Difference between revisions of "Result complements"

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{{Grammar Box}}  
 
{{Grammar Box}}  
  
Result complements or one of the most common and useful [[complement|types of complements]]. Often the complement is simply an adjective like 好 (hǎo) or a single syllable like 完 (wán). They indicate that an action has led to a certain result and make that result clear to the listener.
+
Result complements come immediately after verbs to indicate that an action has led to a certain result and make that result clear to the listener. Often the complement is simply an adjective like 好 (hǎo) or a single syllable like 完 (wán).
  
 
== Using Adjectives ==
 
== Using Adjectives ==
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错 (cuò) is used to express that an action has been performed incorrectly in some way, resulting in a mistake (错). This pattern covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.
 
错 (cuò) is used to express that an action has been performed incorrectly in some way, resulting in a mistake (错). This pattern covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.
  
Other [[adjective]]s commonly used as result complements include: 晚 (wǎn), 饱 (bǎo), 坏 (huài), 清楚 (qīngchu), 明白 (míngbai), 干净 (gānjìng), 破 (pò).
+
Other [[adjective]]s commonly used as result complements include: 晚 (wǎn), 饱 (bǎo), 坏 (huài), 清楚 (qīngchu), 干净 (gānjìng), 破 (pò).
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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*你 吃 <em>好</em> <strong>了</strong> 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ chī <em>hǎo</em> <strong>le</strong> ma?</span><span class="trans">Are you done eating?</span>
 
*你 吃 <em>好</em> <strong>了</strong> 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ chī <em>hǎo</em> <strong>le</strong> ma?</span><span class="trans">Are you done eating?</span>
*对不起 ,我 记 <em>错</em> <strong>了</strong> 时间 。<span class="pinyin">Duìbuqǐ, wǒ jì <em>cuò</em> <strong>le</strong> shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">Sorry, I remember the time wrong.</span>
+
*对不起 ,我 记 <em>错</em> <strong>了</strong> 时间 。<span class="pinyin">Duìbuqǐ, wǒ jì <em>cuò</em> <strong>le</strong> shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">Sorry, I misremembered the time.</span>
*你 来 <em>晚</em> <strong>了</strong> ,我们 已经 关门 了 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ lái <em>wǎn</em> <strong>le</strong>, wǒmen yǐjīng guānmén <strong></strong> le.</span><span class="trans">You came too late. We're closed already.</span>
+
*你 来 <em>晚</em> <strong>了</strong> ,我们 已经 关门 <strong></strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ lái <em>wǎn</em> <strong>le</strong>, wǒmen yǐjīng guānmén <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">You came too late. We're already closed.</span>
 
*他 玩 <em>坏</em> <strong>了</strong> 哥哥 的 玩具 。<span class="pinyin">Tā wán <em>huài</em> <strong>le</strong> gēge de wánjù.</span><span class="trans">He broke his older brother's toy.</span>
 
*他 玩 <em>坏</em> <strong>了</strong> 哥哥 的 玩具 。<span class="pinyin">Tā wán <em>huài</em> <strong>le</strong> gēge de wánjù.</span><span class="trans">He broke his older brother's toy.</span>
*我 <strong>没</strong> 吃 <em>饱</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>méi</strong> chī <em>bǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">I didn't eat enough.</span>
+
*我 <strong>没</strong> 吃 <em>饱</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>méi</strong> chī <em>bǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">I didn't get full.</span>
 
*他 还 <strong>没</strong> 想 <em>好</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā hái <strong>méi</strong> xiǎng <em>hǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">He hasn't thought it through yet.</span>
 
*他 还 <strong>没</strong> 想 <em>好</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā hái <strong>méi</strong> xiǎng <em>hǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">He hasn't thought it through yet.</span>
 
*我们 <strong>没</strong> 听 <em>清楚</em> ,请 再 说 一遍 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <strong>méi</strong> tīng <em>qīngchu</em>, qǐng zài shuō yī biàn.</span><span class="trans">We didn't hear it clearly. Please say it again.</span>
 
*我们 <strong>没</strong> 听 <em>清楚</em> ,请 再 说 一遍 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <strong>méi</strong> tīng <em>qīngchu</em>, qǐng zài shuō yī biàn.</span><span class="trans">We didn't hear it clearly. Please say it again.</span>
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== Using One-Syllable Verbs ==
 
== Using One-Syllable Verbs ==
  
Besides adjectives, there are a few single-syllable verbs which an also be used as result complements. Some examples include [[Result complements "-dao" and "-jian"|到 (dào), 见 (jiàn)]], 懂 (dǒng), 会 (huì), 走 (zǒu), 掉 (diào). There really aren't a lot of these, which is part of the reason why these words are usually seen as one verb instead of two verbs.
+
Besides adjectives, there are a few single-syllable verbs which can also be used as result complements. Some examples include [[Result complements "-dao" and "-jian"|到 (dào), 见 (jiàn)]], 懂 (dǒng), 会 (huì), 走 (zǒu), 掉 (diào). There really aren't a lot of these, which is part of the reason why these are usually seen as one verb instead of a verb-complement structure.
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
*你们 都 <em>听懂</em> 了 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen dōu <em>tīngdǒng</em> ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you understand all of it?</span>
+
*你们 都 <em>听 懂</em> 了 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen dōu <em>tīng dǒng</em> le ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you all understand?</span>
*我 看 了 ,但是 没 <em>看懂</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ kàn le, dànshì méi <em>kàndǒng</em>.</span><span class="trans">I read it, but I didn't really understand it.</span>
+
*我 看 了 ,但是 没 <em>看 懂</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ kàn le, dànshì méi <em>kàn dǒng</em>.</span><span class="trans">I read it, but I didn't really understand it.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
*你 <em>踩到</em> 了 我 的 脚 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>cǎidào</em> le wǒ de jiǎo.</span><span class="trans">You're stepping on my foot.</span>
+
*你 <em>踩 到</em> 了 我 的 脚 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>cǎi dào</em> le wǒ de jiǎo.</span><span class="trans">You're stepping on my foot.</span>
*我 不小心 <em>撞到</em> 了 墙 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn <em>zhuàngdào</em> le qiáng.</span><span class="trans">I hit the wall by accident.</span>
+
*我 不小心 <em>撞 到</em> 了 墙 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn <em>zhuàng dào</em> le qiáng.</span><span class="trans">I hit the wall by accident.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
*我 女儿 <em>学会</em> 了 数数 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǚ'ér <em>xuéhuì</em> le shǔ shù.</span><span class="trans">My daughter has learned how to count numbers.</span>
+
*我 女儿 <em>学 会</em> 了 数数 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǚ'ér <em>xué huì</em> le shǔ shù.</span><span class="trans">My daughter has learned how to count.</span>
*今年 夏天 我 <em>学会</em> 了 游泳 。<span class="pinyin">Jīnnián xiàtiān wǒ <em>xuéhuì</em> le yóuyǒng.</span><span class="trans">I learned how to swim this summer.</span>
+
*我 爸爸 还 没 <em>学 会</em> 用 智能 手机 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bàba hái méi <em>xué huì</em> yòng zhìnéng shǒujī.</span><span class="trans">My father hasn't learned how to use a smartphone yet.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
*老师 <em>拿走</em> 了 我 的 iPad 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎoshī <em>názǒu</em> le wǒ de iPad.</span><span class="trans">The teacher took away my iPad.</span>
+
*老师 <em>拿 走</em> 了 我 的 iPad 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎoshī <em>ná zǒu</em> le wǒ de iPad.</span><span class="trans">The teacher took away my iPad.</span>
*小偷 <em>偷走</em> 了 我 的 钱包 。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎotōu <em>tōuzǒu</em> le wǒ de qiánbāo.</span><span class="trans">The thief stole my wallet.</span>
+
*小偷 <em>偷 走</em> 了 我 的 钱包 。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎotōu <em>tōu zǒu</em> le wǒ de qiánbāo.</span><span class="trans">The thief stole my wallet.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
*他 不小心 <em>推倒</em> 了 一 个 老人 。<span class="pinyin">Tā bù xiǎoxīn <em>tuīdǎo</em> le yī gè lǎorén.</span><span class="trans">He pushed over an old people by accident.</span>
+
*他 不小心 <em>推 倒</em> 了 一 个 老人 。<span class="pinyin">Tā bù xiǎoxīn <em>tuī dǎo</em> le yī gè lǎorén.</span><span class="trans">He pushed over an old person by accident.</span>
*你 <em>撞倒</em> 了 我 的 自行车 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zhuàngdǎo</em> le wǒ de zìxíngchē.</span><span class="trans">You knocked over my bike.</span>
+
*你 <em>撞 倒</em> 了 我 的 自行车 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zhuàng dǎo</em> le wǒ de zìxíngchē.</span><span class="trans">You knocked over my bike.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
*谁 <em>扔掉</em> 了 我 的 袜子 ?<span class="pinyin">Shéi <em>rēngdiào</em> le wǒ de wàzi?</span><span class="trans">Who threw away my socks?</span>
+
*谁 <em>扔 掉</em> 了 我 的 袜子 ?<span class="pinyin">Shéi <em>rēng diào</em> le wǒ de wàzi?</span><span class="trans">Who threw away my socks?</span>
*我 <em>卖掉</em> 了 我 的 旧 手机 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>màidiào</em> le wǒ de jiù shǒujī.</span><span class="trans">I sold my old cell phone.</span>
+
*我 <em>卖 掉</em> 了 我 的 旧 手机 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>mài diào</em> le wǒ de jiù shǒujī.</span><span class="trans">I sold my old cell phone.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== Compared with Potential Complement ==
+
== Compared with Potential Complements ==
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
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|+Result and Potential Complements
 
