Chinese grammar / 20 topics
Complements in Chinese grammar
Learn Chinese complements through sentence patterns, rewritten explanations, pinyin and English examples. Browse 20 grammar topics.
听不懂 / 看不懂 tīng bu dǒng / kàn bu dǒng
Say you cannot understand with 听不懂 and 看不懂
Distinguish hearing or reading something from being able to understand it.
完 wán
Show that something is finished with 完
Distinguish doing an activity from reaching the end of it.
到见 dào jiàn
Result Complements 到 and 见 with Seeing and Hearing
Distinguish looking or listening from achieving perception, using 到 and 见 after suitable Chinese sensory verbs and 没 for absent results.
得 de
Describe how an action goes with 得
Say that someone speaks clearly, runs quickly, or does something especially well.
得 / 不 de / bu
Express a possible result with 得 and 不
Say whether a particular result or direction can be achieved under the circumstances.
来、去 lái, qù
Chinese Direction Complements: 来, 去, and Compound Directions
Learn how 来 and 去 mark movement relative to a viewpoint, and combine them with directional verbs such as 上, 下, and 出.
起来 qǐlai
起来 (Qǐlai): Upward Movement, Starting, and Impressions
Understand literal and extended uses of 起来 after verbs, including upward motion, an action beginning, and sensory impressions.
结果补语 jiéguǒ bǔyǔ
Chinese Result Complements: What an Action Achieves
Use result complements such as 好, 完, 错, and 饱 to distinguish performing an action from reaching its result.
下去 xiàqu
下去 (Xiàqu): Continuing an Action in Chinese
Use verb + 下去 to keep an activity going in Chinese, and verb + 不下去 to explain that you cannot continue it.
得不得了 de bùdéliǎo
得不得了 (De Bùdéliǎo): Extremely and Terribly in Chinese
Intensify a description with adjective + 得不得了, including positive emotions as well as difficult or unpleasant situations.
得很 de hěn
得很 (De Hěn): Strong Emphasis After an Adjective
Use adjective + 得很 for emphatic descriptions, and compare its word order and tone with 很 before an adjective.
了 le
了 with Complements: After Results and Inside Directional Phrases
Place 了 after verb-result compounds and recognize selected directional constructions where it can follow the main verb.
得很；得不得了 de hěn; de bùdéliǎo
得很, 得不得了, and More: Chinese Degree Complements
Intensify a quality with adjective + 得很, 得不得了, 得要命, or 得不行, and understand the tone of each expression.
得了；得下；得起；得动；得着 de liǎo; de xià; de qǐ; de dòng; de zháo
得了, 得下, 得起, 得动, and 得着: Potential Complements
Express capacity, affordability, strength, and reach with Chinese potential complements, including their negative forms.
住；开；出来 zhù; kāi; chūlái
住, 开, and 出来: Chinese Result Complements
Learn how 住, 开, and 出来 describe holding, separation, and emergence as results of an action in Chinese.
起来 qǐlái
起来 (Qǐlái): Gather, Collect, or Put Things Away
Explore figurative verb + 起来 for gathering, combining, storing, and putting things away beyond literal upward movement.
坏了 huài le
坏了 (Huài Le): Express an Extreme State
Use 坏了 after a predicate to describe intense tiredness, hunger, worry, or excitement, and distinguish literal damage.
着；得着；不着 zháo; de zháo; bu zháo
着 (Zháo): Achieve a Result or Reach a Goal
Distinguish result-complement 着 from aspect 着, and use 得着 or 不着 to discuss whether the result is attainable.
到 dào
到 (Dào) as a Result Complement: Achieve the Goal
Understand how verb + 到 highlights successful attainment, including differences such as 买 versus 买到 and 做 versus 做到.
来…去 lái…qù
Verb + 来 + Verb + 去: Back and Forth or Repeatedly
Describe pacing, repeated discussion, or continued thinking with a repeated verb around 来 and 去.