Mandarin Causatives: 使 (shǐ), 令 (lìng) and 让 (ràng)
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
English "make" does two jobs: a cause producing a feeling (the news made me happy) and a person getting someone to act (Mum made me come home). Mandarin splits them. (ràng) does both in speech. (shǐ) and (lìng) do only the first, and belong to writing.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Spot the mistake
0/3Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.
zhè jiàn shì zuò wǒ hěn gāo xìng 。
zhè shì shǐ wǒ hěn gāo xìng 。
wǒ shǐ tā míng tiān zǎo diǎn lái 。
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì. | This made me really angry (speech) |
。 | Zhè jiàn shì shǐ wǒ hěn shēngqì. | This made me very angry (writing) |
。 | Zhè jiàn shì lìng wǒ hěn shēngqì. | This angered me (writing) |
。 | Māma ràng wǒ zǎodiǎn huíjiā. | Mum made me come home early (only ) |
- 让 ràng: everywhere
- 使 shǐ: writing
- 令 lìng: writing, above all in 令人
All three share one shape: cause + marker + the person affected + the result.
Two jobs English calls "make"
Ask first which "make" you mean:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zhège xiāoxi ràng dàjiā dōu hěn gāoxìng. | The news made everyone happy (speech) |
。 | Zhège xiāoxi shǐ dàjiā dōu hěn gāoxìng. | The news made everyone happy (writing) |
。 | Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen xiě yì piān wénzhāng. | The teacher had us write an essay |
The first two are a cause bringing a feeling: (ràng) in speech, (shǐ) in writing. The last is a person getting people to act: only (ràng), or (jiào), will do.
让 (ràng): make, and let
(ràng) is the causative you will hear all day. It covers "make" and "let" alike, and only the situation tells you which:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Māma bú ràng wǒ wǎnshang chūqù. | Mum doesn't let me go out in the evening |
。 | Ràng wǒ kànkan. | Let me have a look |
。 | Bié ràng tā zhīdào. | Don't let him know |
。 | Zhè jù huà ràng wǒ hěn bù shūfu. | That remark made me uneasy |
The negative goes before (ràng): (bú ràng), won't let; (méi ràng), didn't make or let; (bié ràng), don't let.
使 (shǐ): the written cause
(shǐ) takes a thing, an event or an idea as the cause, and a state or an ability as the result:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Yùndòng shǐ rén jiànkāng. | Exercise makes people healthy |
。 | Zhè cì jīnglì shǐ wǒ míngbai le hěn duō. | This experience taught me a great deal |
。 | Wǎngluò shǐ wǒmen nénggòu gēn hěn duō guójiā de rén jiāoliú. | The internet lets us talk to people in many countries |
(shǐ) + person + (nénggòu), be able to, is a staple of formal writing. What cannot do is give an order: 。 (Wǒ ràng tā míngtiān zǎodiǎn lái.), I told him to come early tomorrow, takes (ràng), never .
令 (lìng) and 令人 (lìngrén)
(lìng) sits where (shǐ) sits, and leans towards feelings: 。 (Zhège xiāoxi lìng wǒ hěn shīwàng.), the news left me very disappointed. Its commonest use by far is (lìngrén), "causing people to feel", plus a feeling word: together they work as one adjective.
disappointing
satisfying
worrying
frightening
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| lìngrén shīwàng | disappointing |
| lìngrén mǎnyì | satisfying |
| lìngrén dānxīn | worrying |
| lìngrén jīngyà | surprising |
| lìngrén nánwàng | unforgettable |
It goes where an adjective goes, and before a noun it takes (de):
。(Zhège jiéguǒ lìngrén shīwàng.) - The result is disappointing.(yí cì lìngrén nánwàng de lǚxíng) - an unforgettable trip
What follows (lìngrén) is a reaction people have, not something they decide to do: there is no , "makes people go".
In speech: 让人 (ràng rén)
The spoken twin of (lìngrén) is (ràng rén), with the same shape:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zhège jiéguǒ ràng rén hěn shīwàng. | The result's really disappointing (speech) |
。 | Zhège jiéguǒ lìngrén shīwàng. | The result is disappointing (writing) |
。 | Zhège jiéguǒ lìngrén bù mǎnyì. | The result is unsatisfactory |
。 | Zhège jiéguǒ bù lìngrén mǎnyì. | The result is unsatisfactory |
The last two rows show both places for the negative: inside the frame, before the feeling word, or before the whole frame. Both are written Chinese.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | an order or permission takes (ràng) |
。 | 。 | (shǐ) is the verb: no (shì) |
。 | 。 | causative "make" is never (zuò) |
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Describe a film you saw with
(ràng rén) for a friend, then with(lìngrén) for a review. - Then read the spoken passives 让, 叫 and 给, the other job
(ràng) does.