exhibit should not only show answers; it should make the questions come alive.
The Exhibit Opens at Dawn
她没有马上解释，只让大家自己找线索。
She does not explain right away; she simply lets everyone find clues themselves.
The Accidental Livestream
经理没有慌着关掉，而是先让大家确认是否露出了客户信息。
The manager did not rush to shut it off; instead, she first had everyone confirm whether any client information had appeared on screen.
The Accidental Livestream
赵明原以为自己免不了被批评，结果大家只是让他请奶茶。
Zhao Ming had assumed he was bound to be criticized, but in the end everyone only made him buy milk tea.
The Group Chat Apology
这件小事虽然麻烦，却让邻居们熟起来了。
Although the little incident was troublesome, it made the neighbors more familiar with one another.