Why is it wrong to say Wo bang mang ni?

Answer 1

There is a group of Chinese words that is named Li He phrase, which means the two characters forming the one phrase can be used as a whole and be used separately. 'Bang mang' is one phrase of this kind. When 'bang' and 'mang' are used as a combination it's vi, and you can only say 'wo gei ni bang mang'. When the two characters are used separately, you can say 'wo bang ni mang'. But 'bang zhu' isn't such kind of phrase. The phenomenon of Li He phrase is a confusion to most of my foreign students. They always ask how come a phrase can be used this way and they think a phrase is a combination and cannot be separated. One of my students once asked me whether Li He phrases work like 'work out' that you can not only say 'work it out' but also 'work out something'. But they are not the same story. Like 'bang mang', a Li He phrase cannot be added with words after it. For more questions and get a FREE consultation, contact: Lily Cai, lily.cai@eChineseLearning.com, a professional Chinese teacher at www.eChineseLearning.com, specialized in teaching Chinese for all levels and various age groups.

Answer 2

The phrase "Wo bang mang ni" is incorrect in Mandarin Chinese because the correct phrase should be "Wo bang zhu ni", which means "I will help you". Using the incorrect phrase may lead to confusion or misunderstanding in communication.