How to say “that's just how it is” in Chinese with 嘛 (ma)

Statement + (ma) obviousness

Expressing the self-evident with " (ma)"

HSK 6Particles

Rule structure

(ma) at the end of a sentence indicates that the speaker believes the statement is self-evident, common sense, or should be obvious to the listener.

Examples

本来就是这样嘛。

Běnlái jiùshì zhèyàng ma.

That's just how it is.

Practice

Build the sentence

Drag the characters to put them in the correct order

Characters

Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Expressing the self-evident with "嘛 (ma)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: Statement + 嘛 (ma) — obviousness. For example: 本来就是这样嘛。 — “That's just how it is.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

本来就是这样嘛。 — “That's just how it is.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 6.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese grammar with smart reviews

Grammar explanations, exercises and spaced repetition — all in one app.

Download the app

More HSK 6 grammar rules