把...叫做...
Use 把……叫做…… to say what someone calls or names something — 'people call X by the name Y.' Common in writing when you're introducing a term: 'sociologists call this kind of situation racism without racists.' The 把 fronts the thing being named; 叫做 (literally 'called as') is the verb that delivers the label. Drop into news, academic writing, and definitions; in casual speech, people often say 叫 alone without 做.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 把 [THING] 叫做 [NAME / LABEL]
bǎ... jiào zuò...
How to Think About It
叫做 is a two-character verb that needs an object before it — that's why 把 has to grab the thing being named and place it up front. Read 把 X 叫做 Y as 'take X, label it Y.' The label itself can be a single word, a phrase, or a longer descriptive name in quotes. The 做 is what makes 叫 specifically about naming rather than calling someone over (叫他过来 'call him over' uses 叫 differently).
Examples
人们把这种现象叫做“内卷”。
Rénmen bǎ zhè zhǒng xiànxiàng jiào zuò "nèijuǎn".
People call this phenomenon "involution."
我们把这种饺子叫做“饺子”，不叫做“包子”。
Wǒmen bǎ zhè zhǒng jiǎozi jiào zuò "jiǎozi", bù jiào zuò "bāozi".
We call this kind of dumpling "jiaozi," not "baozi."
经济学家把这种政策叫做“量化宽松”。
Jīngjì xuéjiā bǎ zhè zhǒng zhèngcè jiào zuò "liànghuà kuānsōng".
Economists call this kind of policy "quantitative easing."
Common Mistake
Learners use 是 instead of 叫做, writing 'they say X is Y' when they mean 'they call X by the name Y.' 是 just states identity; 叫做 specifically introduces a naming or labeling act.
我们把这种情况是“数字疲劳”。
我们把这种情况叫做“数字疲劳”。
Don't Confuse With
称为
More formal — 'is termed as.' Use 称为 in academic prose; 叫做 fits journalism and conversation.
叫
Plain 叫 (without 做) can mean 'is called' (我叫小明) or 'to summon' (叫他来). 叫做 specifically introduces a coined or descriptive label.
把……看作……
看作 means 'regard as' — about how something is perceived. 叫做 is about the literal name people use for it.
Practice
大家____这只小狗叫做小白。
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把
我们把这种现象叫____“信息过载”。
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做
Arrange: 叫做 / 把 / 我们 / 这种 / 习惯 / “数字戒断”
Show answer
我们把这种习惯叫做“数字戒断”。
Translate: People call this type of movie a "black comedy."
Show answer
人们把这种电影叫做“黑色喜剧”。
Write one sentence using 把……叫做…… to introduce a term from your field.
Show answer
工程师把这种漏洞叫做“零日漏洞”。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 把...叫做... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.