Directional Complements

Simple Directional Complements

I. Simple Directional Complement

A. What is the simple directional complement?

The verb lái 来 (come) or qù 去 (go) used after another verb as a complement to show the direction of an action is called the simple directional complement.

B. Verbs of motion taking a simple directional complement

Verbs of motion such as shàng 上, xià 下, jìn 进, chū 出, huí 回, guò 过, and qǐ 起 frequently take lái 来 and qù 去 as complements. Table 1 below shows lái 来 and qù 去 suffixed to verbs of motion to show whether the movement is toward the speaker or away from the speaker. In English, the direction of an action is usually indicated by the verbs 'come ' and 'go ', which are represented respectively by the verbs 'lái 来 ' and ‘qù 去 ' in Chinese. Note that as complements lái and qù have neutral tone when they are attached to verbs except for the verb dào 到.

Table 1. Simple Directional Complements

verbs of motion\ shàng\ xià\ jìn\ chū\ huí\ guó\ qǐ\ dào\ \ 上\ 下\ 进\ 出\ 回\ 过\ 起\ 到\ simple directional\ to ascend to descend to enter to exit to return to cross to rise to reach complements

lái\ shànglai\ xiàlai\ jìnlai\ chūlai\ huílai\ guòlai\ qǐlai\ dào ...lái\ 来\ 上来\ 下来\ 进来\ 出来\ 回来\ 过来\ 起来\ 到 ...来\ action proceeding\ come up come down come in(to) come out come back come over get up come to toward the speaker

qù\ shàngqu\ xiàqu\ jìnqu\ chūqu\ huíqu\ guòqu\ N./A. dào ...qù\ 去\ 上去\ 下去\ 进去\ 出去\ 回去\ 过去\ 到 ...去\ action moving away\ go up go down go in(to) go out go back go over go to from where the speaker is

The examples below show how these compounds are used in sentences:

1. shànglai 上来 (to come up)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker is upstairs. The listener is downstairs.
  
  \ \ Wǒ zài lóushàng, qǐng nǐ shànglai.\ 我在楼上，请你上来。\ I 'm upstairs. Please come up.
1. shàngqu 上去 (to go up)
  
  \
  
  Note: Both the speaker and the listener are at the foot of the hill.
  
  \ \ Tīngshuō shān-shang fēngjǐng hěn měi. Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng shàngqukàn kan.\ 听说山上风景很美。你想不想上去看看？\ I heard that the view on the top of the mountain was beautiful. Would you like to go up to take a look?
　
1. xiàlai 下来 (to come down)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker and the listener are downstairs. The speaker tells the listener that he is going upstairs.
  
  　\ \ Tā zài lóushàng. Wǒ qù jiào tā xiàlai.\ 他在楼上。我去叫他下来。\ He's upstairs. I 'll go to tell him to come down.
1. xiàqu 下去 (to go down)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker and the listener are upstairs. The speaker asks the listener to go downstairs.
  
  　\ \ Lóuxià yǒu rén jiào mén. Nǐ xiàqu kànkan shì shéi.\ 楼下有人叫门。你下去看看是谁。\ Someone is knocking on the door. Go down to see who it is.
　
1. jìnlai 进来 (to come in)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker is inside the house asking the listener to come inside.
  
  　\ \ Wàitou nàme lěng, nǐ kuài jìnlai ba.\ 外头那么冷，你快进来吧。\ it's so cold outside. Quickly come in.
1. jìnqu 进去 (to go in)
  
  \
  
  Note: Both the speaker and the listener are outside the house.
  
  　\ \ Tài lěng le. Wǒmen kuài jìnqu ba.\ 太冷了，我们快进去吧。\ it's too cold. Let 's quickly go in.
　
1. chūlai 出来 (to come out)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker is outside the house. The listener is inside.
  
  \ \ Fángzi-li tài rè le. Nǐ kuài chūlai ba.\ 房子里太热了，你快出来吧。\ it's too hot in the house. Quickly come out. 　
1. chūqu 出去 (to go out)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker and the listener are inside the house.
  
  \ Tiānqi zhēn hǎo! Wǒmen chūqu zǒu zou ba.\ 天气真好！我们出去走走吧。\ The weather is really nice! Let 's go out and take a walk.
　
1. huílai 回来 (to come back)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker and the listener are at the same place. The speaker is going to take a short trip. He tells the listener he 'll be back in the evening the next day.
  
  \ \ Wǒ míngtiān wǎnshang huílai.\ 我明天晚上回来。\ I 'm coming back tomorrow.
1. huíqu 回去 (to go back)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker and the listener are in Shanghai. The speaker tells the listener that he is returning to Beijing the next day.
  
  \ Wǒ míngtiān huíqu.\ 我明天回去。\ I 'm going back tomorrow.
　
1. guòlai 过来 (to come over)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker asks the listener to come over to where he is.
  
  \ \ Guòlai shì shi zhèi jiàn máoyī.\ 过来试试这件毛衣。\ Come over here and try this sweater on.
1. guòqu 过去 (to go over)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker and the listener are not at the lake.
  
  \ \ Tīngshuō nèibiān yǒu yí gè xiǎo hú. Wǒmen guòqu kànkan.\ 听说那边有一个小湖，我们过去看看。\ I heard there's a small lake over there. Let 's go over there to take a look.
　
1. qǐlai 起来 (to rise, to get up)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker asks the listener to get out of bed.
  
  \ \ Yǐjīng bā diǎn le. Kuài qǐlai ba.\ 已经八点了。快起来吧。\ it's already eight o 'clock. Get up quickly.
　
1. dào + place + lái 到 ...... 来 (to come to)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker is in Beijing. 　
  
  \ \ Huānyíng nǐ dào Běijīng lái.\ 欢迎你到北京来。\ Welcome (you) to Beijing.
1. dào + place + qù 到 ...... 去 (to go to)
  
  \
  
  Note: The speaker is not in France.
  
  \ \ Wǒ hěn xiǎng dào Fǎguó qù.\ 我很想到法国去。\ I very much want to go to France.

C. Verbs indicating the transporting of objects or people.

Besides verbs of motion, verbs indicating moving objects from one place to another also take directional complements, such as ná 拿 (to take), dài 带 (take...along; bring; bear) and jì 寄 (to send by mail). The directional complement lái 来 and qù 去 keep their original tone.

ná +lái 拿来 (to take to/to bring over to where the speaker is)

\ \ Jīntiān Lǎo Lǐ gěi wǒ nálái–le yì píng Fǎguó jiǔ.\ 今天老李给我拿来了一瓶法国酒。\ Today Old Li brought me a bottle of French wine. Note: The speaker is now at the place where Old Li came with the wine.
dài + qù 带去\

\ Zhèi bāo chá qǐng nǐ gěi Xiǎo Zhāng dàiqù.\ 这包茶请你给小张带去。\ Please take this package of tea to Young Zhang.

Note: The speaker and the listener are at Place A. The listener is going to Place B. The speaker wants the listener to take the tea to Young Zhang who is at Place B.
sòng + lái 送来\

\ Jīntiān shàngwǔ Lǐ Xiānsheng gěi wǒmen sònglái–le liǎng qiān kuài qián.\ 今天上午李先生给我们送来了两千块钱。\ This morning Mr. Li came here and gave us \$2,000 dollars.

Note: The speaker is at the place where Mr. Li came to give the money.
jì + qù 寄去\

\ Shàng gè yuè wǒ gěi tā jìqù–le liǎng bǎi kuài qián.

上个月我给他寄去了两百块钱。

Last month I sent him \$200 dollars.

Note: The speaker is at Place A while the receiver is at Place B.
bān + lái 搬来\

\ Sān lóu bānlái–le yì jiā Fǎguó rén.\ 三楼搬来了一家法国人。\ A French family has moved in on the third floor.

Note: The speaker is in the building where the French family has moved in.

D. The placement of the simple directional complement, the object and le 了.

1. If the verb does not take an object and the action has already been executed, the modal particle le 了 indicating accomplished fact is used at the end of the sentence.

\ Tā yǐjīng huíqu le.\ 他已经回去了。\ He has already gone back.
\ Xiǎo Wáng jìnlai le ma?\ 小王进来了吗？\ Has Young Wang come in yet?
\ Háizi-men dōu qǐlai le.\ 孩子们都起来了。\ The children have all gotten up/out of bed.

2\. If the object refers to a place, it is usually placed between the verb and the simple directional complement. In such a sentence, if the action has already taken place, the modal particle le 了 is used to indicate that it is an accomplished fact. Le 了 is placed at the end of the sentence.

verb + place + simple directional complement + (le)

\ Tā huí lǎojiā qu le.\ 他回老家去了。\ He has returned to his hometown.
\ Xiǎo Wáng bú zài jiā. Tā jìnchéng qu le.\ 小王不在家。他进城去了。\ Young Wang is not home. He is gone to the city.
\ Qǐng nǐ dào lóushàng lái.\ 请你到楼上来。\ Please come upstairs.

3\. If the object is not a place, it is usually placed after the complement. When the aspect particle –le 了 occurs in this kind of sentence, it is usually placed immediately after the complement.

verb + simple directional complement + (-le 了) + (numerical measure word or other qualifier) + object

\ Tā ná lái-le liǎng zhāng diànyǐng piào.\ 他拿来了两张电影票。\ He came and gave us two movie tickets.
\ Qǐng gěi tā dài qù jǐ běn xiǎoshuō.\ 请给他带去几本小说。\ Please bring a few novels over to him.

Compound Directional Complements

II\. Compound directional complements

A. What is the compound directional complement?

</div>

When the combination of a verb of motion and lái 来 or qù 去 (see
Table 2.) is suffixed to a verb to show the direction of the
movement, it is called the compound directional complement. Compound
directional complements are used in the same way as simple
directional complements.

<table class="table2">
<caption>
Table 2. Compound Directional Complements

</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>
Verb +

</th>
<th colspan="8">
Compound directional complements

</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="width:15%;font-size:60%;">
Verbs that indicate moving or transporting objects, such as <span
class="pinyin">bān</span> <span class="hanzi">搬</span> (to move),
<span class="pinyin">ná</span> <span class="hanzi">拿</span> (to
take or bring), or <span class="pinyin">sòng</span> <span
class="hanzi">送</span> (to deliver, carry or escort), and body
movements, such as <span class="pinyin">zǒu</span> <span
class="hanzi">走</span> (to walk) or <span class="pinyin">pǎo</span>
<span class="hanzi">跑</span> (to run) frequently take compound
directional complements.

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">shànglai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">上来</span>\
come up

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">xiàlai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">下来</span>\
come down

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">jìnlai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">进来</span>\
come in(to)

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">chūlai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">出来</span>\
come out

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">huílai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">回来</span>\
come back

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">guòlai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">过来</span>\
come over

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">qǐlai</span>\
<span class="hanzi">起来</span>\
get up

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">dào ... lái</span>\
<span class="hanzi">到 ... 来</span>\
come to

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">shàngqu</span>\
<span class="hanzi">上去</span>\
go up

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">xiàqu</span>\
<span class="hanzi">下去</span>\
go down

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">jìnqu</span>\
<span class="hanzi">进去</span>\
go in(to)

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">chūqu</span>\
<span class="hanzi">出去</span>\
go out

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">huíqu</span>\
<span class="hanzi">回去</span>\
go back

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">guòqu</span>\
<span class="hanzi">过去</span>\
go over

</td>
<td>
N./A.

</td>
<td>
<span class="pinyin">dào ... qù</span>\
<span class="hanzi">到 ... 去</span>\
go to

</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
\

<div class="gris">

The examples below show how verbs take compound directional
complements:

</div>

\

1.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIA-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Wǒ jiā mǎi-le yì suǒ xīn fángzi, kěshì
    wǒmen hái méiyǒu **bān**</span><span
    class="rouge">jìnqu.</span>\
    <span
    class="hanzi">我家买了一所新房子，可是我们还没有搬进去。</span>\
    My family bought a new house, but we have not moved in yet.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIA-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **ná **<span class="rouge">chūlai</span>
    yì běn shū.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他拿出来一本书。</span>\
    He took out a book.
3.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIA-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Qǐng nǐ **zǒu **<span
    class="rouge">guòqu</span> kàn kàn nà shì shénme dōngxi.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">请你走过去看看那是什么东西。</span>\
    Please go over there to see what it is.
4.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIA-4.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **pǎo **<span
    class="rouge">guòlai</span> bāng wǒ ná xíngli.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他跑过来帮我拿行李。</span>\
    He ran over to me to help me carry the luggage.
5.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIA-5.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Zuótiān Xiǎo Lǐ **mǎi **<span
    class="rouge">huílai</span> yì tái diànshì.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">昨天小李买回来一台电视。</span>\
    Yesterday Young Li bought a TV set and brought it back with him.

B. The placement of the object and modal particle le 了 in the sentence

If the verb takes an object which refers to a place, the object is inserted into the compound complement. In such a sentence, if the action has already taken place, the modal particle le 了 is used to indicate that it is an accomplished fact. le 了 is placed at the end of the sentence.

\
1. \ Lǐ jiā bān huí Běijīng qu le.\ 李家搬回北京去了。\ The Li family has moved back to Beijing.
2. \ Liǎng diǎnzhōng yí dào, xuéshēng-men jiù dōu pǎo jìn jiàoshì lái le.\ 两点钟一到，学生们就都跑进教室来了。\ As soon as it strikes two o 'clock, the students all ran into the classroom.
If the object refers to something other than a place and it isa generic or indefinite object, it is usually placed after the compound directional complement. The aspect particle –le 了 and the modal particle le 了 are not commonly used in this kind of sentences.

