Difference between revisions of "Complement"
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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 [http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA 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"<ref>[http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners], p. 271</ref>. As is often the case, plentiful examples will help clarify! | 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 [http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA 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"<ref>[http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners], p. 271</ref>. As is often the case, plentiful examples will help clarify! | ||
| − | == | + | == Summary of complements == |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | == 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 == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 09:31, 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!
Contents
Summary of complements
Result complement
Potential complement
Direction complement
(Compound direction complements)
Quantity complement
Degree complement
Location complement
References
- ↑ For more info on this common mistake, see this website.
- ↑ A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners, p. 271
Sources and further reading
- Grammar book: 外国人实用汉语语法(中英文对照) (pp. 242 - 243, pp. 271 - 329)
