Difference between revisions of "State complement"
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| − | * | + | *大家 <strong>玩</strong> <em>得 高兴 吗</em> ？<span class="trans">Is everyone having fun?</span> |
*哪个 城市 <strong>发展</strong> <em>得 最 好</em> ？<span class="trans">What place has developed nicely?</span> | *哪个 城市 <strong>发展</strong> <em>得 最 好</em> ？<span class="trans">What place has developed nicely?</span> | ||
*衣服 <strong>洗</strong> <em>得 干 不 干净</em> ？<span class="trans">Was the clothing washed well [clean]?</span> | *衣服 <strong>洗</strong> <em>得 干 不 干净</em> ？<span class="trans">Was the clothing washed well [clean]?</span> | ||
Revision as of 07:24, 27 July 2017
- Also known as: 状态补语 (zhuàngtài bǔyǔ), 情态补语 (qíngtài bǔyǔ) and complement of state.
State complements describe an achieved state of an action. State complements are usually adjective phrases (adverb + adjective) but can take the form of verbal phrases, subject-predicate phrase or other complements. State complements that are adjective phrases often look the same as degree complements and thus often lumped together with degree complements in textbooks.
Contents
Adjective Phrases as State Complements
In a state complement phrase, the verb must be followed by 得, and then the complement follows. The most common type of state complement, where the complement is an adjective phrase, is formed by placing the adjective phrase after 得.
Structure
Subject + Verb + 得 + Complement
Examples
- 她 来 得 很 晚 。She came very late.
- 孩子们 玩 得 很 开心 。The kids are having lots of fun.
- 我 昨天 睡 得 不 太 好 。I didn't sleep very well yesterday.
If the verb taking a complement also has an object, you can repeat the verb: once for the object, then once for the complement:
- 我 弟弟 做 作业 做 得 很 慢 。My younger brother does his homework very slowly.
- 他 吃 东西 吃 得 很 快 。He eats very fast.
Verb Phrases and other Complements as State Complements
Verb phrases (VP), subject-predicate phrases (SP) and other complements can also serve as complements of state. As with adjective phrase state complements, they can describe a state that arose from the action of the main verb in the sentence. Some examples:
- 他们 唱歌 唱 得 忘 了 时间 。 Here the state complement is a verb phrase and expresses the state to which the subject got caught up in their singing activities (probably at KTV).They sang to the point where they lost track of time.
- 爷爷 看 电视 看 得 睡着 了 。 This room is filled to the point that you are unable to fit more stuff.
- 我 激动 得 大叫 起来 。The state complement in this example is used to describe the state of excitement the subject has arrived at.I was excited to point of screaming out.
State Complements in Questions
You can form questions with sentences containing result complements just as you would with any other sentence:
- With a question particle
- With a question word
- With positive-negative inversion
Some examples:
- 大家 玩 得 高兴 吗 ？Is everyone having fun?
- 哪个 城市 发展 得 最 好 ？What place has developed nicely?
- 衣服 洗 得 干 不 干净 ？Was the clothing washed well [clean]?
References and Further Reading
Books
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 15-6) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 65-6) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 530)→buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 141)→buy
Websites
- About Chinese Language, XCN Chinese The Complement of State