|+Result and Potential Complements
 
|-
 
|-
! Result Complement !! Aff. Potential Complement !! Neg. Potential Complement
+
! Result<br />Complement !! Aff. Potential<br />Complement !! Neg. Potential<br />Complement
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 做 完 || 做 <em>得</em> 完 || 做 <em>不</em> 完  
 
| 做 完 || 做 <em>得</em> 完 || 做 <em>不</em> 完  
 
|-
 
|-
| 听 懂 || 听 <em>得</em> 懂 || 听 <em>不</em> 懂   
+
|听 懂 || 听 <em>得</em> 懂 || 听 <em>不</em> 懂   
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 看 清楚 || 看 <em>得</em> 清楚 || 看 <em>不</em> 清楚   
 
| 看 清楚 || 看 <em>得</em> 清楚 || 看 <em>不</em> 清楚   
|-
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 洗 干净 ||洗 <em>得</em> 干净 || 洗 <em>不</em> 干净   
 
| 洗 干净 ||洗 <em>得</em> 干净 || 洗 <em>不</em> 干净   
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== Used in 把 Sentences ==
 
== Used in 把 Sentences ==
  
You might have noticed that quite a few of the example sentences in this article are [[Ba sentence|把 sentences]]. This is because 把 sentences and result complements work particularly well together, as they both deal with the result of an action or the disposal of an object.
+
Although we have avoided [[Ba sentence|把 sentences]] in this article for the sake of simplicity, you may have noticed that sentences which feature result complements often also use 把. This is because 把 sentences and result complements work particularly well together, as they both deal with the result of an action or the "disposal" of an object. Apart from result complements involving perception and psychological verbs, most result compounds work nicely in 把 sentences.
 
 
Apart from result complements involving perception and psychological verbs, most result compounds work nicely in 把 sentences.
 
