让

• Pinyin: ràng
• Hanzi breakdown: 让 = 讠 (speech radical) + 上 (up); simplified from 讓

Meaning

To let; to allow; to make someone do something. Also used to express yielding or giving way.

One of the most important causative verbs in Chinese. The pattern 让 + person + verb means 'to let/make someone do something.' Also used as a polite request meaning 'please make way.' In passive constructions, 让 can replace 被 in spoken Chinese.

Examples

1. 妈妈让我早点睡觉。 Mom told me to go to bed early.
2. 请让一下，我要过去。 Please make way — I need to get through.
3. 老师让我们写作业。 The teacher told us to do our homework.

Usage Guide

Context: requests, permission, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 爸爸不让我玩手机。(Dad won't let me play on my phone.)
• 让他自己决定吧。(Let him decide for himself.)

Don't Say

• 让你帮我一下。(Don't start a polite request with bare 让 — say 请你帮我一下 or 能不能让你帮我 instead. Bare 让 sounds like a command.)

Origin & History

Simplified from 讓. Contains 讠 (speech radical), reflecting the original meaning of making a verbal concession or yielding through words.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal