State complement

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 verb phrases, subject-predicate phrases, or other complements. State complements that are adjective phrases often look the same as degree complements and thus are often lumped together with degree complements in textbooks.

Adjective 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.

Sometimes there is also an adverb before the adjective, such as 很, 非常, 不太, 有点, etc.

Structure

Verb / Adj. + 得 + State Complement

Examples

• 她 来 得 有点 晚 。She came a little late.
• 老师 今天 穿 得 非常 漂亮 。The teacher dressed very nicely today.
• 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.
• 哪个 城市 发展 得 最 快 ？Which city has developed most rapidly?

If the verb taking a complement also has an object, you can repeat the verb: once for the object, then once for the complement:

• 弟弟 做 作业 做 得 很 慢 。My younger brother does his homework very slowly.
• 他 打 篮球 打 得 非常 好 。He is very good at basketball.
• 妈妈 洗 衣服 洗 得 干 不 干净 ？Did mother wash the clothes well [get them clean]?
• 我们 班 谁 说 汉语 说 得 最 流利 ？Who speaks Chinese most fluently in our class?

Verb Phrases as State Complements

Verb phrases (VP), subject-predicate phrases (SP) 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.

Structure

Verb / Adj. + 得 + State Complement

Examples

• 我 累 得 不 想 说话 。 I was so tired that I didn't want to talk.
• 我 的 牙 疼 得 我 睡 不 着 。 My teeth aches to the point where I can't sleep.
• 听到 这个 消息 ，她 激动 得 哭 了 起来 。Hearing this news, she was excited to point where she started crying.

More Advanced State Complements

Structure

Verb / Adj. + 得 + State Complement

Examples

• 天气 热 得 我 只 想 待 在 空调 房 里 。The weather is hot to the point where I only want to stay in the room with AC.
• 地铁 挤 得 有的 人 下 不 去 。The metro was crowded to the point where some people couldn't get off.
• 他 忙 得 忘 了 给 女儿 买 生日 礼物 。 He's so busy that he forgot to buy her daughter a birthday present.

References and Further Reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 2 (pp. 92) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• HSK Standard Course 3 (pp. 138) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 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
• 现代汉语中程度补语的范围及类别
• 带“得”字程度补语和状态补语的比较分析

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