HSK 5 grammar · preposition
凭
凭 — relying on / on the strength of
Pattern
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a rhetorical question
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
凭 marks the basis, grounds, or qualification one relies on to do something: "relying on / on the strength of / by." 凭什么 is a common rhetorical challenge, "on what grounds / by what right."
Examples
凭你的能力，这点困难算不了什么。
Píng nǐ de nénglì, zhè diǎn kùnnan suàn bu liǎo shénme.
With your ability, this little difficulty is nothing.
你凭什么说这话？
Nǐ píng shénme shuō zhè huà?
What gives you the right to say that?
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 凭 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.