Learn Hardcore Chinese: Tā zǒngshì bāng biéren zuò shìqíng, hěn shǎo ràng biéren bāng tā. - He always helps other people with things and rarely lets others help him.

他总是帮别人做事情
- 他 – he
- 总是 – always
- 帮 – help
- 别人 – other people
- 做事情 – do things / do tasks
很少让别人帮他
- 很少 – very seldom / rarely
- 让 – let / allow / have (someone do something)
- 别人 – other people
- 帮 – help
- 他 – him

So structurally it is:

[Subject] + [frequency adverb] + [verb phrase]， [frequency adverb] + [让 + person + verb phrase].

What does 总是 (zǒngshì) mean, and how is it different from 经常 (jīngcháng) or 常常 (chángcháng)?

All three talk about something happening many times, but their feel is slightly different:

总是 – always / invariably
- Stronger sense of consistency, almost every time.
- Can sometimes suggest a hint of emotion (complaint, praise, surprise), depending on context:
  - 他总是迟到。 – He’s always late. (often sounds a bit complaining)
  - 她总是那么热情。 – She’s always so warm. (praising)
经常 / 常常 – often / frequently
- Weaker than 总是; means “many times, quite often”, not necessarily every time.

In this sentence, 他总是帮别人做事情 suggests this is his typical, very consistent habit, not just something he does “often”.

What does 让 do in 很少让别人帮他? Does it mean “let”, “make”, or “have someone do something”?

Here 让 is used in the common pattern:

让 + [person] + [verb] → let / allow / have [person] do [something]

So:

让别人帮他 = let other people help him / have other people help him

In different contexts, 让 can mean:

let / allow:
- 老师让我们休息一下。 – The teacher let us rest for a bit.
have someone do something (neutral):
- 我让他去问问。 – I’ll have him go ask.
make / cause (emotion/result):
- 这件事让他很难过。 – This matter made him very sad.

In this sentence, the meaning is “he rarely lets / allows other people to help him”, i.e. he is reluctant to accept help.

Why is 很少 (hěn shǎo) translated as “rarely” when it literally looks like “very few”?

Literally, 很少 is “very few / very little”, but when it modifies a verb, it usually means “rarely / not often”:

我很少喝酒。 – I rarely drink alcohol.
他们很少出去吃饭。 – They rarely eat out.

Compare:

少 by itself before a verb can mean “do less (of something)” or “don’t do (something) so much”:
- 少吃一点。 – Eat a bit less.
很少 + Verb focuses on frequency:
- 我很少吃肉。 – I rarely eat meat.

So 很少让别人帮他 = He rarely lets others help him.

Can we omit 很 and just say 少让别人帮他?

You can, but the meaning and tone change:

很少让别人帮他 – natural and common; means “rarely lets others help him”.
少让别人帮他 – more like a command or suggestion:
- （你）少让别人帮你。 – Don’t have others help you so much / rely less on others.

So:

In this sentence describing a habit, 很少 is correct and natural.
少让别人帮他 would not fit as a neutral description of his personality; it sounds like advice or criticism.

Why is 别人 (biéren) repeated? Could I say 他总是帮别人做事情，很少让他们帮他?

Yes, you can replace the second 别人 with 他们:

他总是帮别人做事情，很少让他们帮他。

This is fine and natural, and it makes the connection “those same people” slightly clearer.

Repeating 别人 is also very common in Chinese, because:

It keeps each clause self-contained and clear:
- 帮别人做事情 – help others do things
- 让别人帮他 – let others help him
Chinese often repeats short nouns/pronouns where English might use “them”.

So both are acceptable. The original sentence with repeated 别人 is very normal.

Is 做事情 (zuò shìqing) necessary? Could we just say 他总是帮别人?

You can say all of these, with slightly different focus:

他总是帮别人。
- “He always helps others.”
- Very general, emphasizes the helping attitude.
他总是帮别人做事 / 做事情。
- “He always helps others (by) doing things (for them).”
- Emphasizes practical help, concrete tasks.
他总是帮别人忙。
- 帮忙 is “to help (with something)”; sounds very natural in spoken Chinese.

So 做事情 isn’t required grammatically; it just makes it clear we’re talking about doing tasks / things for others, not just emotional or moral support.

What’s the difference between 帮 (bāng) and 帮助 (bāngzhù) here?

Both mean to help, but:

帮 – shorter, more informal, very common in speech.
帮助 – more formal or written; can be a verb or a noun.

In this sentence:

他总是帮别人做事情 – natural, conversational.
他总是帮助别人做事情 – also correct; slightly more formal or written.

For everyday spoken Mandarin, 帮 is the default choice.

Why isn’t there a 了 (le) in this sentence? Shouldn’t past actions use 了?

Chinese does not mark tense (past/present/future) the same way English does. Here the focus is on a habitual behavior, not a single completed event.

他总是帮别人做事情，很少让别人帮他。
→ Describes what he is like in general (his character/habit).

We usually do not use 了 for:

general truths:
- 水是冷的。 – The water is cold.
repeated or habitual actions:
- 我每天七点起床。 – I get up at seven every day.

If you added 了, it would change the meaning to a specific situation:

他帮了别人做事情。 – He helped someone do something (that one time).

So the sentence is correctly without 了 because it describes a general pattern.

Where do frequency adverbs like 总是 and 很少 usually go in a Chinese sentence?

Common frequency adverbs (like 总是, 常常, 经常, 很少, 偶尔) usually go:

[Subject] + [adverb] + [verb phrase]

In this sentence:

他总是帮别人做事情
- 他 – subject
- 总是 – frequency adverb
- 帮别人做事情 – verb phrase
很少让别人帮他
- (understood subject: 他)
- 很少 – frequency adverb
- 让别人帮他 – verb phrase

This position is the default for such adverbs in Chinese.

Is 别人 (biéren) pronounced bié rén or bié ren? What’s the tone on 人?

In normal speech:

别 – second tone (bié)
人 – usually becomes neutral tone (ren, light and short)

So you’ll commonly hear: biéren (2 + neutral).

If you pronounce 人 with second tone (bié rén, 2 + 2), it’s not wrong, but it sounds more careful / emphatic, like you’re stressing each character separately (e.g. in slow teaching or recitation). In everyday conversation, biéren with a neutral 人 is standard.

Could I change the order to 他很少让别人帮他，总是帮别人做事情? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

他很少让别人帮他，总是帮别人做事情。

The core meaning is the same: he rarely accepts help, but often helps others.

Differences are mostly in emphasis:

Original: 他总是帮别人做事情，很少让别人帮他。
- First emphasizes: he always helps others.
- Second adds: he rarely accepts help.
Reversed: 他很少让别人帮他，总是帮别人做事情。
- First emphasizes: he rarely lets others help him.
- Then adds: he always helps others.

So it’s a matter of which trait you want to foreground.

Is there any slight emotional or evaluative tone in this sentence, or is it totally neutral?

By itself, the sentence is mostly descriptive, but some words carry a positive nuance in this context:

总是帮别人做事情 – often sounds praiseful, suggesting he is kind / helpful.
很少让别人帮他 – can imply modesty / self-reliance, which is often viewed positively.

So overall, it tends to praise him as someone who:

Helps others a lot, and
Doesn’t trouble others / doesn’t ask for help easily.

Context and tone of voice can strengthen or weaken that positive feeling, but the wording naturally leans positive.