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
{| class="wikitable" style="width:33em"
+
* 我 <strong>把</strong> 杯子 <em>摔 坏</em> 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>bǎ</strong> bēizi <em>shuāi huài</em> le .</span><span class="trans">I broke the glass.</span>
|+Result complements in 把 sentences
+
* 他 <strong>把</strong> 我 的 电脑 <em>修 好</em> 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <strong>bǎ</strong> wǒ de diànnǎo <em>xiū hǎo</em> le .</span><span class="trans">He fixed my computer.</span>
|-
+
* 小偷 <strong>把</strong> 我 的 钱包 <em>偷 走</em> 了 。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎotōu <strong>bǎ</strong> wǒ de qiánbāo <em>tōu zǒu</em> le .</span><span class="trans">The thief made off with my wallet.</span>
! Subject !! <em>把</em> !! Object !! RC compound verb !!
+
* 我们 <strong>把</strong> 房间 <em>打扫 干净</em> 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <strong>bǎ</strong> fángjiān <em>dǎsǎo gānjìng</em> le .</span><span class="trans">We've cleaned the room.</span>
|-
 
| || <em></em> || 杯子 ||摔 坏 ||
 
|-
 
| 他 || <em></em> || 我 的 电脑 || 修 好 了 || 。
 
|-
 
| 小偷 || <em>把</em> || 我 的 钱包 || 偷 走 了 ||
 
|-
 
| 我们 || <em>把</em> || 房间 ||打扫 干净 了 ||
 
|-
 
|}
 
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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===Books===
 
===Books===
  
 +
{{Source|HSK Standard Course 2|68}}
 +
{{Source|HSK Standard Course 3|4}}
 
{{Source|A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)|273 - 284}}  
 
{{Source|A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)|273 - 284}}  
 
{{Source|Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition|97-9}}
 
{{Source|Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition|97-9}}
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[[Category:B1 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:B1 grammar points]]
 +
{{HSK|HSK2}}{{2021-HSK|HSK2}}
 +
{{HSK|HSK3}}
 
[[Category:Result complement]]
 
[[Category:Result complement]]
  
{{Basic Grammar|好|B1|Verb + 好|我们 吃 <em>好</em> 了 。|grammar point|ASGNNMST}}
+
{{Basic Grammar|好|B1|Verb + 好 / 完 / 错|我们 吃 <em>好</em> 了 。|grammar point|ASGNNMST}}
 
{{Rel char|了}}
 
{{Rel char|了}}
 
{{Similar|"-wan" result complement}}
 
{{Similar|"-wan" result complement}}

Latest revision as of 08:55, 21 April 2021

Result complements come immediately after verbs to indicate that an action has led to a certain result and make that result clear to the listener. Often the complement is simply an adjective like 好 (hǎo) or a single syllable like 完 (wán).

Using Adjectives

好 (hǎo) implies that something is done to completion or done well. Forming a result complement with 好 has a very similar meaning to forming one with 完. It expresses that the action has been completed successfully.

错 (cuò) is used to express that an action has been performed incorrectly in some way, resulting in a mistake (错). This pattern covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.

Other adjectives commonly used as result complements include: 晚 (wǎn), 饱 (bǎo), 坏 (huài), 清楚 (qīngchu), 干净 (gānjìng), 破 (pò).

Structure

For the basic structure, you'll almost always see a 了 after the complement:

Subj. + Verb + Adj. + 了 (+ Obj.)

To negate a result complement, use 没 instead of 不:

Subj. + 没 + Verb + Adj. (+ Obj.)

Examples

  • 你 吃 吗 ?Nǐ chī hǎo le ma?Are you done eating?
  • 对不起 ,我 记 时间 。Duìbuqǐ, wǒ jì cuò le shíjiān.Sorry, I misremembered the time.
  • 你 来 ,我们 已经 关门 Nǐ lái wǎn le, wǒmen yǐjīng guānmén le.You came too late. We're already closed.
  • 他 玩 哥哥 的 玩具 。Tā wán huài le gēge de wánjù.He broke his older brother's toy.
  • méi chī bǎo.I didn't get full.
  • 他 还 Tā hái méi xiǎng hǎo.He hasn't thought it through yet.
  • 我们 清楚 ,请 再 说 一遍 。Wǒmen méi tīng qīngchu, qǐng zài shuō yī biàn.We didn't hear it clearly. Please say it again.

