Potential complement "-bu dong" for not understanding

Chinese learners often have to express that they don't understand something, especially in the beginning when they start learning. One of the ways to express that is to use the 不懂 (bù dǒng) verb complement.

Structure

The potential complement 不懂 (bù dǒng) is used to talk about things that can't be understood. Note that this is about potential - the subject doesn't have the ability to understand. The 不懂 (bù dǒng) can also be swapped out with 不明白 (bù míngbai).

Subj. + [Perception verb] + 不懂

Examples

• 我 听 不懂 上海话。 Literally: I hear-not-understand Shanghai dialect.Wǒ tīng bùdǒng Shànghǎi huà. I don't understand Shanghai dialect.
• 很 多 人 读 不懂 这 本 书 。 Literally: Many people read-not-understand this book.Hěn duō rén dú bùdǒng zhè běn shū. Many people don't understand this book.
• 我们 都 搞 不 懂 她 为什么 这样 做。Literally: We all think-not-understand why she did this.Wǒmen dōu gǎo bù dǒng tā wèishénme zhèyàng zuò. We all don't understand why she did this.
• 你 看 不 懂 这 些 汉字 吗？Literally: Do you looks-not-understand these characters?Nǐ kàn bù dǒng zhè xiē hànzì ma? Do you not understand these characters?
• 你 怎么 总是 听 不懂 我 的 话？Literally:How could you always hear-not-understand what I said?Nǐ zěnme zǒngshì tīng bùdǒng wǒ de huà? How could you always not understand what I say?
• 我 小时候，常常 听 不 懂 大人 在 说 什么。 Literally: When I was little, I often listen-not-understand what adults were saying.Wǒ xiǎo shíhou, chángcháng tīng bù dǒng dàrén zài shuō shénme. When I was young, I often didn't understand what adults talked about.
• 这 个 句子 很 难， 学生们 都 读 不 懂 。 Literally:This sentence is very difficult.The students all read-not-understand.Zhè ge jùzi hěnnán, xuéshēngmen dōu dú bù dǒng. This sentence is very difficult. None of the students understand.
• 父母 常常 搞 不 懂 孩子 在 想 什么。 Literally: Parents often make-not-understand what their kids have been thinking.Fùmǔ chángcháng gǎo bù dǒng hāizi zài xiǎng shénme. Parents often don't understand what their kids have been thinking.
• 我 真 搞 不 懂 你 怎么 会 跟 那 种 人 在 一起？ Literally: I really make-not-understand why you would be with this kind of person?Wǒ zhēn gǎo bù dǒng nǐ zěnme huì gēn zhè zhǒng rén zài yīqǐ?I really can't figure out why you would be with that kind of person.
• 老板 的 中文 说 得 很好，可是 他 看 不懂 中文 报纸 。 Literally: The boss speaks very good Chinese but he sees-not-understand Chinese newspapers.Lǎobǎn de Zhōngwén shuō de hěnhǎo, kěshì tā kàn bùdǒng Zhōngwén bàozhǐ. The boss speaks very good Chinese, but he doesn't understand Chinese newspapers.

See also

• Potential complement "bu xia"
• Positive and negative potential complements

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 242-3, pp. 271 - 329) →buy
• Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (Chapter 6: Complements) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 200 - 201) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 87-8) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 97-9) →buy
• Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp, 186-7) →buy

Websites

• Wikipedia: Complement (linguistics)
• Baidu Baike (Chinese): 补语
• Blog entry (Chinese): 状态补语