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.

  • Zhànzhù!Stop!
  • 那个 小偷 !Zhuāzhù nàge xiǎotōu!Catch that thief!
  • 不 好意思 ,你 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 我 的 话 。Yīdìng yào zhù wǒ de huà.You must remember what I said.
  • 你 必须 机会 。Nǐ bìxū zhuāzhù jīhuì.You must seize the opportunity tightly.
  • !马上 就 好了 。Rěnzhù! Mǎshàng jiù hǎo le.Hold on! It will be ready soon.
  • 坚持 !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.

  • 嘴 。Zhāngkāi zuǐ.Open your mouth.
  • 书 。Qǐng kāi shū.Please open your book.
  • 现在 请 你 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:

  • Zǒukāi!Go away!
  • 我 !Fàngkāi wǒ!Let go of me!
  • 这个 好消息 很快 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.

  • 一点 。Kànkāi yīdiǎn.Cheer up.
  • 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 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 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 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 出来Tā kěndìng shì běifāng rén, wǒ néng tīng chūlai.She must be from the north. I can hear it.
  • 你 能 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 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 出来 吗 ?Zhège dōngxi shì yòng shénme zuò de? Nǐ néng chūlai ma?What's this thing made of? Can you tell by feeling it?
  • 你 抽烟 了 吧 ?别 骗 我 ,我 都 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

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK5