32.2 The Verb 俾 / 畀 / 比 bei2 (‘to give’)

The verb 俾 bei2 (also written as 畀 or 比) means ‘to give’. We can put two objects after 俾 bei2. The first one is a direct object (the thing given out). The second one is an indirect object (the recipient, i.e. the person who receives the thing). Notice the direct object is put before the indirect object.

We can omit the direct object if it is obvious in the context.

When we use a verb with the sense of giving, getting or creating something (e.g., 遞 dai6 ‘to pass’, 夾 gaap3 / gaap6 / gep6 ‘to pick up’), we can add 俾 bei2 to indicate the recipient using the sentence structure below. 俾 bei2 in this structure functions like the English preposition to (as in please pass the bowl to me). In grammar, this is also a type of serial verb construction.