Sentence-Final Structure

Statement + 嘛

Meaning:

The particle 嘛 (ma) is a sentence-final particle identical in pronunciation to the simple “yes/no question” particle 吗 (ma) you learned back in the day, but with a rather different function. It can be used when the speaker feels what he is saying is obvious (from his point of view).

Examples:

    中国 人口 很 多 嘛。

    Zhōnɡ ɡuó rén kǒu hěn duō mɑ

    The Chinese population is huge.

Topic-Marking Structure
An alternate form is:

Topic + 嘛 + Statement

Meaning:

This basically allows the speaker to state the topic, then gather his thoughts before making a comment on it. In this pattern, the following comment may or may not be one the speaker feels is obvious.

Examples:

    大熊猫嘛，孩子们都很喜欢。

    Dà xiónɡ māo mɑ, hái zi men dōu hěn xǐ huɑn

    Pandas.Children all like them.