\
1. \ Tā náchūlaièrshí kuài qián.\ 他拿出来二十块钱。\ He took out \$20 dollars.
2. \ Tāmen bānjìnquyí gè dà xiāngzi.\ 他们搬进去一个大箱子。\ They moved a big crate inside.
If the object refers to something other than a place and the object has been previously mentioned or is something both the speaker and the listener know, thebǎ把**construction** is most commonly used to displace the object to the pre-verbal position and comment on what has happened to the object. If the action is an accomplished fact, the modal particle le 了 should be used and placed at the end of the sentence.

\
1. \ Tā bǎnèièrshí kuài qiánnáchūlaile.\ 他把那二十块钱拿出来了。\ He took out the \$20 dollars.
2. \ Tāmen bǎnèi gèdà xiāngzibānjìnqule.\ 他们把那个大箱子搬进去了。\ They moved the big crate inside.

Extended meaning of some directional complements

III\. Extended meaning of some directional complements

Directional complements often work with verbs indicating physical movement. Typically, they are related to moving objects from one place to another or they indicate to what place the subject is moving or has moved. This is why these verbs often indicate moving something by hand or the subject 's own movement to a new place, such as bān 搬 (to move), ná 拿 (to take), fàng 放 (to put), dài 带 (to bring), tái 抬 (to lift), tuī 推 (to push), lā 拉 (to pull), zǒu 走 (to walk), pǎo 跑 (to run), and so on. When accompanied by directional complements, these verbs show the direction of the movement. However, many directional complements are stretched in meaning to make idiomatic expressions, so much so that when used with certain verbs they no longer indicate direction as in their original sense. For example, the complement chūlai 出来 (out), when used with the verb ná 拿 (to take) to form the combo 'náchūlai 拿出来 (to take out) ', indicates the direction of the movement; but when used with the verb kàn 看 (to look) to form the combo ‘kànchūlai 看出来 (to detect by looking) ', it no longer indicates direction . The way the complement ‘chūlai 出来 (out) ' is stretched to 'detect ' is perhaps based on the rationale that detection is the act of picking out something hidden. The following are examples of some directional complements used in their extended meanings.

<span class="pinyin">–qilai</span> <span class="hanzi">起来</span>

</div>

\
\
1.  <div class="gris">

    indicating the beginning and continuation of an action or
    a state.

    </div>

    \
    1.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIIA1.1.1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tiānqi **rè**<span
        class="rouge">qǐlai</span>le.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">天气热起来了。</span>\
        The weather is getting hotter.
    2.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIIA1.1.2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Xiànzài xué Zhōngwén de xuésheng
        **duō**<span class="rouge">qǐlai</span>le.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">现在学中文的学生多起来了。</span>\
        (Now students who study Chinese are becoming more numerous.)

2.  <div class="gris">

    indicating the result of recollection.

    </div>

    \
    1.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIIA1.2.1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Wǒ **xiǎng**<span
        class="rouge">qǐlai</span>le, tā jiào Wáng Dàshān, duì bú
        duì? </span>\
        <span class="hanzi">我想起来了，他叫王大山，对不对？</span>\
        Now I remember. His name is Dashan Wang, right?

3.  <div class="gris">

    indicating concentration from a scattered state.

    </div>

    \
    1.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIIA1.3.1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Zhuōzishang de shū dōu **shōu**<span
        class="rouge">qǐlai</span>le ma?</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">桌子上的书都收起来了吗？</span>\
        Have the books on the desk been put away yet?
    2.  <audio src="../Audio/direction-IIIA1.3.2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Rén zhǐyǒu **tuánjié**<span
        class="rouge">qǐlai</span>, **zǔzhī**<span
        class="rouge">qǐlai</span>, cái kěyi zuò dàshì. </span>\
        <span
        class="hanzi">人只有团结起来，组织起来，才可以做大事。</span>\
        Only when people are united and organized, can they do
        greater things.

B. –xiaqu 下去, indicating continuation of an action in the future.

\ Ràng tā shuōxiàqu. \ 让他说下去。\ Let him go on (talking).
\ Yàoshì zhèyàng liànxiàqu, nǐ huì xué de hěn hǎo. \ 要是这样练下去，你会学得很好。\ If you keep practicing like this, you will study well.

C. –chulai 出来

indicating identification, realization or detection of something through the action.
1. \ Zhèlǐ yǒu yí ge cuò zì, nǐ kànchūlaile ma?\ 这里有一个错字，你看出来了吗？\ There is a wrong character. Can you see it (tell which one it is)?
2. \ Tā-de Hànyǔ zhēn hǎo! Zuótiān tā gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà de shíhòu, wǒ wánquán méi tīngchūlaitā shì gè wàiguó rén! \ 他的汉语真好！昨天他给我打电话的时候，我完全没听出来他是个外国人！\ His Chinese is really good! When he called me yesterday, I couldn't tell (from listening) that he was a foreigner at all.
3. \ Wǒmen yǐjīng èrshí nián méi jiàn le. Bù zhīdào tā hái néng bù néng rènchūwǒlai.\ 我们已经二十年没见了。不知道他还能不能认出我来。\ We haven't seen each other for 20 years. I don't know if he could still recognize me.
indicating having the knowledge to do something.
1. \ Lǎoshī wèn wǒ dè wèntí wǒ dōu méi huídáchūlai.\ 老师问我的问题我都没回答出来。\ I failed to answer any of the teacher 's questions.

D. –shànglai 上来, indicating having the knowledge to do something.

\ Lǎoshī wèn wǒ dè wèntí wǒ dōu méi huídáshànglai. \ 老师问我的问题我都没回答上来。\ I failed to answer any of the teacher 's questions. Note: 4.2.1 and 3.2.1 are the same in meaning. They are interchangeable.

E. –shang 上

indicating attachment.
1. \ Xiàyǔ le. Kuài guānshangchuānghu. \ 下雨了，快关上窗户！\ it's raining. Quickly close the windows!
2. \ Tiānqi zhème lěng, kuài chuānshangmáoyī. \ 天气这么冷，快穿上毛衣。\ The weather is so cold. Quickly put on a sweater.
indicating attaining purpose through hardship.
1. \ Tā nǔlì gōngzuò-le liǎng nián, zhōngyú mǎishang-le yí liàng xīn chē.\ 他努力工作了两年，终于买上了一辆新车。\ He worked hard for two years and at last bought a new car.
2. \ Zhèixiē qióng háizi zhōngyú chīshang-le fàn, chuānshang-le xīn yīfu. \ 这些穷孩子终于吃上了饭、穿上了新衣服。\ These impoverished children finally have got food to eat and new clothes to wear.
indicating passing an entrance exam to a school.
1. \ Wǒ dìdi kǎoshangdàxué le.\ 我弟弟考上大学了。\ My younger brother passed the entrance exam to college.

F.–xia下, indicating having space to accommodate someone or something.

\ Zhèi ge jiàoshì néng zuòxiaèrshí ge rén ma? \ 这个教室能坐下二十个人吗？ \ Can this classroom seat twenty people?
\ Wǒ jiā néng zhùxiashí ge rén.\ 我家能住下十个人。\ My house can accomodate ten people.

The Complement Of Degree

I. What is the complement of degree?

“A complement refers to a grammatical unit, generally made up of a verbal or an adjectival expression, that appears after the main verb in a sentence and enhances its meaning (Hung-nin Samuel. Cheung 1994: 177).” There are many different complements such as the complement of degree, the complement of result, the directional complement, the potential complement and so on. This chapter focuses on the complement of degree. Generally speaking, the complement of degree is a grammatical unit that describes the main verb of the sentence. Specifically, the complement of degree is an assessment of an action or a description of the consequential state of an action. It may also be a description of the degree of a state.

Assessment of an action

</div>

\
<div class="exemple">

<audio src="../Audio/degree-I-A.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā **shuō** <span class="rouge">de</span> <span
class="vert">hěn qīngchǔ</span>.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">他说得很清楚。</span>\
He speaks very clearly.

</div>

Description of the consequential state of an action

</div>

\
<div class="exemple">

<audio src="../Audio/degree-I-B.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā **shuō** <span class="rouge">de</span> <span
class="vert">wǒ gèng hútu</span> le.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">他说得我更糊涂了。</span>\
He spoke only to make me even more confused.

</div>

Description of the degree of a state

</div>

\
<div class="exemple">

<audio src="../Audio/degree-I-C.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā **lèi** <span class="rouge">de</span> <span
class="vert">dǎoxià</span> le.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">他累得倒下了。 </span>\
He was so tired that he fell.

</div>

II\. The Structures of the Complement of Degree

The complement of degree is headed by a structural particle, de 得. De 得 and the complement are placed right after the main verb. The complement can be a stative verb modified by hěn 很 or other adverbs; it can also be a verbal expression, idiomatic expression or clause. The structure of a sentence with a complement of degree depends on the main verb and whether the verb takes an object or not.

When the main verb is an action verb or VV-compound (verb + verb
compound, such as gōngzuò 工作, xiūxi 休息, and xuéxí 学习) and it
does not take an object, the verb and its complement follow the
structure below.

</div>

\
<div class="deux">

verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
class="hanzist">得</span> + complement (<span
class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span class="hanzist">很</span>/ adverb +
stative verb, or verbal / idiomatic expression, or clause)

</div>

\
1.  <div class="gris">

    action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> + <span
    class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span class="hanzi">很</span> +
    stative verb

    </div>

    \
    <div class="exemple">

    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō <span class="rouge">de</span> <span
    class="vert">hěn hǎo.</span></span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说得很好。</span>\
    He speaks well.

    </div>

    \
    <div class="gris">

    Note that <span class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span
    class="hanzi">很</span> should be used unless a comparison is to
    be made. An adverb modifying the stative verb can replace <span
    class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span class="hanzi">很</span> to
    further emphasize the stative verb.

    </div>

    \
    <div class="deux">

    action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
    class="hanzist">得</span> + adverb + stative verb

    </div>

    \
    1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-1-1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō<span class="rouge"> de</span>
        <span class="vert">fēicháng hǎo</span>.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">他说得非常好。</span>\
        He speaks very well.
    2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-1-2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō<span class="rouge"> de</span>
        <span class="vert">tèbié hǎo</span>.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">他说得特别好。</span>\
        He speaks unusually well.

2.  <div class="gris">

    VV-verb +<span class="hanzi">de</span><span
    class="hanzi">得</span>+<span class="pinyin">hěn</span><span
    class="hanzi">很</span>+ stative verb

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **gōngzuò**<span class="rouge">
    de</span> <span class="vert">hěn hǎo</span></span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他工作得很好。</span>\
    He works well.
3.  <div class="gris">

    action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
    class="hanzi">得</span> + adverb + stative verb

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **chī** <span class="rouge">de</span>
    <span class="vert">tài duō</span>le, suǒyǐ hěn pàng.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他吃得太多了，所以很胖。</span>\
    He eats too much, so he's fat.
4.  <span class="gris">action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + stative verb + reduplicated
    stative verb +<span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
    class="hanzi">的</span></span>\
    \
    1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-4-1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tā **zhǎng** <span
        class="rouge">de</span> <span class="vert">gāo
        gāo</span> de.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">他长得高高的。</span>\
        He has grown very tall.
    2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-4-2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Jīntiān tā **dǎbàn** <span
        class="rouge">de</span> <span
        class="vert">piàopiàoliàngliàng</span> de.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">今天她打扮得漂漂亮亮的。</span>\
        Today she is very beautifully dressed.\
        \
        <div class="gris">

        Note that the stative verb in A 4.2 has two syllables, <span
        class="pinyin">‘piào</span> <span class="hanzi">漂 '</span>
        and <span class="pinyin">‘liàng</span> <span
        class="hanzi">亮 '</span>. If P stands for the first
        syllable and L stands for the second one, the way to double
        the word is 'PPLL ', not 'PLPL '.

        </div>

5.  <span class="gris">action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span>+ verbal expression</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-5.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **pǎo**<span class="rouge">
    de</span></span> <span class="vert">chuǎnbúshàng qì lái.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他跑得喘不上气来。</span>\
    He was out of breath from running.
6.  <div class="gris">

    action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
    class="hanzi">得</span>+ idiomatic expression

    </div>

    \
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-6.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **xiào**<span class="rouge">
    de</span></span> <span class="vert">qiányǎnghòuhé.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他笑得前仰后合。</span>\
    He rocks back and forth with laughter.
7.  <div class="gris">

    action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
    class="hanzi">得</span> + clause

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-A-7.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **shuō** <span class="rouge">de</span>
    </span><span class="vert">wǒ gèng hútu le.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说得我更糊涂了。</span>\
    He spoke to such an extent that he made me even more confused.

When the main verb is an action verb and it TAKES an object or when
the verb is a VO-compound (verb + object compound, such as <span
class="pinyin">zǒulù</span> <span class="hanzi">走路</span> and
<span class="pinyin">shuìjiào</span> <span
class="hanzi">睡觉</span>), the verb must be reduplicated before
taking <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span>
and the complement. Let 's call the first verb 'verb 1.1 ' and the
reduplicated verb, 'verb 1.2 '. The complement can be <span
class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span class="hanzi">很</span> / adverb +
stative verb, a verbal or idiomatic expression, or a clause.

</div>

\
<div class="deux">

Verb 1.1 + object + Verb 1.2 + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
class="hanzist">得</span> + complement

</div>

\
1.  <div class="gris">

    verb 1.1 + object + verb 1.2 + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得 </span>+ <span class="pinyin">hěn</span>
    <span class="hanzi">很</span> + stative verb

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-B-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā <span class="fondjaune">shuō</span>
    Zhōngwén<span class="fondjaune"> shuō</span> <span
    class="rouge">de</span> <span class="vert">hěn
    hǎo</span></span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说中文说得很好</span>。\
    He speaks Chinese well.\
    \
    <div class="gris">

    Note that the verb and object before the reduplicated verb
    simply name the action. They point out what is to be
    commented on. The verb does not function as the main verb. The
    'verb 1.1 + object expression ' can be understood as 'as far as
    speaking Chinese is concerned ' or 'as for speaking Chinese '.
    The reduplicated verb functions as the main verb. That is why
    the complement of degree is placed after it.

    </div>

2.  <div class="gris">

    VO-compound + verb 1.2 + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
    class="hanzi">得</span> + <span class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span
    class="hanzi">很</span> + stative verb

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-B-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā<span class="fondjaune">zǒu</span>lù<span
    class="fondjaune">zǒu</span><span
    class="rouge">de</span></span><span
    class="vert">hěn kuài.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他走路走得很快。</span>\
    He walks fast.
3.  <span class="gris">VO-compound + verb 1.2 + <span
    class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span> + verbal
    expression</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-B-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā<span class="fondjaune">pǎo</span>bù<span
    class="fondjaune">pǎo</span><span
    class="rouge">de</span></span><span class="vert">chuǎnbúshàng
    qì lái.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他跑步跑得喘不上气来。</span>\
    He was out of breath from running.
4.  <span class="gris">verb 1.1 + object + verb 1.2 + <span
    class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span> +
    idiomatic expression</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-B-4.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā<span class="fondjaune">hē</span>jiǔ<span
    class="fondjaune">hē</span><span class="rouge">de</span><span
    class="vert">yūntóu-zhuànxiàng.</span></span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他喝酒喝得晕头转向。</span>\
    He is dizzy and disoriented from drinking.
5.  <span class="gris">action verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + clause</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-B-5.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā<span
    class="fondjaune">chuī</span>iú<span
    class="fondjaune">chuī</span><span
    class="rouge">de</span>s</span><span class="vert">héi dōu bù
    xǐhuan tā.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他吹牛吹得谁都不喜欢他。</span>\
    He boasts about himself to such an extent that no one likes him.

When the main verb is a stative verb, the complement can be a
stative verb indicating degree such as <span
class="pinyin">lìhài</span> <span class="hanzi">厉害</span> and
<span class="pinyin">duō</span> <span class="hanzi">多</span>, a
verbal or idiomatic expression such as <span class="pinyin">bù
déliǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">不得了</span> or a clause. Note
that expressions such as <span class="pinyin">de hěn</span> <span
class="hanzi">得很</span>, <span class="pinyin">de huang</span>
<span class="hanzi">得慌</span>, <span class="pinyin">bù
déliǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">不得了</span>, and <span
class="pinyin">de duō</span> <span class="hanzi">得多</span> have
become idiomatic expressions. They are also called intensifiers by
some scholars. So here we do not regard them as <span
class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span> +adverb or
<span class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span>
+verbal expression. They will be regarded as idiomatic expressions.
This is because they share the same properties as idiomatic
expressions when they are negated. When the main verb is a stative
verb, the stative verb and its complement follow the
structure below.

</div>

\
<div class="deux">

stative verb + de 得 + complement

</div>

\
1.  <span class="gris">stative verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + stative verb</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-C-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Jīntiān wǒ **kùn**<span
    class="rouge">de</span><span class="vert">lìhài</span>.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">今天我困得厉害。</span>\
    I am terrible sleepy today.
2.  <span class="gris">stative verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + stative verb duō 多 used for
    comparison</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-C-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Běijīng bǐ Shànghǎi **lěng**<span
    class="rouge">de</span><span class="vert">duō</span>.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">北京比上海冷得多。</span>\
    Beijing is much colder than Shanghai.
3.  <span class="gris">stative verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + verbal expression</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-C-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā **è**<span class="rouge">de</span><span
    class="vert">hūnguòqu</span>le.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他饿得昏过去了。</span>\
    He was so hungry that he fainted.
4.  <span class="gris">stative verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + idiomatic expression</span>\
    \
    1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-C-4.1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tāmen **máng**<span
        class="rouge">de</span><span class="vert">bùkě
        kāijiāo</span>.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">他们忙得不可开交。</span>\
        They are extremely busy.
    2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-C-4.2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Yàoshì nǐ **è**<span
        class="rouge">de</span><span class="vert">huang</span>jiù
        chī diǎnr dōngxi.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">要是你饿得慌就吃点儿东西。</span>\
        If you are very hungry, snack on something.

5.  <span class="gris">stative verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得</span> + clause</span>\
    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-II-C-5.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tiānqi **lěng**<span
    class="rouge">de</span></span><span class="vert">shéi dōu bù
    xiǎng chūqū.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">天气冷得谁都不想出去。</span>\
    It is so cold that no one wants to go out.

III\. The negative forms

If the complement is a stative verb, replace <span
class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span class="hanzi">很</span> with <span
class="pinyin">bù</span> <span class="hanzi">不</span> or <span
class="pinyin">bù</span> <span class="hanzi">不</span> and other
elements modifying the stative verb, such as <span class="pinyin">bú
tài</span> <span class="hanzi">不太</span>, <span class="pinyin">bù
zěnme</span> <span class="hanzi">不怎么</span>, etc. If the
complement takes the form of 'stative verb + reduplicated stative
verb + <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">的
'</span>, the negative form uses <span class="pinyin">bù</span>
<span class="hanzi">不</span>, the stative verb is not reduplicated
and <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span class="hanzi">的</span>
is eliminated.

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-A-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō de bù hǎo.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说得不好。</span>\
    He does not speak well.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-A-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de bú
    tài hǎo.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说中文说得不太好。</span>\
    He does not speak Chinese so well.
3.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-A-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎng de bù gāo.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他长得不高。</span>\
    He has not grown very tall.
4.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-A-4.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Jīntiān tā dǎbàn de bú piàoliàng.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">今天她打扮得不漂亮。</span>\
    Today she is not dressed beautifully.

\

If the complement is a verbal or idiomatic expression, place <span
class="pinyin">méi</span> <span class="hanzi">没</span> or <span
class="pinyin">méi yǒu</span> <span class="hanzi">没有</span> before
the main verb and eliminate the sentence-end <span
class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span>, if there
is one.

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā méi è de hūnguòqu.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他没饿得昏过去。</span>\
    He was not so hungry as to faint.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā méi yǒu pǎo de chuǎnbúshàng
    qì lái.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他没有跑得喘不上气来。</span>\
    He did not run to the extent that he was out of breath.
3.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tāmen méi máng de bùkě kāijiāo.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他们没忙得不可开交。</span>\
    They are not extremely busy.
4.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-4.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Wǒ méi è de bù dé liǎo, wǒ zhǐ shì yǒu yì
    diǎnr è. </span>\
    <span class="hanzi">我没饿得不得了，我只是有一点儿饿。</span>\
    I am not terribly hungry. I am just a little hungry.\
    \
    <div class="gris">

    Because the <span class="pinyin">hěn</span> <span
    class="hanzi">很</span> and the <span
    class="pinyin">huāng</span> <span class="hanzi">慌</span> in the
    idiomatic expressions <span class="pinyin">de hěn</span> <span
    class="hanzi">得很</span> and de huang <span
    class="hanzi">得慌</span> are adverbs, the negative form for
    these two expressions uses <span class="pinyin">bú</span> <span
    class="hanzi">不</span> or <span class="pinyin">bú tài</span>
    <span class="hanzi">不太</span> before the main verb while <span
    class="pinyin">de hěn</span> <span class="hanzi">得很</span>,
    <span class="pinyin">de huang</span> <span
    class="hanzi">得慌</span> and <span class="pinyin">de duō</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得多</span> are eliminated. Compare the
    positive and negative of <span class="pinyin">de hěn</span>
    <span class="hanzi">得很</span> and <span class="pinyin">de
    huang</span> <span class="hanzi">得慌</span>.

    </div>

5.  1.  <div class="gris">

        Positive

        </div>

        <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-5-1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tiānqi lěng de hěn.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">天气冷得很。</span>\
        it's terribly cold.
    2.  <div class="gris">

        Negative

        </div>

        <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-5-2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Tiānqi bù lěng.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">天气不冷。</span>\
        it's not cold.

6.  1.  <div class="gris">

        Positive

        </div>

        <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-6-1.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Wǒ è de huāng, gěi wǒ diǎnr
        dōngxi chī.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi">我饿得慌，给我点儿东西吃。</span>\
        I 'm very hungry, give me something to eat.
    2.  <div class="gris">

        Negative

        </div>

        <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-B-6-2.mp3" controls="controls">
        </audio>
        \
        <span class="pinyin">Wǒ bú tài è, nǐ zìjǐ chī ba.</span>\
        <span class="hanzi"><span
        class="hanzi">我不太饿，你自己吃吧。</span></span>\
        I 'm not so hungry, YOU eat it.

If the complement is a clause, place <span class="pinyin">méi</span>
<span class="hanzi">没</span> or <span class="pinyin">méiyǒu</span>
<span class="hanzi">没有</span> before the main verb and eliminate
the sentence-end <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span
class="hanzi">了</span>, if there is one.

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-C-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā méi shuō de wǒ gèng hútu.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他没说得我更糊涂。</span>\
    The way he said it did not make me even more confused.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-III-C-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tiānqi méi yǒu lěng de shéi dōu bù
    xiǎng chūqù.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">天气没有冷得谁都不想出去。 </span>\
    It is not so cold that no one wants to go out.

IV\. The question forms

Stative verbs as complements.\
If the complement is a stative verb, it can be used in both
ma-questions and choice-type questions.

</div>

\
1.  <div class="gris">

    <span style="color: blue;">Ma </span><span class="hanzi">吗
    </span>question

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-A-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō de hǎo ma?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说得好吗？</span>\
    Does he speak well?
2.  <div class="gris">

    Choice-type Question

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-A-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō de hǎo bù hǎo?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说得好不好？</span>\
    Does he speak well, or not?

Other elements as complements.\
When the complement is a stative verb in its reduplicated form, such
as<span class="pinyin">gāogāo de</span><span class="hanzi">高高的
</span>or<span class="pinyin">piàopiàoliàngliàng de </span><span
class="hanzi">漂漂亮亮的</span>, the stative verb must be changed
back into its original form, i.e.<span class="pinyin">gāo
</span><span class="hanzi">高 </span>or <span
class="pinyin">piàoliàng </span><span class="hanzi">漂亮</span>, and
de must be removed before it can be used in a ma-question or
choice-type question. Compare the following sentences.

</div>

\
1.  <div class="gris">

    Declarative sentences

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-B-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎng de gāo gāo de.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他长得高高的。</span>\
    He has grown very tall.
2.  <div class="gris">

    <span style="color: blue;">Ma</span>-question

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-B-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎng de gāo ma?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他长得高吗？</span>\
    Has he grown very tall?
3.  <div class="gris">

    Choice-type question

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-B-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎng de gāo bù gāo?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他长得高不高？</span>\
    Has he grown very tall, or not?

Other elements as complements.\
If the complement is a verbal or idiomatic expression or a clause,
it can be used in a ma-question, but not in a choice-type question.
However, such expressions can use '<span class="pinyin">shìbúshì
</span><span class="hanzi">是不是</span> ' to form a tag question.
'<span class="pinyin">Shìbúshì </span><span
class="hanzi">是不是</span> ' can also be placed after the subject
to form a question. The following are a few examples.

</div>

\
1.  <div class="gris">

    verbal expression as complement

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-C-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā pǎo de chuǎnbúshàng qì lái, shì bú
    shì?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他跑得喘不上气来，是不是？</span>\
    He was out of breath from running, right?
2.  <div class="gris">

    idiomatic expression as complement

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-C-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shì bú shì xiào de
    qiányǎnghòuhé?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他是不是笑得前仰后合？</span>\
    Is it the case that he is rocking back and forth with laughter?
3.  <div class="gris">

    clause as complement

    </div>

    \
    <audio src="../Audio/degree-IV-C-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tiānqi lěng de shéi dōu bù xiǎng chūqù, shì
    bú shì?</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">天气冷得谁都不想出去，是不是？</span>\
    It is so cold that no one wants to go out, right?

V. When to use the complement of Degree

The complement of degree is used in the following context:

When commenting on an action. The comment is usually an assessment or evaluation of the action with a focus on its quality, demeanor, appearance, quantity, time, frequency or duration. It reflects the speaker 's opinion ABOUT the action.

\ A.

Quality

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-A-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō de hěn qīngchǔ.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他说得很清楚。</span>\
    He speaks very clearly.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-A-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā pǎo de tài màn le.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他跑得太慢了。</span>\
    He runs too slowly.

Demeanor

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-B-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā xué de bú tài yònggōng.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他学得不太用功。</span>\
    He does not study so hard.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-B-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā shuō de fēicháng bú kèqi.</span>\
    <span
    style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">他说得非常不客气。</span>He
    sounded very impolite.

Appearance

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-C-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Wáng xiǎojiě zhǎng de yòu gāo
    yòu shòu.</span>\
    <span
    style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">王小姐长得又高又瘦。</span>Miss
    Wang is (or: has grown) tall and thin.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-C-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎng de xiàng tā mǔqīn.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他长得像他母亲。</span>\
    He looks like (has grown to look like) his mother.

Quantity

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-D-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā chī de tài duō le, suǒyǐ
    hěn pàng.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他吃得太多了，所以很胖。</span>\
    He eats too much, so he's fat.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-D-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā zuò fàn zuò de bú gòu.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他做饭做得不够。</span>\
    He did not make enough food.

Time, Duration and Frequency

</div>

\
1.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-E-1.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Tā měitiān dōu lái de hěn wǎn.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">他每天都来得很晚。</span>\
    He comes late every day.
2.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-E-2.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen děng de tài jiǔ le.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">我们等得太久了，</span>\
    We have waited too long.
3.  <audio src="../Audio/degree-V-E-3.mp3" controls="controls">
    </audio>
    \
    <span class="pinyin">Xǐ tóu xǐ de tài qín duì tóufa
    bù hǎo.</span>\
    <span class="hanzi">洗头洗得太勤对头发不好。</span>\
    Washing one's hair too often is not good for one's hair.

When describing what state the action has caused someone or something to be in;
1. \ Tā bìng de bù néng lái shàng bān le.\ 他病得不能来上班了。\ He is so sick that he can't come to work.\ \ The purpose of saying 'he can't come to work ' is to describe how sick 'he ' is. The focus of the sentence is still on the verb 'sick '.
2. \ Tā xiě de shǒu dōu suān le.\ 他写得手都酸了。\ He wrote so much that his hand ached.\ \ The purpose of saying 'his hand ached ' is to describe how much 'he ' has written or how long he has been writing. The focus is still on the verb 'write '.
When describing how serious the situation is.
1. \ Tā è de hūnguòqù le.\ 他饿得昏过去了。\ He was so hungry that he fainted.\ \
  
  'He fainted ' describes how hungry 'he ' was. The message that 'he was hungry ' is still central to the remark.
2. \ Tiānqi lěng de shéi dōu bù xiǎng chūqù.\ 天气冷得谁都不想出去。\ It is so cold that no one wants to go out.\ \
  
  'No one wants to go out ' is a description of how cold the weather is.

VI\. Potential Complement And Degree Complement In Contrast

What are the features that distinguish the complement of degree from the potential complement? Look at the following pairs of complements in their positive and negative forms and ask yourself what complements they are.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">zuò de hěn hǎo</span> <span
class="hanzi">做得很好</span> and <span class="pinyin">zuò de bù
hǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">做得不好</span>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">zuò de hǎo</span> <span
class="hanzi">做得好</span> and <span class="pinyin">zuò bù
hǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">做不好</span>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">zuò hǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">做好</span>
and <span class="pinyin">méi (yǒu) zuò hǎo</span> <span
class="hanzi">没(有)做好</span>

Key:

Complement of Degree: assessment of the action; description of the
action or state

</div>

\
<audio src="../Audio/" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">zuò de hěn hǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">做得
很好</span> <span class="pinyin">zuò de bù hǎo</span> <span
class="hanzi">做得 不好</span>\
**negative**: negation on stative verb\
**stress**: on the complement - highlighted part

Potential Complement: can or can't do something in certain way; can
or can't attain a purpose;

</div>

\
<span class="pinyin">zuò de hǎo</span> <span
class="hanzi">做得好</span> <span class="pinyin">zuò bù hǎo</span>
<span class="hanzi">做不好</span>\
**negative**: replace <span class="pinyin">de</span> <span
class="hanzi">得</span> with <span class="pinyin">bù</span> <span
class="hanzi">不</span>\
**stress**: on the verb - highlighted word

Complement of Result: the result of an action initiated by the verb.
The complement announces the result of the action.

</div>

\
<span class="pinyin">zuòhǎo</span> <span class="hanzi">做好</span>
<span class="pinyin">méi (yǒu) zuòhǎo</span> <span
class="hanzi">没(有)做好</span>\
**negative**: negation on the verb\
\

Among these, A and C can be hard to understand. The focus in A is
on assessment. The speaker expresses his/her opinion ABOUT
the action. The focus in C is on announcing the result of
the action. Perhaps this analogy will help you to understand
the difference. Example A is like the teacher telling his student
whether she did well or not; example C is like the teacher telling
his student the letter grade she received.

The following table shows how different complements behave in
positive, negative and interrogative sentences. Highlighted words
are stressed in speech.

                          Degree Complement                                                  Potential Complement Positive
  ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------
  Positive                xiě de hěn hǎo  写得很好 ...write well                            xiědehǎo  写得好 ...can write well
  Negative                xiě de bù hǎo  写得不好 ...write badly                            xiěbùhǎo  写不好 ...cannot write well
  Ma吗Question            xiě de hǎo ma?  写得好吗？ ...write well?                         xiědehǎo ma?  写得好吗？ ...can write well?
  Choice-type Question    xiě de hǎo bù hǎo?  写得好不好 ？ ...write well?                  xiědehǎo xiěbùhǎo?  写得好写不好 ？ ...can write well?
  Verb taking an object   xiě Hànzì xiě de hěn hǎo 写汉字写得很好 ...write characters well   xiědehǎo Hànzì  写得好汉字 ...can write characters well

　\
xiě de hěn hǎo 写得很好 ...write well xiědehǎo 写得好 ...can write
well Negative xiě de bù hǎo 写得不好 ...write badly xiěbùhǎo 写不好
...cannot write well Ma吗Question xiě de hǎo ma? 写得好吗？ ...write
well? xiědehǎo ma? 写得好吗？ ...can write well? Choice-type
Question xiě de hǎo bù hǎo? 写得好不好 ？ ...write well? xiědehǎo
xiěbùhǎo? 写得好写不好 ？ ...can write well? Verb taking an object
xiě Hànzì xiě de hěn hǎo 写汉字写得很好 ...write characters well
xiědehǎo Hànzì 写得好汉字 ...can write characters well\
　

<div class="gris">

Degree Complement or Potential Complement? Try these two sentences.

</div>

\

1.  Zhèi ge zì zhème nán, tā xiědehǎo ma? 这个字这么难，他写得好吗？
2.  2\. Lǎoshī shuō zhèi ge zì Xiǎo Wáng xiě de hěn hǎo.
    老师说这个字小王写得很好。

\

<div class="gris">

Key

</div>

\

1.  1\. This character is so difficult, can he write it well? (potential)
2.  2\. The teacher said that Young Wang wrote this character well. (degree)

\

<div class="gris">

Note that when the complement of degree is a stative verb, it is
often modified by an adverb, but the potential complement can never
take any adjunct before or after it.

</div>

For example: Complement of Degree Lǎoshī shuō zhèi ge zì Xiǎo Lǐ xiě
de fēicháng hǎo. (The stress is on the complement.)
老师说这个字小李写得非常好。 Remember that another difference
between the potential and degree complements lies in the fact that
the sentence stress falls on different elements in the two
sentences, affected by the two kinds of complement: Potential
Complement Tā xiě de hǎo. (The stress is on the verb.) 他写得好。 He
can write well. Degree Complement Tā xiě de hěn hǎo. (The stress is
on the complement.) 他写得很好。 He writes well.\
\

<div class="gris">

The potential complement has a fixed form; that is, it consists only
of a single adjective or verb (or verbal construction, such as
qǐlái起来, xiàqù下去etc.), such as tīngbùqīngchu听不清楚---can't
hear clearly, chīdewán吃得完---can finish eating\\can eat up the
food, xiǎngdeqǐlái想得起来---can remember. A verb with a potential
complement can take an object (e.g. zuòbùwán gōngkè做不完功课cannot
finish homework), but the degree complement cannot be followed by
the object of the verb. (For example, you can't say 'Tā chàng de hěn
hǎo gē他唱得很好歌He sings \[songs\] well ', you must say 'Tā chàng
gē chàng de hěn hǎo他唱歌唱得很好---no objects can be placed
after hǎo好.). Moreover, the degree complement has different
forms---it may be a single word or a subject-predicate construction.

</div>

\

<div class="gris">

For example:

</div>

\

<div class="exemple">

<div class="gris">

Degree Complement

</div>

\
<span class="pinyin">Tā shuō de dàjiā dōu xiàoqǐlái le.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">他说得大家都笑起来了。</span>\
He spoke in such a way that everyone broke into laughter.

</div>

VI\. Potential Complement And Degree Complement In Contrast

src="potential-form-1.mp3" src="potential-form-2.mp3" src="potential-form-3.mp3" src="potential-form-4.mp3" src="potential-form-5.mp3" src="potential-form-6.mp3" src="potential-form-7.mp3" src="potential-form-8.mp3" src="copy.mp3" src="potential-form-10.mp3" src="VI-1.mp3" src="VI-2.mp3" src="VI-laoshishuo.mp3" src="VI-taxiedehao.mp3" src="VI-taxiedehenhao.mp3" src="VI-tashuodedajia.mp3"

The potential complement and the complement of degree may sometimes look identical and cause confusion to non-native speakers of Chinese. The following two sentences are taken out of context. They look the same, but they could mean very different things. In sentence A, the stress is on the complement 'hǎo 好 (well) '. In sentence B, the stress is on the predicate verb 'chàng 唱 (to sing) '. Because the complement of degree focuses on the quality of an action, while the potential complement focuses on whether the action can be carried out, the complement in sentence A is a degree complement while the one in sentence B is potential. It would be hard to tell the difference if one read these sentences in characters and out of context. In real conversation, there is no confusion because of the context and the stress put on different words. Please see the following examples. Words highlighted in yellow are stressed.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā chàng <span class="rouge">de
hǎo</span> ma?</span> (degree complement; note there is space
between the verb and the complement.)\
<span class="hanzi">她唱得好吗？</span>\
Does she sing well?

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā chàng de hǎo ma?</span> (potential
complement; note that there is no space between the verb and the
complement)\
<span class="hanzi">她唱得好吗？</span>\
Can she sing well?

A closer examination of these two complements reveals even more differences. The following chart shows their different forms. Highlighted words are stressed when spoken.

                                                                      Degree Complement                                       Potential Complement

Positive xiě de hěn hǎo\ xiě de hǎo

                                                                       <span class="hanzi">写得很好</span>\                   <span class="hanzi">写得好</span>\
                                                                      ...write well                                           ...can write well

Negative xiě de bù hǎo\ xiě bù hǎo

                                                                       <span class="hanzi">写得不好</span>\                   <span class="hanzi">写不好</span>\
                                                                      ...write badly                                          ...cannot write well

Ma 吗 Question xiě de hǎo ma? \ xiě de hǎo ma?

                                                                      <span class="hanzi">写得好吗？</span>\                  <span class="hanzi">写得好吗？</span>\
                                                                      ...write well?                                          ...can write well?

Choice-type Question xiě de hǎo bù hǎo? \ xiě de hǎo xiě bù hǎo?

                                                                      <span class="hanzi">写得好不好 ？</span>\               <span class="hanzi">写得好写不好 ？</span>\
                                                                      ...write well?                                          ...can write well?

Verb taking an object xiě Hànzì xiě de hěn hǎo\ xiě de hǎo Hànzì

                                                                      <span class="hanzi">写汉字写得很好</span>\              <span class="hanzi">写得好汉字</span>\
                                                                      ...write characters well                                ...can write characters well

The complement of degree is an assessment of an action or state. Therefore, the stress is on the complement, which comments on the action or state. The complement can be modified by adverbs such as hěn 很, fēicháng 非常, tèbié 特别.

\ Tā xiě de fēicháng hǎo.\ 他写得非常好。\ He writes very well.
The potential complement expresses possibility. Therefore, the stress is on the action itself. This is why the predicate verb is stressed. No adverbs can modify the complement.\ \ Tā xiědehǎo.\ 他写得好。\ He can write well.
The negative form of the complement of degree keeps the particle de 得 and negates the stative verb with bù 不. The stress is on the negative adverb and the complement.\ \ Tā xiě de bù hǎo.\ 他写得不好。\ He writes badly.
The negative form of the potential complement replaces the particle de 得 with bù 不. The stress is on the predicate verb.\ \ Tā xiěbùhǎo.\ 他写不好。\ He can't write well.
The complement of degree and the potential complement look the same in ma 吗 question form, but the stress falls on different elements when spoken. Compare the following two sentences.
- The complement of degree:\ \ Tā xiě de hǎo ma?\ 他写得好吗？\ Does he write well?
- The potential complement:\ \ Tā xiědehǎo ma?\ 他写得好吗？\ Can he write well?
The complement of degree and the potential complement have different choice-type question forms. The complement of degree forms a choice-type question by juxtaposing the affirmative and negative forms of the stative verb; the potential complement forms a choice-type question by juxtaposing the affirmative and negative forms of the predicate verb and its complement.
- The complement of degree:\ \ Tā xiě de hǎo bù hǎo?\ 他写得好不好？\ Does he write well?
- \ The potential complement:\ \ Tā xiědehǎo xiěbùhǎo?\ 他写得好写不好？\ Can he write well?
A verb with a potential complement can take an object, but the degree complement cannot be followed by the object of the verb.
- The potential complement:\ \ Tā xiěbùhǎo Hànzì.\ 他写不好汉字。\ He can't write characters well.
- The complement of degree:\ \ ~~Tā xiě de bù hǎo Hànzì.~~ (ungrammatical) (The complement of degree can't take an object.)\ ~~他写得不好汉字。~~\ He does not write characters well.\ Tā xiě Hànzì xiě de bù hǎo. (grammatical)\ 他写汉字写得不好。\ He writes characters badly.
The complement of degree can be used in bǎ 把 - sentences, while the potential complement can't.\ \ Tā bǎ dìtú guà de gāogāode.\ 他把地图挂得高高的。\ He hung the map high up.

The Complement Of Result

I. What are resultative complements?

In English, the verb 'hear ' has two semantic units, the sensory action 'to listen ' and perception as a result of the action. The verb 'see ' also has two semantic units with one indicating the action of looking and the other indicating perception as the result.

Only a small number of Chinese verbs resemble such English verbs as 'hear ' and 'see '. Most Chinese verbs resemble the verb 'listen ' and 'look ' in English, which only indicate the sensory actions without a built-in semantic unit indicating result.

Therefore, there are no such verbs as 'hear ', 'see ', 'find ', 'kill ' and so on in Chinese. For example, the verb tīng 听 (to listen) and kàn 看 (look) do not indicate whether the sound has been heard or whether the object has been seen. Not having a built-in semantic unit indicating result, Chinese verbs have to take an additional resultative unit to report whether the action is successful.

This unit is what we call the resultative complement. It is placed immediately after the verb to indicate the result of the action. In the case of tīng 听 (to listen) and kàn 看 (to look), the verb jiàn 见 (to perceive) must be used as a complement to form combos that indicate perception, such as tīngjiàn 听见 for 'hear ' and kànjiàn 看见 for 'see ' .

II\. What can serve as a complement of result?

As seen earlier, the complement of result for sensory action verbs indicating perception is the verb jiàn 见 (perceive). If the result focuses on comprehension, the complement would be the verb dǒng 懂 (understand). So 'understand what one hears ' would be tīngdǒng 听懂 and 'understand what one sees or reads ' would be kàndǒng 看懂.

If the result focuses on completion, the complement would use the verb wán 完 (finish). So 'finish listening ' would be tīngwán 听完 and 'finish seeing or reading ' would be kànwán 看完.

These examples show that a variety of verbs can be suffixed to a verb to indicate a particular resultative aspect of an action. In addition, commendatory stative verbs can be used as complements indicating intended results while derogatory stative verbs are used for unintended results.

For example, duì 对 is a stative verb meaning 'correct ' and cuò 错 is one meaning 'wrong '. So 'write correctly ' is xiěduì 写对 while 'write incorrectly ' is xiěcuò 写错. Duì 对 is the intended result while cuò 错 is not.

III\. Sentence structures with resultative complements

The resultative complement is a verb or stative verb suffixed to the main verb. A few things to remember when constructing a sentence in which the verb takes a resultative complement are:

Nothing can be placed between the verb and the complement.

\

\ Wǒ kànjiàn tā le.\ 我看见她了。\ I saw her.
If le 了 is used, it should be placed at the end of the sentence.
If the object has a modifier, the object is often placed at the beginning of the sentence.

\

\ Nà gè wèntí wǒ huídá duì le.\ 那个问题我回答对了。\ I answered that question correctly.

\ The following examples show how resultative complements are used in declarative, negative, interrogative and bǎ 把 sentences.

IV\. Declarative sentences

When the main verb does not have an object.

</div>

\
<div class="deux">

subject + verb + complement + <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span
class="hanzi">了</span>

</div>

\
<div class="exemple">

<audio src="../Audio/Complement-result-IV-declarative-A.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ chīwán le.</span>\
 <span class="hanzi">我吃完了。</span>\
I finished eating. I ate.

</div>

When the main verb takes an object which does not have a modifier.

</div>

\
<div class="deux">

subject + verb + complement + simple object + <span
class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span>

</div>

\
<div class="exemple">

<audio src="../Audio/Complement-result-IV-declarative-B.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ chīwán fàn le.</span> \
<span class="hanzi">我吃完饭了。</span>\
I finished eating (the food/meal). I ate (the food/meal).

</div>

When the main verb takes an object which has a modifier.

</div>

\
<div class="deux">

modifier + object + subject + verb + complement + <span
class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span>

</div>

\
<div class="exemple">

<audio src="../Audio/Complement-result-IV-declarative-C.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Nèi gè wèntí wǒ huídáduì le.</span> \
<span class="hanzi">那个问题我回答对了。</span>\
I answered that question correctly.

</div>

V. Negative sentences

Negative sentences are formed by placing méi 没 or méi yǒu 没有 in front of the main verb and dropping the le 了.

\ Nèi gè wèntí wǒ méi huídáduì. \ 那个问题我没回答对。\ I did not answer that question correctly.

The negative form may also use bù 不 instead of méi yǒu 没有, but this commonly occurs only in conditional clauses describing actions that have not been carried out. Compare the highlighted parts in the following sentences. One uses bù 不 while the other uses méi 没.

Negative form using bù 不 implying a condition.

\ Wǒ bú zuòwán zuòyè jiù bú shuìjiào.\ 我不做完作业就不睡觉。\ If I don't finish doing my homework, I will not go to bed.

Comparison with méi 没 or méiyǒu 没有, which does not imply a condition.

\ Wǒ méi zuòwán zuòyè. \ 我没做完作业。\ I did not finish doing my homework.

VI\. Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences are formed by using ma 吗 or méi yǒu 没有 at the end of the sentence.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zuòwán zuòyè le ma?</span> or: <span
class="pinyin">Nǐ zuòwán zuòyè le méiyǒu?</span>\
<span class="hanzi">你做完作业了吗？</span> <span
class="hanzi">你做完作业了没有？</span>\
Have you finished doing your homework?\
\
<div class="gris">

Positive answer

</div>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Zuòwán le. </span>\
<span class="hanzi">做完了。</span>\
Yes, I have.\
\
<div class="gris">

Negative answer

</div>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Méi zuòwán.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">没做完。</span>\
I haven't.

VII\. The complement of result used in bǎ 把 sentences

Because bǎ 把 sentences are used to point out what has happened to the object as the result of an action, the verb always has to take an element to indicate specifically how the object is consequentially affected or how someone intends to affect it. Therefore, the resultative complement is often used in bǎ 把 sentences.

\ Wǒ bǎ nǐ-de mén xiūhǎo le.\ 我把你的门修好了。\ I fixed your door.\ \ The desired result of‘repairing ' is to make something work again --- to be as good as before. The stative verb hǎo 好 is used here to indicate the result of the action xiū 修 (to fix).\ \
\ Wǒ bǎ jīntiān de zuòyè zuòwán le.\ 我把今天的作业做完了。\ I finished today 's homework.\ \ The desired result of doing homework is to finish it. Zuò 做 indicates the action of 'doing ' and wán 完 indicates completion. With the modal particle le 了 indicating accomplished fact, this sentence indicates that the subject (agent), wǒ 我, has brought “today 's homework” to the stage of completion as a result of doing it.

VIII. Stative verb as the complement

Only stative verbs and verbs can be used as resultative complements.

Stative verbs, such as duì 对 correct, cuò 错 wrong, hǎo 好 good, huài 坏 broken, bǎo 饱 full, qīngchu 清楚 clear, etc, can be used as resultative complements. Most stative verbs are monosyllabic, only a few are disyllabic. These stative verbs are suffixed to verbs to emphasize different resultative aspects of the action.

-duì 对 correct\
1. huídáduì 回答对 answer correctly
2. cāiduì 猜对 guess correctly
3. shuōduì 说对 speak correctly
4. xiěduì 写对 write correctly
5. zuòduì 做对 do correctly
6. etc.
\

Example:\

huídáduì 回答对 (huídá 回答 to answer + duì 对 correct): answer correctly\ \ Nèixiē wèntí tā dōu huídáduì le.\ 那些问题她都回答对了。\ She answered all of the questions correctly.
-cuò 错 incorrect, wrong\
1. huídácuò 回答错 answer incorrectly
2. cāicuò 猜错 guess incorrectly
3. shuōcuò 说错 speak/say incorrectly
4. xiěcuò 写错 write incorrectly
5. kàncuò 看错 see/read incorrectly
6. tīngcuò 听错 hear incorrectly
7. zuòcuò 做错 do incorrectly
8. etc.
\

Example:\

xiěcuò 写错: xiě 写 to write + cuò 错 incorrect ⇒ write incorrectly\ \ Zhèi ge zì nǐ xiěcuò le. Yīnggāi xiě 'tiān ', kěshì nǐ xiě de shì 'fū '.\ 这个字你写错了。应该写‘天 '，可是你写的是‘夫 '。\ You wrote this character incorrectly. You should have written tiān 天, but you wrote fū 夫 instead.
-hǎo 好 achieve completion/achieve an adequate result \
1. zuòhǎo 做好 done; finish doing\
2. zhǔnbèihǎo 准备好 finish preparing\
3. xiěhǎo 写好 finish writing\
4. xiūhǎo 修好 fixed; repaired\
5. xuéhǎo 学好 study well\
6. shuìhǎo 睡好 sleep well\
7. etc.\
\

Example 1:\ zuòhǎo 做好 (zuò 做 to do/to cook + hǎo 好 done) done; finish doing\ \ Wǎnfàn zuòhǎo le.\ 晚饭做好了。\ Dinner is ready.

\

Example 2:\ \ xiūhǎo 修好 (xiū 修 fix/repair + hǎo 好 good): fixed; repaired\ Wǒ-de chē hái méi xiūhǎo ne. 我的车还没修好呢。 My car is not yet fixed.

\

Example 3:\ shuìhǎo 睡好 (shuì 睡 sleep + hǎo 好 well): sleep well\ \ Zuótiān wǎnshàng wǒ méi shuìhǎo jiào, suǒyǐ jīntiān juéde hěn lèi.\ 昨天晚上我没睡好觉，所以今天觉得很累。\ Last night I did not sleep well, so I feel tired today.
-huài 坏 bad; broken nònghuài 弄坏 break; cause something to break \ \

Example:\ nònghuài 弄坏 (nòng 弄 to cause + huài 坏 broken): break\ \ Tā bǎ wǒ-de diànnǎo nònghuài le.\ 他把我的电脑弄坏了。\ He broke my computer.
-bǎo 饱 full (often suffixed to chī 吃) chībǎo 吃饱 full (as a result of eating)\

Example:\ \ chībǎo 吃饱 (chī 吃 eat + bǎo 饱 full): full as a result of eating\ Wǒ chībǎo le, bù néng zài chī le.\ 我吃饱了，不能再吃了。\ I 'm full, I can't eat any more.
-qīngchu 清楚 clear\
1. kànqīngchu 看清楚 see clearlybr/>
2. tīngqīngchu 听清楚 hear clearly\
3. shuōqīngchu 说清楚 speak clearly\
4. xiěqīngchu 写清楚 write clearly\
5. etc.\
\

Example:\ tīngqīngchu 听清楚(tīng 听 listen + qīngchu 清楚 clear) hear clearly\ \ Duìbùqǐ, wǒ méi tīngqīngchu. Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.\ 对不起，我没听清楚，请再说一遍。\ Sorry, I didn't hear clearly. Please say it again.

IX. Verbs as complements

Only stative verbs and verbs can be used as resultative complements.

Verbs are often used as complements to indicate different resultative aspects of an action, such as wán 完 finish, jiàn 见, dào 到, zháo 着, liǎo 了, zhù 住, dǒng 懂, dòng 动, kāi 开, huì 会, zài 在, gěi 给, chéng 成, zuò 作, wéi 为, zǒu 走, pǎo 跑, sǐ 死, tòu 透, etc.

-wán 完 finish (can go with many verbs to indicate that someone has finished doing the action)

kànwán 看完 finish (reading/watching/seeing)
shuōwán 说完 finish (speaking/talking)
xuéwán 学完 finish (studying)
zuòwán 做完 finish (doing)
xiěwán 写完 finish (writing)
etc.

**Example**:\

kànwán 看完 (kàn 看 read + wán 完 finish) finish reading\ \ Zhèi běn shū nǐ kànwán le méi yǒu?\ 这本书你看完了没有？\ Have you finished reading the book?

-jiàn 见 perceive (jiàn 见 indicates perception)

kànjiàn 看见 see
tīngjiàn 听见 hear
pèngjiàn 碰见 bump into
yùjiàn 遇见 run into
etc.

**Example**:\

kànjiàn 看见 (kàn 看 look + jiàn 见 perceive) see\ \ Zuótiān wǒ méi (yǒu) kànjiàn Lǎo Wáng.\ 昨天我没(有)看见老王。\ Yesterday I did not see Old Wang.

-dào 到 (1). implying that an action has attained the expected aim or result

kàndào 看到 see
tīngdào 听到 hear
yùdào 遇到 run into
jiēdào 接到 receive
shōudào 收到 receive
zhǎodào 找到 find
mǎidào 买到 succeed in buying
etc.

**Example 1**:\

zhǎodào 找到 (zhǎo 找 to look for + dào 到 \[attain the expected result\]) find\ \ Wǒ zhǎodào Lǐ Xiānsheng le.\ 我找到李先生了。\ I have found Mr. Li.

**Example 2**:

mǎidào 买到 (mǎi 买 to buy + dào 到 \[attain the expected result\]) succeed in buying\ \ Wǒ qùwǎn le. Méi yǒu mǎidào diànyǐng piào. \ 我去晚了。没有买到电影票。\ I was late./ I got there late. \[So,\] I did not manage to get the movie tickets.

-dào 到 (2) : reach or arrive at (a place or a point of time)

zǒudào 走到 walk to /until/up to
pǎodào 跑到 run to /until/up to
xuédào 学到 study until/up to,
shuìdào 睡到 sleep until/up to
mángdào 忙到 be busy until/up to
kàndào 看到 read or watch until/up to
tīngdào 听到 listen until/up to
etc.

**Example 1**:

xuédào 学到 (xué 学 to study + dào 到 until/up to) study until/up to\ \ Wǒmen xuédào Dì Bā Kè le\ 我们学到第八课了。\ We have studied up to Lesson 8 so far.

**Example 2**:

\ Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒmen xué Zhōngwén xuédào shíyī diǎn.\ 昨天晚上我们学中文学到十一点。\ We studied Chinese until 11 o 'clock last night.

-zhá 着 implying that an action has attained the expected aim or result

zhǎozháo 找着 find (找着 is the same as zhǎodào 找到.)
shuìzháo 睡着 fall asleep (not the same as 睡到)
etc.

**Example**:

shuìzháo 睡着 (shuì 睡 to sleep + zháo 着\[attain the expected result\]) fall asleep\ \ Háizi-men dōu shuìzháo le.\ 孩子们都睡着了。\ The children have all fallen asleep.

-zhù 住 has the meaning of retaining or keeping something at a certain place as the result of the action

jìzhù 记住 remember; learn by heart; bear in mind
názhù 拿住 hold in place by hand(s)
etc.

**Example**:\

jìzhù 记住 (jì 记 to remember + zhù 住 retain/keep) learn by heart, bear in mind\ \ Tā-de dìzhǐ wǒ méi jìzhù. \ 他的地址我没记住。\ I did not learn his address by heart.

-dǒng 懂 understand; comprehend

kàndǒng 看懂 understand by reading/looking
tīngdǒng 听懂 understand by listening
etc.

**Example**:\

tīngdǒng 听懂 (tīng 听 to listen + dǒng 懂 understand) understand by listening \ \ Nǐ-de huà wǒ méi tīngdǒng. Néng bù néng zài shuō yí biàn.\ 你的话我没听懂。能不能再说一遍？\ I did not understand what you said. Can you say it again?

-kāi 开 to be open as a result of opening

dǎkāi 打开 to open
kāikāi 开开 to open
etc.

**Example**:\

kāikāi 开开 (kāi 开 to open + kāi 开 being open) to make ... open \ Qǐng bǎ mén kāikāi. \ \ 请把门开开。\ Please open the door.

-huì 会 know how to do something/master a skill through the action

xuéhuì 学会 learn; master

**Example**:

xuéhuì 学会 (xué 学 to learn + huì 会 know how to) learn; master\ \ Wǒ xuéhuì kāichē le.\ 我学会开车了。\ I have learnt how to drive a car.

-zài 在 located at a place as a result of the action

fàngzài 放在 put at; to be put at
zhùzài 住在 to live at ...
zuòzài 坐在 to sit at
zhànzài 站在 stand at
xiězài 写在 write on
guàzài 挂在 hang on
etc.

**Example**:\

zhànzài 站在 (zhàn 站 to stand + zài 在 at) to stand at a place\ \ Tiānqi zhème lěng, bié zhànzài wàitou.\ 天气这么冷，别站在外头。\ It is so cold, don't stand outside.

-gěi 给 to (pointing out the recipient)

sònggěi 送给 to give to
jìgěi 寄给 to send to
jiègěi 借给 to lend to
màigěi 卖给 to sell to
etc.

**Example**:\

jiègěi 借给 (jiè 借 to lend + gěi 给 to) to lend to \ Tā jiègěi wǒ yì běn shū.\ \ 他借给我一本书。\ He lent me a book.

-chéng 成 become; as

fānyìchéng 翻译成 to translate into
biànchéng 变成 to change into
kànchéng 看成 to regard as; to recognize ... mistakenly as ...
tīngchéng 听成 to hear ... mistakenly as ...
xiěchéng 写成 to write ... mistakenly as ...; to adapt...into
etc.

**Example**:\

xiěchéng 写成 (xiě 写 to write + chéng 成 become) to write ... mistakenly as ...; to adapt...into\ \ Wǒ bǎ “tiān” xiěchéng “fū” le.\ 我把“天”写成“夫”了。\ I wrote 夫 instead of 天.

-zuò 作
kànzuò 看作 to regard as ...
dāngzuò 当作 to regard as ...
etc.

**Example**:\

dāngzuò 当作 to regard as ...\ \ Wáng tàitai bǎ wǒ dāngzuò zìjǐ-de érzi.\ 王太太把我当作自己的儿子。\ Mrs. Wang regards me as her own son.

-zǒu 走 away

názǒu 拿走 to take away
bānzǒu 搬走 to move away
sòngzǒu 送走 to see off
dàizǒu 带走 to take away
etc.

**Example**:\

bānzǒu 搬走 (bān 搬 to move + zǒu 走 away) to move away \ \ Lǎo Zhāng jiā bānzǒu le.\ 老张家搬走了。\ The Old Zhangs moved away.

-sǐ 死 death; (exaggeration indicating extreme)

lèisǐ 累死 extremely tired; tired to death
rèsǐ 热死 extremely hot; deathly hot
èsǐ 饿死 starving; extremely hungry
etc.

**Example**:\

rèsǐ 热死 (rè 热 hot + sǐ 死 death) extremely hot\ \ Tiānqi rèsǐ le. \ 天气热死了。\ The weather is extremely hot.

The Potential Complement

I. What is the potential complement?

The potential complement indicates whether an action can or cannot be carried out. The positive form uses de 得 between the verb and the complement; the negative form uses bù 不 between the verb and the complement. The complement can be a verb (e.g. kàndedǒng 看得懂 can understand by reading) or a stative verb (e.g. kànbùqīngchu 看不清楚 can't see clearly).

II\. The structure and features of the potential complement

Positive form predicate verb + de 得 + verb/stative verb

                                                                           </span>\
                                                                           zuòdewán <span class="hanzi">做得完</span> can finish doing ...

Negative form predicate verb + bù 不 + verb/stative verb

                                                                           </span>\
                                                                           <span class="pinyin">zuòbùwán</span> <span class="hanzi">做不完</span> can't finish doing ...

Ma 吗 question form predicate verb + de 得 + verb/stative verb + ma 吗?

                                                                           </span>\
                                                                           <span class="pinyin">zuòdewán ma?</span> <span class="hanzi">做得完吗？</span>can finish doing?

Choice-type question form predicate verb + de 得 + verb/stative verb + predicate verb + bù 不 + verb/stative verb

                                                                           </span>\
                                                                           <span class="pinyin">zuòdewán zuòbùwán?</span> <span class="hanzi">做得完做不完？</span>can finish doing?

The negative form uses bù 不 to replace de 得.
Potential complements do not take le 了, because they express possibility, not an accomplished fact or completion of an action.
Potential complements are not used in bǎ 把-Sentences because bǎ 把-sentences focus on result, not possibility.
The positive form and the ma 吗 -question form can use néng 能 before the predicate verb. It does not change the meaning of the sentence.
Potential complements cannot be modified by adverbs such as hěn 很, fēicháng 非常, etc.

Before you move on, study some examples of these forms in complete sentences.

Positive form
1. \ Jīntiān de gōngzuò bù duō, liǎng diǎn yǐqián yídìng gàndewán.\ 今天的工作不多，两点以前一定干得完。\ There is not much work today. We can definitely finish it before two o 'clock.
2. \ Zhèi zhāng zhuōzi bú zhòng, wǒ yí ge rén bāndedòng.\ 这张桌子不重，我一个人搬得动。\ This table is not heavy. I can move it by myself.
3. \ Bú yòng kāi dēng, wǒ kàndeqīngchu.\ 不用开灯，我看得清楚。\ No need to turn on the light. I can see clearly.
4. \ Tā zhème yònggōng, yídìng kǎodeshàng dàxué.\ 他这么用功，一定考得上大学。\ He's so hardworking. He will definitely be able to pass the college entrance exam.
Negative form \
1. \ Zhèixiē Hànzì zhēn nán xiě, wǒ zǒngshì xiěbùhǎo.\ 这些汉字真难写，我总是写不好。\ These characters are really hard to write. I can never write them well.
2. \ Wǒ-de Yīngwén shū zhǎobúdào le.\ 我的英文书找不到了。\ I can't find my English book any more.
3. \ Hē-le chá wǒ jiù shuìbùzháo jiào le.\ 喝了茶我就睡不着觉了。\ After drinking tea, I won't be able to fall asleep.
4. \ Shuōbúduì kěyǐ zài shuō yí biàn.\ 说不对可以再说一边。\ If you can't say it correctly, you may say it again.
Ma question form\
1. \ Yì tiān xué liù ge Hànzì, nǐ jìdezhù ma?\ 一天学六个汉字，你记得住吗？\ You study six characters a day. Can you remember them?
2. \ Tā shuō de zhème kuài, nǐ tīngdedǒng ma?\ 他说得这么快，你听得懂吗？\ He speaks so fast. Can you understand?
3. \ Zuòzài hòubiānr de tóngxué kàndeqīngchu ma?\ 坐在后边儿的同学看得清楚吗？\ Can students sitting in the back see clearly?
4. \ Nǐ yí ge rén chīdeliǎo zhème duō fàn ma?\ 你一个人吃得了这么多饭吗？\ Can you alone eat so much food?
Choice-type question form\
1. \ Shān hěn gāo, nǐ shàngdeqù shàngbúqù?\ 山很高，你上得去上不去？\ The mountain is high. Can you climb it?
2. \ Nǐ míngtiān láideliǎo láibùliǎo?\ 你明天来得了来不了？\ Can you come tomorrow?
3. \ Tā pǎodekuài pǎobúkuài?\ 他跑得快跑不快？\ Can he run fast?
4. \ Zhèi jiān jiàoshì zuòdexià zuòbúxià èrshí ge rén?\ 这间教室坐得下坐不下二十个人？\ Can this classroom seat twenty people?
used with néng 能\
1. \ Zhème duō gōngzuò nǐ néng gàndewán ma?\ 这么多工作你能干得完吗？\ Can you finish so much work?
2. \ Wǒ néng tīngdedǒng shōuyīnjīli de Zhōngwén jiémù.\ 我能听得懂收音机里的中文节目。\ I can understand the Chinese programs on the radio.

III\. The potential complement and the complement of degree in contrast

The potential complement and the complement of degree may sometimes look identical and cause confusion to non-native speakers of Chinese. The following two sentences are taken out of context. They look the same, but they could mean very different things. In sentence A, the stress is on the complement ‘hǎo 好(well) '. In sentence B, the stress is on the predicate verb ‘chàng 唱 (to sing) '. Because the complement of degree focuses on the quality of an action, while the potential complement focuses on whether the action can be carried out, the complement in sentence A is a degree complement while the one in sentence B is potential. It would be hard to tell the difference if one read these sentences in characters and out of context. In real conversation, there is no confusion because of the context and the stress put on different words. Please see the following examples. Words highlighted in yellow are stressed.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā chàng de hǎo ma?</span> (degree complement;
note there is space between the verb and the complement.)\
<span class="hanzi">她唱得好吗？</span>\
Does she sing well?

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā chàng de hǎo ma?</span> (potential
complement; note that there is no space between the verb and the
complement)\
<span class="hanzi">她唱得好吗？</span>\
Can she sing well?

A closer examination of these two complements reveals even more differences. The following chart shows their different forms. Highlighted words are stressed when spoken.

+--------------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+ | | Degree Complement | Potential Complement | +==========================+==========================+==========================+ | Positive | | > | | | |

xiě | xiě | | | de hěn hǎo\ | de hǎo

写得很好

xiě | xiě | | | de bù hǎo\ | bù hǎo

写得不好

吗

xiě | xiě | | | de hǎo ma?\ | de hǎo ma?

写得好吗？

xiě | xiě | | | de hǎo bù hǎo?\ | de hǎo xiě bù | | | \ | | | class="hanzi">写得好不好 | \ | class="hanzi">写得好写不好 | | | ...write well? | | | | | ？\ | | | | ...can write well? | +--------------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+ | Verb taking an object | | .mp3" controls="controls | | | | "> | | | \ | | | | xiě | \ | | | Hànzì xiě de hěn | xiě | | | hǎo\ | de hǎo Hànzì\ | | | 写汉字写得很好写得好汉字

The complement of degree is an assessment of an action or state. Therefore, the stress is on the complement, which comments on the action or state. The complement can be modified by adverbs such as hěn 很, fēicháng 非常, tèbié 特别.

\ \ Tā xiě de fēicháng hǎo.\ 他写得非常好。\ He writes very well.
The potential complement expresses possibility. Therefore, the stress is on the action itself. This is why the predicate verb is stressed. No adverbs can modify the complement.

\

\ Tā xiě de hǎo.\ 他写得好。\ He can write well.
The negative form of the complement of degree keeps the particle de 得 and negates the stative verb with bù 不. The stress is on the negative adverb and the complement.

\ \ Tā xiě de bù hǎo.\ 他写得不好。\ He writes badly.
The negative form of the potential complement replaces the particle de 得 with bù 不. The stress is on the predicate verb.

\

\ Tā xiěbùhǎo.\ 他写不好。\ He can't write well.
The complement of degree and the potential complement look the same in ma 吗 question form, but the stress falls on different elements when spoken. Compare the following two sentences.

The complement of degree:

\ Tā xiě de hǎo ma?\ 他写得好吗？\ Does he write well?

The potential complement:

\ Tā xiě de hǎo ma?\ 他写得好吗？\ Can he write well?
The complement of degree and the potential complement have different choice-type question forms. The complement of degree forms a choice-type question by juxtaposing the affirmative and negative forms of the stative verb; the potential complement forms a choice-type question by juxtaposing the affirmative and negative forms of the predicate verb and its complement.

The complement of degree:

\ Tā xiě de hǎo bù hǎo?\ 他写得好不好？\ Does he write well?

The potential complement:

\ Tā xiědehǎo xiěbùhǎo?\ 他写得好写不好？\ Can he write well?
A verb with a potential complement can take an object, but the degree complement cannot be followed by the object of the verb.

The potential complement:

\ Tā xiěbùhǎo Hànzì.\ 他写不好汉字。\ He can't write characters well.

The complement of degree:

Tā xiě de bù hǎo Hànzì. (ungrammatical) (The complement of degree can't take an object.)\ 他写得不好汉字。\ He does not write characters well.