When using result complements, it's very common to make the object a topic. This means the object is moved to the beginning of the sentence and the subject is often omitted.

Some examples:

  • 这 个 字 了。Zhège zì xiě cuò le.You wrote this character wrong.
  • 杯子 了 。Bēizi shuāi huài le.The cup is broken.
  • 房间 打扫 干净 了 吗 ?Fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng le ma?Is your room all cleaned up?

Using One-Syllable Verbs

Besides adjectives, there are a few single-syllable verbs which can also be used as result complements. Some examples include 到 (dào), 见 (jiàn), 懂 (dǒng), 会 (huì), 走 (zǒu), 掉 (diào). There really aren't a lot of these, which is part of the reason why these are usually seen as one verb instead of a verb-complement structure.

Structure

For the basic structure, you'll often see a 了 after the complement:

Subj. + Verb + [One-syllable Verb] +了 (+ Obj.)

Examples

  • 你们 都 听 懂 了 吗 ?Nǐmen dōu tīng dǒng le ma?Do you all understand?
  • 我 看 了 ,但是 没 看 懂Wǒ kàn le, dànshì méi kàn dǒng.I read it, but I didn't really understand it.
  • 踩 到 了 我 的 脚 。cǎi dào le wǒ de jiǎo.You're stepping on my foot.
  • 我 不小心 撞 到 了 墙 。Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn zhuàng dào le qiáng.I hit the wall by accident.
  • 我 女儿 学 会 了 数数 。Wǒ nǚ'ér xué huì le shǔ shù.My daughter has learned how to count.
  • 我 爸爸 还 没 学 会 用 智能 手机 。Wǒ bàba hái méi xué huì yòng zhìnéng shǒujī.My father hasn't learned how to use a smartphone yet.
  • 老师 拿 走 了 我 的 iPad 。Lǎoshī ná zǒu le wǒ de iPad.The teacher took away my iPad.
  • 小偷 偷 走 了 我 的 钱包 。Xiǎotōu tōu zǒu le wǒ de qiánbāo.The thief stole my wallet.
  • 他 不小心 推 倒 了 一 个 老人 。Tā bù xiǎoxīn tuī dǎo le yī gè lǎorén.He pushed over an old person by accident.
  • 撞 倒 了 我 的 自行车 。zhuàng dǎo le wǒ de zìxíngchē.You knocked over my bike.
  • 扔 掉 了 我 的 袜子 ?Shéi rēng diào le wǒ de wàzi?Who threw away my socks?
  • 卖 掉 了 我 的 旧 手机 。mài diào le wǒ de jiù shǒujī.I sold my old cell phone.

Compared with Potential Complements

Result and Potential Complements
Result
Complement
Aff. Potential
Complement
Neg. Potential
Complement
做 完
听 懂
看 清楚 清楚 清楚
洗 干净 干净 干净

Used in 把 Sentences

Although we have avoided 把 sentences in this article for the sake of simplicity, you may have noticed that sentences which feature result complements often also use 把. This is because 把 sentences and result complements work particularly well together, as they both deal with the result of an action or the "disposal" of an object. Apart from result complements involving perception and psychological verbs, most result compounds work nicely in 把 sentences.

  • 杯子 摔 坏 了 。 bēizi shuāi huài le .I broke the glass.
  • 我 的 电脑 修 好 了 。 wǒ de diànnǎo xiū hǎo le .He fixed my computer.
  • 小偷 我 的 钱包 偷 走 了 。Xiǎotōu wǒ de qiánbāo tōu zǒu le .The thief made off with my wallet.
  • 我们 房间 打扫 干净 了 。Wǒmen fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng le .We've cleaned the room.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites