Difference between revisions of "Complement"

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Below you'll find all the major complement types (as well as some of the minor ones), with representative examples of each.  The first four ([[result complement]], [[potential complement]], [[direction complement]], and [[degree complement]]) are the critical ones.  Click on the complement names for more detailed explanations and plenty of additional examples.
 
Below you'll find all the major complement types (as well as some of the minor ones), with representative examples of each.  The first four ([[result complement]], [[potential complement]], [[direction complement]], and [[degree complement]]) are the critical ones.  Click on the complement names for more detailed explanations and plenty of additional examples.
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<tr>
<td rowspan="5" style="font-size:100%">[[Result complement]]</td><td>做</td><td> </td><td>完</td><td style="font-size:100%">to finish doing</td>
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<td rowspan="5" class="spaced">[[Result complement]]</td><td>做</td><td> </td><td>完</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to finish doing</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>看</td><td> </td><td>见</td><td style="font-size:100%">to see</td>
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<td>看</td><td> </td><td>见</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to see</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>买</td><td> </td><td>到</td><td style="font-size:100%">to buy (successfully)</td>
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<td>买</td><td> </td><td>到</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to buy (successfully)</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>计划</td><td> </td><td>好</td><td style="font-size:100%">to plan (properly)</td>
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<td>计划</td><td> </td><td>好</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to plan (properly)</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>说</td><td> </td><td>清楚</td><td style="font-size:100%">to speak clearly</td>
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<td>说</td><td> </td><td>清楚</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to speak clearly</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="7" style="font-size:100%">[[Potential complement]]</td><td>去</td><td> </td><td>不了</td><td style="font-size:100%">cannot go</td>
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<td rowspan="7" class="spaced">[[Potential complement]]</td><td>去</td><td> </td><td>不了</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">cannot go</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>去</td><td>得</td><td>了</td><td style="font-size:100%">can go</td>
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<td>去</td><td>得</td><td>了</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">can go</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>听</td><td> </td><td>不到</td><td style="font-size:100%">cannot hear</td>
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<td>听</td><td> </td><td>不到</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">cannot hear</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>看</td><td>得</td><td>见</td><td style="font-size:100%">can see</td>
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<td>看</td><td>得</td><td>见</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">can see</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>听</td><td> </td><td>不懂</td><td style="font-size:100%">to (listen but) not understand</td>
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<td>听</td><td> </td><td>不懂</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to (listen but) not understand</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>看</td><td>得</td><td>懂</td><td style="font-size:100%">to be able to read and understand</td>
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<td>看</td><td>得</td><td>懂</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to be able to read and understand</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>吃</td><td>得</td><td>完</td><td style="font-size:100%">can finish eating</td>
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<td>吃</td><td>得</td><td>完</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">can finish eating</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="4" style="font-size:100%">[[Direction complement]]</td><td>放</td><td></td><td>下</td><td style="font-size:100%">to put down</td>
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<td rowspan="4" class="spaced">[[Direction complement]]</td><td>放</td><td></td><td>下</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to put down</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>走</td><td> </td><td>上去</td><td style="font-size:100%">to walk up</td>
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<td>走</td><td> </td><td>上去</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to walk up</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>飞</td><td> </td><td>回来</td><td style="font-size:100%">to fly back (here)</td>
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<td>飞</td><td> </td><td>回来</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to fly back (here)</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>看</td><td> </td><td>过来</td><td style="font-size:100%">to look (over) this way</td>
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<td>看</td><td> </td><td>过来</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to look (over) this way</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="4" style="font-size:100%">[[Degree complement]]</td><td>说</td><td>得</td><td>很好</td><td style="font-size:100%">to speak (very) well</td>
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<td rowspan="4" class="spaced">[[Degree complement]]</td><td>说</td><td>得</td><td>很好</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to speak (very) well</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>好*</td><td> </td><td>极了</td><td style="font-size:100%">great</td>
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<td>好*</td><td> </td><td>极了</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">great</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>累*</td><td> </td><td>死了</td><td style="font-size:100%">great</td>
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<td>累*</td><td> </td><td>死了</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">great</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>脏*</td><td>得</td><td>不得了</td><td style="font-size:100%">terribly dirty</td>
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<td>脏*</td><td>得</td><td>不得了</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">terribly dirty</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="font-size:100%">[[State complement]]</td><td>想</td><td>得</td><td>很简单</td><td style="font-size:100%">to think very simply</td>
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<td rowspan="2" class="spaced">[[State complement]]</td><td>想</td><td>得</td><td>很简单</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to think very simply</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>搞</td><td>得</td><td>很乱</td><td style="font-size:100%">to make a mess (of things)</td>
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<td>搞</td><td>得</td><td>很乱</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to make a mess (of things)</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="font-size:100%">[[Quantity complement]]</td><td>去</td><td> </td><td>一次</td><td style="font-size:100%">to go once</td>
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<td rowspan="2" class="spaced">[[Quantity complement]]</td><td>去</td><td> </td><td>一次</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to go once</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>工作</td><td> </td><td>十个小时</td><td style="font-size:100%">to work for 10 hours</td>
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<td>工作</td><td> </td><td>十个小时</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to work for 10 hours</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="font-size:100%">[[Location complement]]</td><td>住</td><td> </td><td>在北京</td><td style="font-size:100%">to live in Beijing</td>
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<td rowspan="2" class="spaced">[[Location complement]]</td><td>住</td><td> </td><td>在北京</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to live in Beijing</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>来</td><td> </td><td>到中国</td><td style="font-size:100%">to come to China</td>
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<td>来</td><td> </td><td>到中国</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to come to China</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="font-size:100%">[[Time complement]]</td><td>等</td><td> </td><td>到明年</td><td style="font-size:100%">to wait until next year</td>
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<td rowspan="2" class="spaced">[[Time complement]]</td><td>等</td><td> </td><td>到明年</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to wait until next year</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<tr>
<td>生</td><td> </td><td>于69年</td><td style="font-size:100%">to be born in '69</td>
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<td>生</td><td> </td><td>于69年</td><td class="spaced" style="font-size:100%">to be born in '69</td>
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
</table>
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</table></div>
 
<nowiki />* OK, these are [[Adjectives|adjectives]], not verbs!
 
<nowiki />* OK, these are [[Adjectives|adjectives]], not verbs!
  

Revision as of 09:27, 7 August 2011

Also known as: 补语 (bǔyǔ) and objective complement.

Complements are a a special type of structure found in modern Mandarin which follow verbs (or sometimes adjectives) and provide additional information. 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"[1].

Complements are not a form of flattery (those are compliments)[2]; they're much more versatile than that! But because complements have no exact counterpart in English, they can be a little bit difficult to get the hang of at first. As is often the case, plentiful examples will help clarify.

Summary of complement types

Below you'll find all the major complement types (as well as some of the minor ones), with representative examples of each. The first four (result complement, potential complement, direction complement, and degree complement) are the critical ones. Click on the complement names for more detailed explanations and plenty of additional examples.

Main Complement Types, with Examples
Type of ComplementVerbParticleComplementEnglish
Result complement to finish doing
to see
to buy (successfully)
计划 to plan (properly)
清楚to speak clearly
Potential complement 不了cannot go
can go
不到cannot hear
can see
不懂to (listen but) not understand
to be able to read and understand
can finish eating
Direction complementto put down
上去to walk up
回来to fly back (here)
过来to look (over) this way
Degree complement很好to speak (very) well
好* 极了great
累* 死了great
脏*不得了terribly dirty
State complement很简单to think very simply
很乱to make a mess (of things)
Quantity complement 一次to go once
工作 十个小时to work for 10 hours
Location complement 在北京to live in Beijing
到中国to come to China
Time complement 到明年to wait until next year
于69年to be born in '69

* OK, these are adjectives, not verbs!

Composition of complements

You might be wondering: what is the complement, exactly? For example, is it another verb, or an adjective or what? The answer is that it varies. It can be a verb, an adjective, a prepositional phrase, a measure word phrase, or a long, complex phrase. The following chart breaks it down.

Structure of Complements
Word Preceding ComplementComplement ContentComplement TypesExample
VerbVerbResult complement
Potential complement得 懂
Direction complement回来
AdjectiveResult complement
State complement得 很 简单
Prepositional phraseLocation complement在 北京
Time complement于 69 年
Measure word phrasesQuantity complement一 次
AdjectiveAdjectiveDegree complement
Result complement
AdverbDegree complement极了
Result complement
Other phraseState complement得 让 人 发疯

References

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

Sources and further reading