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 | + | == Summary of complement types == |
| + | |||
| + | Below you'll find all the major complement types, with representative examples of each. Click through for a more detailed explanation and more examples. | ||
<table class="wikitable" style="width:50em"> | <table class="wikitable" style="width:50em"> | ||
| − | <caption> | + | <caption>Main Complement Types, with Examples</caption> |
<tr> | <tr> | ||
<th>Type of Complement</th><th>Verb</th><th>Complement</th><th>English</th> | <th>Type of Complement</th><th>Verb</th><th>Complement</th><th>English</th> | ||
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
| − | <td rowspan=" | + | <td rowspan="4" style="font-size:100%">[[Result complement]]</td><td>做</td><td>完</td><td style="font-size:100%">to finish doing</td> |
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
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</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
| − | <td rowspan=" | + | <td>计划</td><td>好</td><td style="font-size:100%">to plan (properly)</td> |
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>说</td><td>清楚</td><td style="font-size:100%">to speak clearly</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td rowspan="5" style="font-size:100%">[[Potential complement]]</td><td>去</td><td>不了</td><td style="font-size:100%">cannot go</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>去</td><td>得了</td><td style="font-size:100%">can go</td> | ||
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
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</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
| − | <td rowspan=" | + | <td>看</td><td>得懂</td><td style="font-size:100%">to be able to read and understand</td> |
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>吃</td><td>得完</td><td style="font-size:100%">can finish eating</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td rowspan="4" style="font-size:100%">[[Direction complement]]</td><td>放</td><td>下</td><td style="font-size:100%">to put down</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>走</td><td>上去</td><td style="font-size:100%">to walk up</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>飞</td><td>回来</td><td style="font-size:100%">to fly back (here)</td> | ||
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
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</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
| − | <td>好</td><td>极了</td><td style="font-size:100%">great</td> | + | <td>好*</td><td>极了</td><td style="font-size:100%">great</td> |
</tr> | </tr> | ||
<tr> | <tr> | ||
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</tr> | </tr> | ||
</table> | </table> | ||
| + | * OK, this one is an [[Adjectives|adjective]], not a verb! | ||
== Result complement == | == Result complement == | ||
Revision as of 13:12, 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 complement types
Below you'll find all the major complement types, with representative examples of each. Click through for a more detailed explanation and more examples.
| Type of Complement | Verb | Complement | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Result complement | 做 | 完 | to finish doing |
| 买 | 到 | to buy (successfully) | |
| 计划 | 好 | to plan (properly) | |
| 说 | 清楚 | to speak clearly | |
| Potential complement | 去 | 不了 | cannot go |
| 去 | 得了 | can go | |
| 听 | 不懂 | to (listen but) not understand | |
| 看 | 得懂 | to be able to read and understand | |
| 吃 | 得完 | can finish eating | |
| Direction complement | 放 | 下 | to put down |
| 走 | 上去 | to walk up | |
| 飞 | 回来 | to fly back (here) | |
| 跑 | 过来 | to run over (here) | |
| Quantity complement | 去 | 一次 | to go once |
| 工作 | 十个小时 | to work for 10 hours | |
| Degree complement | 说 | 得很好 | to speak (very) well |
| 好* | 极了 | great | |
| Location complement | 住 | 在北京 | to live in Beijing |
| 来 | 到中国 | to come to China |
- OK, this one is an adjective, not a verb!
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)
