Hello everyone! I’m Grace.
Welcome back to my channel!
Today we are going to learn how to say “become” properly in Chinese.
Last week, We analyzed John Cena’s Chinese
and he used 變成 to say become in the following sentence.
In this context, you cannot use 變成
even though it has the meaning of becoming.
So in this video, we will find out how to say “become” in Chinese accurately.
Let’s go!
To know how to say “Become” in Chinese,
the first thing is to see what word comes next to the word “become”.
If it is a noun, and the subject becomes the object, we use 變、變成 or 成為,
don’t worry, I will tell you the differences between them later.
If it is “become” plus a complement,
which in most cases, are adjectives, we use 變 or 變得.
So right now let’s see
how do we choose the right word to use when it is used with a noun.
Firstly, let’s take a look at this picture.
變 this word has the meaning of “transform, change or turn”
and 是 is to be in a specific state.
So let’s see how to distinguish these words,
When there is a noun coming along with “become”,
and in that sentence, the change aspect is more emphasized, you can use 變 or 變成.
But we usually use 變成 in speaking,
and 變 usually appears in news headlines or in refined writing styles.
OK, firstly, Let’s see some examples of 變成:
OK now let’s see an example of 變 plus a noun
You can see this news headline.
It reads 歌手變演員 which means a singer became an actress(/actor).
It uses 變 because news headlines should be written in more refined style.
Alright, after knowing the difference between 變 and 變成,
let’s see the next word 成為.
When noun comes next to “become”,
and the end state is more emphasized, then you use 成為,
it’s related to the meaning of the characters.
You can interpret 成 as the “into” of turn into,
and 為 has the meaning of “to be”,
so 成為 means “to be into that end state”.
So although 成為 is still referring to a “change”,
it’s just that the change aspect is not emphasized as much as that in 變成.
Let’s take a look at some examples of 成為:
The whole point of this sentence is that I want to be a teacher,
so it emphasizes the end state of being a teacher 老師. So we use 成為.
Here also, the point is to be lawful husband and wife, so we use 成為.
OK, next, let’s learn how to say “become” when there is a complement coming along.
So when there is a complement coming along with “become”,
for example, pretty 漂亮 smart 聰明 and so on. You can use 變 or 變得.
Here are some rules for you to help you to choose the right one:
First, if the complement is a one character word,
like 白（white）,瘦（thin）, 胖（fat）, 高（tall）etc.
Then you should use 變, like 變白(become white)、變瘦(become thin)、
變胖(become fat)、變高(become tall).
Second, if the complement is with modifiers,
like adverbs 很 or 非常 and so on, usually we use 變得.
Remember I said “usually”, because sometimes people still use 變.
OK, let’s take a look at some examples of 變 plus a complement:
And here are some examples of 變得,
remember that when the complements are with modifiers, like adverbs,
we usually use 變得.
OK after learning how to say “become” in Chinese.
Now, let’s have a quick recap.
So when “become” comes before a noun, and the subject becomes the object,
there are three options for us:
If it’s more emphasized on the change aspect, you can use 變 or 變成,
and orally we usually say 變成.
變 is usually used for refined writing styles.
And 成為 is more emphasized on the end state, instead of the change aspect.
As for “become” plus a complement to describe how the subject becomes, we use 變 or 變得.
if the complement is one character word, we use 變.
But if the complement is with modifiers, like adverbs, usually we use 變得.
OK, so about the example we mentioned at the beginning of this video,
John Cena said 你會變成成功, you will become successful,
but here 成功 successful is a complement to describe how 你 you become.
So here you have to use 變 or 變得.
Alright, that’s pretty much it!
And after this lesson, if you want to practice,
I will put some English sentences in the comments
and you can try translating them
and choosing the right “become” words to use,
if you practice it in the comment section,
I will check your answers and tell you if you get them right.
OK, then I will see you next time, Bye!