\ Tā xiě Hànzì xiě de bù hǎo. (grammatical)\ 他写汉字写得不好。\ He writes characters badly.
The complement of degree can be used in bǎ 把-sentences, while the potential complement can't.

\

\ Tā bǎ dìtú guà de gāogāode.\ 他把地图挂得高高的。\ He hung the map high up.

IV\. The potential complement in idiomatic expressions

-de 得, expressing whether “it is O.K. to...”, is commonly used in its negative form; the verb preceding it must be a monosyllabic verb. -de 得 when used as a complement has unique positive and negative forms. For example:

\

positive: chīde 吃得 okay to eat/can be eaten/edible\ negative: chībùde 吃不得 not okay to eat/cannot be eaten/not edible

\

\ Zhèi zhǒng mógu chīde, nèizhǒng chībùde.\ 这种蘑菇 (mógu, mushroom) 吃得，那种吃不得。\ This kind of mushroom is edible, the other isn't.

\

\ Zhèi zhāng huàr jiànbùde guāng.\ 这张画儿见不得光。\ This painting cannot/is not okay to be exposed to sunlight.

\

\ Tā zuò de shì jiànbùde rén.\ 他做的事见不得人。\ His doings cannot be made known/are not okay to be presented (to people).
Liǎo 了 is a verb often used as a potential complement, expressing whether or not an action can be carried on, or whether an action can achieve a positive result---due to the ability or circumstances of the person acting. However, liǎo matches only certain verbs such as zuò 做, gàn 干, bàn 办, qù 去, lái 来, zǒu 走, dào 到, ná 拿, bān 搬, chī 吃, hē 喝, xué 学, xiě 写, kàn 看, tīng 听, shuō 说, etc. Below are a few examples.

\

\ Zhèi zhǒng gōngzuò tā zuòdeliǎo ma?\ 这种工作他做得了吗？\ Can he do this kind of work?

\

\ Míngtiān wǒ hěn máng, qùbùliǎo.\ 明天我很忙，去不了。\ I 'll be busy tomorrow. I cannot go.

\

\ Dōngxi tài duō le, nǐ yí ge rén nádeliǎo ma?\ 东西太多了，你一个人拿得了吗？\ There are so many things. Can you carry them alone?

\

\ Wǒ chībùliǎo zhème duō fàn.\ 我吃不了这么多饭。\ I cannot eat so much food.

\

\ Wǒ-de péngyǒu dāngzhōng méi yǒu yí ge rén xiědeliǎo zhème piàoliang de Hànzì.\ 我的朋友当中没有一个人写得了这么漂亮的汉字。\ None of my friends can write such beautiful characters.
tándelái 谈得来 can get along with tánbùlái 谈不来 cannot get along with

\

\ Nǐ gēn Xiǎo Wáng tándelái tánbùlái?\ 你跟小王谈得来谈不来？ \ Can you and Xiao Wang get along with each other?
qǐ 起: affordability

\

\ Jìnkǒu de dōngxi tài guì le, wǒ mǎibùqǐ.\ 进口的东西太贵了，我买不起。\ Imported things are too expensive. I can't afford them.
duìdeqǐ 对得起 not let (someone) down duìbuqǐ 对不起 let (someone) down; sorry

\

\ Nǐ duìdeqǐ fùmǔ ma?\ 你对得起父母吗？\ Aren't you letting your parents down?

Bǎ “把” Construction

I. What is the bǎ 把 construction?

As a coverb, bǎ 把 has no equivalent in English. It is simply a means by which the direct object is displaced to a position before the verb. Bǎ 把 construction is a 'disposal form ' (Wang Li 1947: 160ff.) It states “how a person is handled, manipulated or dealt with; how something is disposed of; or how an affair is concluded” (translation by Charles N. Li 1974: 200-201). A sentence with the bǎ 把 construction follows the basic pattern below.

subject bǎ 把 + direct object verb + complementary element

\ Lǐ Míng bǎ nǐ-de zìdiǎn názǒu le.\ 李明把你的字典拿走了。\ Ming Li has taken your dictionary away.

subject bǎ 把 + direct object verb + complementary element

\ Bǎ shū dǎkāi.\ 把书打开。\ Open the book.

II\. When to use the bǎ 把 construction

Since the bǎ 把 construction is used to point out what action has been carried out upon a particular object and how the object has consequently been disposed of, it is usually used when stating what one has done to something, what one has accomplished (the verb must take an object) or what has happened to something as a result of an action. It is also often used in imperative sentences such as commands, requests or instructions asking someone to move, change, deal with, handle or manipulate something and affect it in a specific way. The following are a few examples.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bǎ nǐ-de mén xiūhǎo le.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">我把你的门修好了。</span>\
I fixed your door.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bǎ jīntiān de zuòyè zuòwǎn le.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">我把今天的作业做完了。</span>\
I finished today 's homework.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wáng xiānsheng bǎ tā-de chē màigěi
wǒ le.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">王先生把他的车卖给我了。</span>\
Mr. Wang sold his car to me.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Qǐng nǐ bǎ lājī náchūqu.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">请你把垃圾拿出去。</span>\
Please take out the garbage.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Bǎ chuānghu dǎkāi yìdiǎnr, hǎo bù hǎo? </span>\
<span class="hanzi">把窗户打开一点儿，好不好？</span>\
Open the window a little bit, all right?

There are two conditions under which the bǎ 把 constructions is more likely to be used. First, “the more prominent the referent of the direct object is, the more appropriate it is to use a bǎ 把 noun phrase to refer to it.” Second, “the more the verb elaborates or specifies how the direct object is being handled or dealt with, the more appropriate it is to use bǎ 把 (Charles Li 1981:483-484).” The bǎ 把 construction is also sometimes structurally required.

III\. The object after bǎ

The object following bǎ 把 is the recipient of the action and it must be a definite or specific thing or person or a known entity. It usually has been mentioned earlier or is known to those engaged in the discourse, otherwise the listener would not understand which thing or person the speaker is talking about.

\ Tā bǎ nèi liàng jiù chē mài le.\ 她把那辆旧车卖了。\ She sold that old car.\ \

'That old car ' is one that is known to both parties in the discourse.
\ Jīntiān wǒ bù xiǎoxīn bǎ yí ge nánde zhuàngdǎo le. \ 今天我不小心把一个男的撞倒了。\ Today I knocked down a man by accident.\ \

'A man ' here refers to a specific one, the one that 'I ' knocked down.
\ Qǐng bǎ táng dìgěi wǒ.\ 请把糖递给我。\ Please pass me the sugar.\ \

'Sugar ' here refers to something in the presence of both parties. It is something that they both can see.

The elements after the predicate verb

IV\. The elements after the predicate verb

The predicate verb, except for some disyllabic verbs with built-in resultative components such as qǔxiāo 取消(to cancel) and suōxiǎo 缩小 (to reduce), must take a complementary element such as a complement, a locative phrase, an indirect object, and so on. The following shows what elements usually follow the verb.

**RESULTATIVE** + resultative complement (+ le 了) Stating what result has been accomplished or is anticipated
1. \ Wǒmen bǎ Zhōngwén zuòyè zuòwán le.\ 我们把中文作业做完了。\ We have finished our Chinese homework.
2. \ Qǐng bǎ mén dǎkāi.\ 请把门打开。\ Please open the door.
3. \ Zhèi liǎng tiān kě bǎ wǒmen mánghuài le.\ 这两天可把我们忙坏了。\ We were terribly busy the last few days.
Note 1: Though stative verbs such as huài 坏, tòu 透, sǐ 死 show degree when placed after a stative verb or verb of mental activity, they are considered complements of result due to the structure.)

Note 2: Since the function of the bǎ 把 sentence is to show what has happened to the direct object as a result of the action, the predicate verb and its complement must comment on the direct object, not on the subject or any other element. There is still a verb-object relationship even though the object has been displaced to a position before the verb. Such a relationship can be seen in Sentences 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 above.

VERB + COMPLEMENT + OBJECT

---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zuòwán 做完 Zhōngwén zuòyè 中文作业 Dǎkāi 打开 mén 门 Mánghuài 忙坏 wǒ 我 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A.
```
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bǎ fàn chīwán le.</span> (Grammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">我把饭吃完了。</span>\
I finished the meal/food.\
\
<div class="gris">

This sentence shows what has happened to the food---it has
been finished.

</div>
```
B. ~~Wǒ bǎ fàn chībǎo le.~~
```
(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~我把饭吃饱了。~~</span> (doesn't
make sense)
```
The verb takes a resultative complement bǎo 饱 'full', which comments on the subject, wǒ 我 'I', instead of the object fàn 饭 'food '.Since 'full' is not what has happened to the 'food ' but rather how 'I' has been affected as a result of 'eating', this sentence is not grammatical. It should be changed to 'Wǒ chībǎo le. 我吃饱了' I'm full.

2\. DIRECTIONAL

+ directional complement (+ le 了) Stating in which direction the object has been moved or is anticipated to move.

\ Zuótiān tā bǎ háizi cóng Běijīng dàilai le.\ 昨天她把孩子从北京带来了。\ She brought her child here from Beijing yesterday.
\ Qǐng bǎ nǐ-de zìxíngchē bānchūqu.\ 请把你的自行车搬出去。\ Please move out your bicycle.
\ Tā bǎ yǐzi bāndào lóushàng qu le.\ 他把椅子搬到楼上去了。\ He moved the chair upstairs.
\ Qǐng nǐ bǎ Kělè cóng bīngxiāng-li náchūlai.\ 请你把可乐从冰箱里拿出来。\ Please take the Coke out of the refrigerator.

Note: The coverb cóng 从 with a locative word or phrase points out the object 's original place before its displacement. The cóng 从 phrase must be placed after the object and before the verb. It is an adverbial. See examples 2.1 and 2.4. Dào 到 with a locative word or phrase introduces the new location to which the object has been moved. The dào 到 phrase must be placed after the verb. See 2.3. It is a verb complement. The dào 到 phrase must follow the verb immediately. When cóng 从 and dào 到 phrases are used, bǎ 把 construction must be used. The following example is ungrammatical.

A. ~~Tā bān yǐzi dào lóushàng qù le.~~

<span class="hanzi">~~他搬椅子到楼上去了。~~</span>\
(He moved the chair upstairs.)\
\
<div class="gris">

To point out the original location of the object, follow this
pattern:

</div>

\
<div class="fondjaune">

subj. + bǎ 把 + obj. + cóng 从 + locative word/phrase + verb +
directional complement + (le了)

</div>

\
<div class="gris">

To point out the new location to which the object has been moved,
follow this pattern:

</div>

\
<div class="fondjaune">

subject + bǎ 把 + object + verb + dào 到 + locative word/phrase +
(lái 来/ qù 去) + (le 了)

</div>

\
<div class="gris">

To point out both the original place and the destination, follow
this pattern:

</div>

\
<div class="fondjaune">

subject + bǎ 把 + object + cóng 从 + locative word/phrase + verb +
dào 到 + locative word/phrase + ( lái 来/qù 去)+( le了)

</div>

3\. LOCATIONAL

+ zài 在 + noun 2 (+ le 了) Stating where the object ends up or where it is anticipated to end up as a result of the action.

\ Tā bǎ yǔsǎn wàngzài túshūguǎn le.\ 他把雨伞忘在图书馆了。\ He left the/his umbrella in the library.
\ Bǎ dāozi fàngzài yòubiān.\ 把刀子放在右边。\ Put the knife on the right.

Notē: The post-verbal locative phrase indicates where an object ends up as a result of an action. When a post-verbal locative phrase is used, the sentence usually uses the b[a construction. How does a pre-verbal locative phrase differ from a post-verbal one in its role in the sentence? Compare the following two sentences.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Bǎ dāozi fàngzài yòubian.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">把刀子放在右边。</span>\
Put the knife on the right.

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Qǐng zài yòubiān fàng yì bǎ dāozi.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">请在右边放一把刀子。</span>\
Please put a knife on the right.

In Sentence 3A, the object, <span class="pinyin">dāozi</span> <span
class="hanzi">刀子</span>, is one that both the speaker and the
listener know, not a generic reference. It may be right in front
of them. In Sentence 3B, it is not important which knife is to be
placed on the right. The speaker only wants a knife to be placed on
the right. The knife may not be in the presence of the speaker and
the listener. The example shows that **‘the more prominent the
referent of the direct object is the more appropriate it is to use a
bǎ noun phrase to refer to it '**(Charles Li 1981: 484). Below are
examples of common errors associated with the locative phrase in
this type of <span class="pinyin">bǎ</span> <span
class="hanzi">把</span> sentences.

C. ~~Tā wàng yǔsǎn zài túshūguǎn le.~~

(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~他忘雨伞在图书馆了。~~</span>\
(He left his umbrella in the library.)\
\
<div class="gris">

The locative phrase must follow the verb immediately and the
sentence must use the <span class="pinyin">bǎ</span> <span
class="hanzi">把</span> construction. The correct sentence is:

</div>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Tā bǎ yǔsǎn wàngzài túshūguǎn le.</span>
(Grammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">他把雨伞忘在图书馆了。</span>\
(He left his umbrella in the library.)

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bǎ zuòyè xiězài zhǐ shàng.</span>
(Grammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">我把作业写在纸上。</span>\
I wrote my homework on the paper.\
\
<div class="gris">

The post-verbal locative phrase indicates where an object ends up as
a result of the action.

</div>

F. ~~Wǒ bǎ zuòyè xiězài sùshè.~~

(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~我把作业写在宿舍~~</span>\
(I wrote my homework in the dormitory.)\
\
<div class="gris">

The locative phrase may not refer to the location of the subject or
other elements. The correct sentence should be:

</div>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài sùshè xiě zuòyè.</span> (Grammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">我在宿舍写作业。</span>\
I wrote my homework in the dormitory.

