把 (bǎ)

把 is one of the most important grammatical words in Chinese. It moves the object before the verb to emphasize that something is disposed of, affected, or handled in a specific way.

Meanings

[preposition] Disposal marker: places the object before a verb that indicates a deliberate action with a clear result.
[measure word] A handle; a bunch (e.g., 一把刀 yī bǎ dāo — one knife).

Example Sentences

请把窗户打开。 Qǐng bǎ chuānghu dǎkāi. Please open the window.

他把作业做完了。 Tā bǎ zuòyè zuòwán le. He finished his homework.

我把钱包丢了。 Wǒ bǎ qiánbāo diū le. I lost my wallet.

妈妈把饭菜都准备好了。 Māma bǎ fàncài dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le. Mom got all the food ready.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
把…放下	put something down
把…带来	bring something here
把…搬走	move something away
把…打开	open something
把…关上	close something

Memory Hook

把 has the hand radical 扌 on the left: your hand grabs hold of the object and does something decisive with it.