bié ná zhège wèntí kāiwánxiào.

don't

Breakdown of bié ná zhège wèntí kāiwánxiào.

• 这个zhège: this
• 拿ná: to carry
• 问题wèntí: problem

Questions & Answers about bié ná zhège wèntí kāiwánxiào.

What does 别 mean here? Is it the same as 不要?

别 is a very common way to say don’t in Mandarin when giving a negative command.

So:

• 别拿这个问题开玩笑。 = Don’t joke about this issue.

It is very close to 不要 in meaning:

• 别拿这个问题开玩笑。
• 不要拿这个问题开玩笑。

Both are correct. In many everyday situations, 别 sounds a little shorter and more conversational, while 不要 can sound a bit fuller or slightly more formal/emphatic, depending on context.

A useful rule:

• 别 + verb phrase = don’t do...
• 不要 + verb phrase = also don’t do...

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Why is there no subject in the sentence? Who is being told not to do it?

In Mandarin, commands often leave out the subject when it is obvious from context. Here, the implied subject is usually you.

So the full idea is:

• 你别拿这个问题开玩笑。

But in natural speech, 你 is often omitted because the listener already knows the speaker is addressing them.

This is similar to English imperatives:

• Don’t do that.
• not usually You don’t do that in this situation

If you add 你, it can sound more direct or emphatic.

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What does 拿这个问题开玩笑 mean literally and grammatically?