Difference between revisions of "Complement"
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| <span style="font-size:100%">[[Location complement]]</span> || 来 || 到中国 || to come to China
 
| <span style="font-size:100%">[[Location complement]]</span> || 来 || 到中国 || to come to China
 
|}
 
|}
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<table class="wikitable" style="width:50em">
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<caption>Summary of Complement Types</caption>
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<tr>
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<th>Type of Complement</th><th>Verb</th><th>Complement</th><th>English</th>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td rowspan="2">[[Result complement]]</td><td>做</td><td>完</td><td>to finish doing</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>买</td><td>到</td><td>to buy (successfully)</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td rowspan="2">[[Potential complement]]</td><td>吃</td><td>得完</td><td>can finish eating</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>听</td><td>不懂</td><td>to (listen but) not understand</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td rowspan="2">[[Direction complement]]</td><td>放</td><td>下</td><td>to put down</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>跑</td><td>过来</td><td>to run over (here)</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td rowspan="2">[[Quantity complement]]</td><td>去</td><td>一次</td><td>to go once</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>工作</td><td>十个小时</td><td>to work for 10 hours</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td rowspan="2">[[Degree complement]]</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td></td><td></td><td></td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td rowspan="2">[[Location complement]]</td><td>说</td><td>得很好</td><td>to speak (very) well</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>好</td><td>极了</td><td>great</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
  
 
== Result complement ==
 
== Result complement ==

Revision as of 10:20, 28 July 2011

Complements are not a form of flattery (those are compliments)[1]; they're a special type of structure found in modern Mandarin and have no exact counterpart in English. The Chinese word for complement is 补语 (bǔyǔ).

Complements are a bit hard to define, but you'll generally find them following verbs (or sometimes adjectives). They can be as short as one character, or practically as long as a sentence. According to A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners, complements "show the duration, quantity, degree, result, direction or possibility of an action; or to illustrate the state, number, degree of a thing"[2]. As is often the case, plentiful examples will help clarify!

Summary of complements

Summary of Complement Types
Type of Complement Verb Complement English
Result complement 做 完 to finish doing
Result complement 买 到 to (successfully) buy
Potential complement 做 得完 can finish doing
Potential complement 听 不懂 (to listen but) not understand
Direction complement 跑 过来 to run over (here)
Direction complement 放 上去 to place on (something)
Quantity complement 看 两遍 to watch twice
Quantity complement 工作 三天 to work for three days
Degree complement 洗 得很好 to wash very well
Degree complement 好 极了 　fantastic
Location complement 住 在北京 to live in Beijing
Location complement 来 到中国 to come to China
Summary of Complement Types
Type of ComplementVerbComplementEnglish
Result complement做完to finish doing
买到to buy (successfully)
Potential complement吃得完can finish eating
听不懂to (listen but) not understand
Direction complement放下to put down
跑过来to run over (here)
Quantity complement去一次to go once
工作十个小时to work for 10 hours
Degree complement
Location complement说得很好to speak (very) well
好极了great

Result complement

Result complement

Potential complement

Potential complement

Direction complement

Direction complement

(Compound direction complements)

Quantity complement

Quantity complement

Degree complement

Degree complement

Location complement

Location complement

References

  1. ↑ For more info on this common mistake, see this website.
  2. ↑ A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners, p. 271

Sources and further reading

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