Advanced result complements "zhu", "kai", and "chulai"

Hopefully you're no stranger to the concept of result complements by now, but there are a few that are less common and thus may have escaped direct scrutiny until now. This grammar point focuses on 住, 开, and 出(来) acting as result complements.

住 as a Result Complement

住 can be used after a verb to express a "coming to a halt." These verbs are limited.

• 站住！Zhànzhù!Stop!
• 抓住 那个 小偷 ！Zhuāzhù nàge xiǎotōu!Catch that thief!
• 不 好意思 ，你 挡住 了 我 的 路 。Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ dǎngzhù le wǒ de lù.Excuse me. You're standing in my way.

住 can also be used to express "undertaking an action firmly."

• 一定 要 记住 我 的 话 。Yīdìng yào jìzhù wǒ de huà.You must remember what I said.
• 你 必须 抓住 机会 。Nǐ bìxū zhuāzhù jīhuì.You must seize the opportunity tightly.
• 忍住 ！马上 就 好了 。Rěnzhù! Mǎshàng jiù hǎo le.Hold on! It will be ready soon.
• 坚持 住 ！别 放弃 ！Jiānchí zhù! Bié fàngqì!Persevere! Don't give up!

开 as Result Complement

开 means "to open" or "to turn on." It is used as a complement in this literal sense.

• 张开 嘴 。Zhāngkāi zuǐ.Open your mouth.
• 请 打开 书 。Qǐng dǎkāi shū.Please open your book.
• 现在 请 你 睁开 眼睛 。Xiànzài qǐng nǐ zhēngkāi yǎnjīng.Please open your eyes now.

开 can be used to express an action that is occurring in a direction away from the speaker. When used in this sense, 开 is generally used with verbs involving releasing, unfolding or spreading out:

• 走开 ！Zǒukāi!Go away!
• 放开 我 ！Fàngkāi wǒ!Let go of me!
• 这个 好消息 很快 传开 了 。Zhège hǎo xiāoxī hěn kuài chuánkāi le.This good news spread out very soon.

开 can be also used to express solving a problem or getting a weight off one's mind.

• 看开 一点 。Kànkāi yīdiǎn.Cheer up.
• 想开 一点 。Xiǎngkāi yīdiǎn.Cheer up.

出(来) as Result Complement

出 and 出来 can be used as complements to figuratively add a sense of "coming into being" or "coming up with."

• 你 能 想出 什么 好 办法 ？Nǐ néng xiǎngchū shénme hǎo bànfǎ?What good ideas can you come up with?
• 这些 数学 题 有点 难 ，我 花 了 一个 小时 才 做出来 。Zhèxiē shùxué tí yǒudiǎn nán, wǒ huā le yī gè xiǎoshí cái zuòchūlai.These math problems are a little bit difficult. It took me an hour to work them out.
• 你 觉得 他 能 猜 出来 这 件 事 是 我 干 的 吗 ？Nǐ juéde tā néng cāi chūlai zhè jiàn shì shì wǒ gàn de ma?Do you think he can figure out I am the one who did this?
• 一万 字 的 文章 我 写 不 出来 。Yī wàn zì de wénzhāng wǒ xiě bu chūlai.I can't write a ten-thousand-word article.

When paired with verbs related to the senses, the complement 出(来) adds a sense of "to tell" or "to distinguish".

• 她 肯定 是 北方人，我 能 听 出来 。Tā kěndìng shì běifāng rén, wǒ néng tīng chūlai.She must be from the north. I can hear it.
• 你 能 看出 我 多大 吗 ？Nǐ néng kànchū wǒ duōdà ma?Can you tell how old I am?
• 菜 里面 有 味精 ，我 能 吃 出来 。Cài lǐmiàn yǒu wèijīng, wǒ néng chī chūlai.The food has MSG in it. I can taste it.
• 这 个 东西 是 用 什么 做 的 ？你 能 摸 出来 吗 ？Zhège dōngxi shì yòng shénme zuò de? Nǐ néng mō chūlai ma?What's this thing made of? Can you tell by feeling it?
• 你 抽烟 了 吧 ？别 骗 我 ，我 都 闻 出来 了 。Nǐ chōuyān le ba? Bié piàn wǒ, wǒ dōu wén chūlai le.Were you smoking? Don't lie to me because I can smell it.

See also

• Result complements
• Potential complement

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 135) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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