Difference between revisions of "Complement"
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{| class="wikitable" style="width:50em" | {| class="wikitable" style="width:50em" | ||
| − | |+ | + | |+Summary of Complement Types |
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! Type of Complement !! Verb !! Complement !! English | ! Type of Complement !! Verb !! Complement !! English | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | [[Result complement]] || 做 || 完 || finish doing | + | | [[Result complement]] || 做 || 完 || to finish doing |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | [[Result complement]] || 买 || 到 || (successfully) buy | + | | [[Result complement]] || 买 || 到 || to (successfully) buy |
|- | |- | ||
| [[Potential complement]] || 做 || 得完 || can finish doing | | [[Potential complement]] || 做 || 得完 || can finish doing | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | [[Potential complement]] || 听 || 不懂 || ( | + | | [[Potential complement]] || 听 || 不懂 || (to listen but) not understand |
|- | |- | ||
| [[Direction complement]] || 跑 || 过来 || to run over (here) | | [[Direction complement]] || 跑 || 过来 || to run over (here) | ||
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| [[Quantity complement]] || 工作 || 三天 || to work for three days | | [[Quantity complement]] || 工作 || 三天 || to work for three days | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | [[Degree complement]] || 洗 || 得很好 || | + | | [[Degree complement]] || 洗 || 得很好 || to wash very well |
|- | |- | ||
| [[Degree complement]] || 好 || 极了 || fantastic | | [[Degree complement]] || 好 || 极了 || fantastic | ||
Revision as of 10:03, 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
| Type of Complement | Verb | Complement | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result complement | 做 | 完 | to finish doing |
| Result complement | 买 | 到 | to (successfully) buy |
| Potential complement | 做 | 得完 | can finish doing |
| Potential complement | 听 | 不懂 | (to listen but) not understand |
| Direction complement | 跑 | 过来 | to run over (here) |
| Direction complement | 放 | 上去 | to place on (something) |
| Quantity complement | 看 | 两遍 | to watch twice |
| Quantity complement | 工作 | 三天 | to work for three days |
| Degree complement | 洗 | 得很好 | to wash very well |
| Degree complement | 好 | 极了 | fantastic |
| Location complement | 住 | 在北京 | to live in Beijing |
| Location complement | 来 | 到中国 | to come to China |
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)
