▎讓, ràng, (V), to let someone do something

 

Function The verb 讓 has several different but related meanings, depending on the sentence and on the context, e.g.,

1 租房子的事，請你讓我想一想。(let)

Zū fángzi de shì, qǐng nǐ ràng wǒ xiǎng yì xiǎng.

About the renting of the house, please let me think about it.

2 天氣這麼冷，冷得讓我感冒了。(make, cause)

Tiānqì zhème lěng, lěng de ràng wǒ gǎnmào le.

The weather is so cold that it caused me to have a cold. (i.e., It’s so cold that I caught a cold.)

3 讓小孩一個人去旅行，不太安全吧！(permit)

Ràng xiǎohái yí gè rén qù lǚxíng, bútài ānquán ba!

Allowing children to travel alone is a bit unsafe, I should think. (i.e., Isn’t it a bit unsafe to let children travel alone?)

4 老闆讓我做這份工作。(permit)

Lǎobǎn ràng wǒ zuò zhè fèn gōngzuò.

The boss is letting me do this work.

5 老師說我說中文說得很流利，讓我很高興。(make)

Lǎoshī shuō wǒ shuō Zhōngwén shuō de hěn liúlì, ràng wǒ hěn gāoxìng.

The teacher said that I speak Chinese fluently making me feel happy.

6 吃太辣會讓妹妹的喉嚨不舒服。(make)

Chī tài là huì ràng mèimei de hóulóng bù shūfú.

Your younger sister will get a sore throat if she eats too much spicy food.

7 這次旅行讓我更了解台東這個地方了。(make)

Zhè cì lǚxíng ràng wǒ gèng liǎojiě Táidōng zhè ge dìfāng le.

This trip allowed me to better understand Taitung.

 

Structures

Negation：

1 我跟小王借錢的事，我不讓他告訴別人。

Wǒ gēn Xiǎo Wáng jiè qián de shì, wǒ bú ràng tā gàosù biérén.

I didn’t let him tell anyone that I borrowed money from Xiao Wang.

2 颱風來了，媽媽不讓我們出去踢足球。

Táifēng láile, māma bú ràng wǒmen chūqù tī zúqiú.

The typhoon was coming and mom didn’t let us go out and play soccer.

3 他不讓我在泡菜裡放太多辣椒。

Tā bú ràng wǒ zài pàocài lǐ fàng tài duō làjiāo.

He didn’t let me put too many peppers in the kimchi.

Questions： Either A not A or 是不是 can be used.

1 老闆讓不讓你把公司的車開回家去？

Lǎobǎn ràng bú ràng nǐ bǎ gōngsī de chē kāihuí jiā qù?

Does the boss allow you to drive the company car back home?

2 妳媽媽讓不讓妳跟我去潛水？

Nǐ māma ràng bú ràng nǐ gēn wǒ qù qiánshuǐ?

Will your mom let you go scuba diving with me?

3 你女朋友是不是讓你踢完足球再去找她？

Nǐ nǚpéngyǒu shìbúshì ràng nǐ tīwán zúqiú zài qù zhǎo tā?

Did your girlfriend have you go see her after you finished playing soccer?