让 + Object + Verb/Adj
Reach for 让 when one thing causes another to act or feel a certain way. The 让 half is causative — it hands the action or state over to the object. After 让 + Object, you can put either a verb ('makes him leave') or an adjective phrase ('makes me happy'). It's the everyday way to talk about emotional reactions, permissions, and consequences in spoken Chinese.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 让 [OBJECT] [VERB/ADJ PHRASE]
[SUBJECT] ràng [OBJECT] [VERB/ADJ]
How to Think About It
让 transfers the action or state. The subject doesn't do anything except trigger; the object is the one who actually verbs or feels the adjective. With verbs (让我走 = let me go), 让 means cause/let. With adjectives, you almost always need an intensifier — 让我高兴 sounds incomplete, 让我很高兴 settles. That's because the adjective is grading the resulting state, and Chinese adjectives in stative use want a degree word.
Examples
这个消息让我很惊讶。
Zhège xiāoxi ràng wǒ hěn jīngyà.
This news really surprised me.
妈妈让我早点睡觉。
Māma ràng wǒ zǎodiǎn shuìjiào.
Mom told me to go to bed early.
这件事让大家都很不安。
Zhè jiàn shì ràng dàjiā dōu hěn bù'ān.
This matter made everyone feel uneasy.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the intensifier before the adjective, producing 让我高兴 or 让人难过. Sounds grammatically odd in spoken Chinese — the resulting state needs a degree marker like 很, 非常, 太...了.
这件事让我难过。
这件事让我很难过。
Don't Confuse With
使 + Object + Adj
Same causative meaning, formal/written register. Use 使 in essays and reports (使人感动); use 让 in conversation.
叫 + Object + Verb
叫 implies telling or ordering; 让 leans toward letting or causing. Pick 叫 when there's a command flavor; pick 让 when the cause is impersonal or permissive.
Object + 觉得 + Adj
When the object is the subject of perception: 我觉得高兴 = 'I feel happy.' Use 让 when an external cause triggers the feeling; use 觉得 when the experiencer reports it directly.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 这首歌___我想起了童年。
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让
Fill in the blank: 你的话让我很___。 (happy)
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高兴
Arrange: 让 / 高兴 / 这件事 / 大家 / 都 / 很
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这件事让大家都很高兴。
Translate to Chinese: The teacher made the students stand up.
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老师让学生们站起来。
Use 让 to describe something today that made you feel a certain way.
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今天早上的一杯咖啡让我整个人都很有精神。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
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