4\. DATIVE

+ gěi 给 + indirect object (+ le 了) Pointing out the recipient of the direct object as a result of the action.

\ Wǒ bǎ zuòyè jiāogěi lǎoshī le.\ 我把作业交给老师了。\ I have turned in my homework to the teacher.
\ Bǎ zhèxiē shū màigěi jiù shūdiàn ba.\ 把这些书卖给旧书店吧。\ Let 's sell these books to the used-book store.
\ Tā bǎ nèi jiàn hóng máoyī sònggěi wǒ le.\ 她把那件红毛衣送给我了。\ She gave that red sweater to me.

Note 1: If a sentence is to state that the object has been passed to a new recipient, the predicate verb must take gěi 给 or a similar verb capable of introducing the recipient of the object. The Bǎ 把 construction is required in such a sentence. See 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3. Only verbs that imply 'transfer' or 'transaction', such as jiāo 交, sòng 送, mài 卖, jiè 借, huán 还, jì 寄, dài 带, chuán 传, etc. can be used with gěi 给 and an indirect object in a bǎ 把 sentence. Other verbs taking gěi 给 may not be used in a bǎ 把 sentence.

A. ~~Wǒ bǎ xìn xiěgěi wǒ péngyou le.~~

(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~我把信写给我朋友了。~~</span>\
(I wrote the letter to my friend.)\
\
<div class="gris">

If the direct object is not definite, specific or known to the
listener, and the speaker intends to simply point out what it is
that has been transferred or to narrate what someone has done as one
of the events that has happened, <span class="pinyin">bǎ</span>
<span class="hanzi">把</span> may not be necessary.

</div>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ sònggěi Xiǎo Wáng yì zhī bǐ.</span>\
<span class="hanzi">我送给小王一支笔。</span>\
I gave Young Wang a pen.\
\
<div class="gris">

If the direct object is definite, specific or something that the
listener knows or understands, <span class="pinyin">bǎ</span> <span
class="hanzi">把 </span>construction must be used.

</div>

<span class="pinyin">~~Wǒ sònggěi Xiǎo Wáng nàxiē bǐ le.~~</span>
(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~我送给小王那些笔了。~~</span>\
(I gave those pens to Young Wang.)

5\. TRANSFORMATIONAL/JUDGMENTAL

+ chéng 成 / zuò 作 + indirect object (+ le 了) Stating how the object has been or is anticipated to be changed, regarded, compared or judged.

\ Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhèi ge gùshi fānyìchéng Yīngwén.\ 请你把这个故事翻译成英文。\ Please translate this story into English.
\ Tā bǎ wǒ dāngzuò zìjǐ-de háizi.\ 她把我当作自己的孩子。\ She regards me as her own child.

Note: Verbs such as chéng 成, wéi 为, zuò 作 or zuò 做 following the predicate verb take an object to indicate how the direct object has been transformed, regarded, compared, labeled, judged and so on. They all require the bǎ 把 construction. A common error students tend to make is to forget to use the bǎ 把 construction.
~~Qǐng nǐ fānyì zhèi gè gùshì chéng Yīngwén.~~ (Ungrammatical)\ ~~请你翻译这个故事成英文。~~\ (Please translate this story into English.)

6\. ACCOMPLISHED FACT

+ le 了 Stating what has happened to the object or how one anticipates it to be dealt with.

\ Tā bǎ nèi ge hóng píngguǒ chī le. \ 他把那个红苹果吃了。\ He ate the red apple.
\ Bié bǎ yàoshi diū le.\ 别把钥匙丢了。\ Don't lose the key.

Note: The modal particle le here has the underlying notion of liǎo 了 'to finish' (Po-Ching Yip and Don Rimmington 2004: p. 200). Only a special class of verbs can take nothing but le in bǎ 把 sentences. These are verbs with a built-in terminal point. They are mostly verbs indicating actions which finish as soon as they begin, such as diū 丢(lose), wàng 忘(forget), rēng 扔 (throw away), sī 撕(tear up), mǒ 抹 (wipe off), shuā i摔 (break), hē 喝(drink), qǔxiāo 取消 (abolish), huán 还(return), and so on.

7\. DATIVE

+ noun 2 / pronoun + (le 了) Specifying the recipient of the object as the result of the action.

\ Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ zìxíngchē gěi Lǎo Wáng le.????????????????\ 我已经把自行车给老王了。\ I have already given the bicycle to Old Wang.
\ Tā bǎ jiù yīfu sòng rén le.\ 她把旧衣服送人了。\ She gave away her old clothes.
\ Wǒ bù xiǎng bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosù tā.\ 我不想把这件事告诉她。\ I don't want to tell her about it.
\ Tā bǎ shèng fàn wèi gǒu le.\ 她把剩饭喂狗了。\ She fed the dog with the leftover food.
\ Wǒ bǎ shuǐ jiāo huār le.\ 我把水浇花儿了。\ I water the plant with the water.

Note: Not all verbs can take these elements in bǎ 把 sentences. Only verbs such as gěi 给, sòng 送, gàosù 告诉, wèi 喂, jiāo 浇, tōngzhī 通知, zhuǎngào 转告 and so on can take a noun or pronoun as the indirect object to point out the recipient of the direct object in bǎ 把 sentences. These verbs usually imply transferring or passing something to someone else.

8\. EVALUATIVE/DESCRIPTIVE

+ de 的 + complement of degree Specify the degree or extent to which the object has been affected as a result of the action.

\ Lǎoshī bǎ wèntí jiěshi de hěn qīngchu.\ 老师把问题解释得很清楚。\ The teacher has explained the question very clearly.
\ Gōngzuò hé jiāwù bǎ tā lèi de bìngdǎo le.\ 工作和家务把她累得病倒了。\ Work and household chores have exhausted her so much that she has fallen ill.

Note: It is important to remember that the complement comments on the object, not the subject. See the following examples.

<span class="pinyin">~~Wǒmen bǎ diànyǐng kànde hěn gāoxìng.~~</span>
(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~我们把电影看得很高兴。~~</span>\
(We enjoyed the film very much.)

</div>

<span class="gris">Note that hěn gāoxìng 很高兴 in 8A comments on
how the subject feels, not on to what extent the object has
been affected. Therefore, this sentence should not use the bǎ
把 construction. The correct sentence should be:</span>\

<audio src="../Audio/ba-IV-8A.mp3" controls="controls">
</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kàn diànyǐng kànde hěn gāoxìng.</span>
(Grammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">我们看电影看得很高兴。</span>\
We enjoyed the film very much.

</div>

9\. BRIEF DURATIONAL

+ (yī 一) + reduplicated verb Stating how one anticipates the object will be dealt with. Completed action uses –le 了 instead of yī 一. The sentence may need to take a clause.

\ Qǐng bǎ zhèi kài biǎo xiūxiu.\ 请把这块表修修。(same in meaning as + yī 一 + reduplicated verb)\ Please fix this watch.
\ Qǐng bǎ zhèi kài biǎo xiū yi xiū.\ 请把这块表修一修。(same in meaning as + reduplicated verb)\ Please fix this watch.
\ Tā bǎ zhèi kài biǎo xiū-le xiū, xiànzài yòu néng zǒu le.\ 她把这块表修了修, 现在又能走了。(-le 了 + verb)\ She fixed the watch a little bit and now it's working again.

Note: Monosyllabic verbs when reduplicated can take yī 一 or le 了 inbetween, as in 9.2 and 9.3. Disyllabic verbs when reduplicated may not do the same. So it would be wrong to say jiěshì yi jiěshì 解释一解释 'explain' or jiěshì le jiěshì 解释了解释.

10\. FREQUENCY

+ (-le 了) + complement of frequency + (le 了) Specifying how many times the object has been or is to be dealt with.

\ Tā bǎ zhèi ge zì chāo-le shí biàn, háishì jìbúzhù.\ 她把这个字抄了十遍，还是记不住。\ She copied this character ten times, but she still can't remember it.
\ Wǒmen yǐngjīng bǎ zhèi ge wèntí tǎolùn-le sān cì le.\ 我们已经把这个问题讨论了三次了。\ We have already discussed this issue three times up to now.
\ Bǎ zhè piān kèwén niàn sān biàn.\ 把这篇课文念三遍。\ Read the text aloud three times.
\ Bǎ zuòyè jiǎnchá yíxià.\ 把作业检查一下。\ Check your homework.

Note: Yíxià 一下(a little bit) is a special verbal measure word. It is generally used to soften the tone in imperative sentences. It is not used to indicate the frequency of an action. So it is wrong to say, 'bǎ zuòyè jiǎnchá liǎng xià' 把作业检查两下(check the homework twice).

11\. QUANTITY

+ (-le 了) + complement of quantity + (le 了) Specifying the quantity that has been or will be added to or removed from the object as a result of the action.

\ Shāngdiàn bǎ diànshì de jiàgé jiàngdī-le yí bàn. \ 商店把电视的价格降低了一半。\ Stores have lowered the price of televisions by half.
\ Wǒmen yídìng yào bǎ chǎnliàng tígāo-le bǎi fēn zhī èr. \ 我们一定要把产量提高百分之二。\ We must increase the output by two percent.
\ Tā yǐjīng bǎ cài qiē-le yí bān le. \ 他已经把菜切了一半了。\ He has already cut half of the vegetables up to now.

12\. CONTINUOUS STATE

+ zhe 着 Stating how the object has been dealt with or how one anticipates it will be dealt with.

\ Jīntiān yào xià yǔ, bǎ sǎn dàizhe.\ 今天要下雨，把伞带着。\ it's going to rain. Take the umbrella (with you.)
\ Nǐ shuìjiào zěnme hái bǎ dēng kāizhe? Tài fèi diàn le. \ 你睡觉怎么还把灯开着？太费电了！\ Why do you sleep with the light on? What a waste of electricity?

13\. DURATIONAL

(–le 了) + durational complement + (le 了) Stating how long the object has been being dealt with as a result of the action or how long one anticipates it will be being dealt with.

\ Tāmen bǎ zhèi ge wèntí yánjiū-le wǔ nián duō.\ 他们把这个问题研究了五年多。\ They studied this problem for over five years.
\ Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ ròu kǎo-le wǔ fēnzhōng le. Zài kǎo jiù gāi kǎohú le.\ 我已经把肉烤了五分钟了，再烤就该煳了。\ I have grilled the meat for five minutes so far. If I continue, I will burn it.
\ Bǎ shuǐ rè wǔ fēnzhōng. \ 把水热五分钟。\ Heat the water for five minutes.
\ Wǒ bǎ miàntiáo zhǔ-le yì huǐr, ránhòu cái wàng lǐ fàng cài. \ 我把面条煮了一会儿，然后才往里放菜。\ I boiled the noodles for a little while before putting vegetables in it.\ \

Note: Only verbs that imply certain forms of processing, such as shāo 烧 (to heat), kǎo 烤 (to bake/to roast), rè 热 (to heat). zhǔ 煮 (to boil), lěngquè 冷却 (to cool off), can take a durational complement in bǎ sentences. This is why the following example is ungrammatical.

A. ~~Wǒ bǎ shū kàn-le sān ge xiǎoshí.~~

(Ungrammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">~~我把书看了三个小时~~。</span>\
(I read the book for three hours.)\
\
<div class="gris">

If the speaker intends to state how long the action <span
class="pinyin">kàn</span> <span class="hanzi">看</span>‘reading '
lasted, the <span class="pinyin">bǎ</span> construction should not
be used.

</div>

</audio>
\
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ kàn shū kàn-le sān gè xiǎoshí.</span>
(Grammatical)\
<span class="hanzi">我看书看了三个小时。</span>\
I read the book for three hours.

V. Modal verbs and adverbials in bǎ 把 sentences.

In a bǎ 把 sentence, modal verbs and adverbs are usually placed before the coverb bǎ 把. Adverbs denoting inclusion or scope such as dōu都or quán全are placed before bǎ 把 if they are about the subject or after the object before the predicate verb if they are about the object. An adverb modifying the verb can be placed before bǎ 把 or before the verb.

Modal verbs,\ néng 能\ kěyǐ 可以\ nénggòu 能够\ huì 会\ yīnggāi 应该\ Optative verbs\ bìxū 必须\ gǎn 敢\ xiǎng 想\ yào 要\ yuànyì 愿意\ Dispositional verbs kěn 肯 děi 得 xǐhuan 喜欢 ài 爱 etc.

Adverbs bù 不\ méi 没\ jiù 就\ cái 才\ zhǐ 只

                    <span class="pinyin">zài</span> <span class="hanzi">再</span>\           <span class="pinyin">yòu</span> <span class="hanzi">又</span>\       <span class="pinyin">hái</span> <span class="hanzi">还</span>\         <span class="pinyin">biàn</span> <span class="hanzi">便</span>\   <span class="pinyin">zǒngshì</span> <span class="hanzi">总是</span>\
                    <span class="pinyin">chángcháng</span> <span class="hanzi">常常</span>   <span class="pinyin">yǐjīng</span> <span class="hanzi">已经</span>   <span class="pinyin">yídìng</span> <span class="hanzi">一定</span>     etc.                                                              ----

\ Tā méi bǎ chē mài gěi tā-de péngyou.\ 他没把车卖给他的朋友。\ He did not sell his car to his friend.
\ Wǒ bù xiǎng bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosù tā. \ 我不想把这件事告诉她。\ I don't want to tell her about it.
\ Wǒmen dōu bǎ Zhōngwén zuòyè zuòwán le.\ 我们都把中文作业做完了。\ We have all finished our Chinese homework.
\ Wǒmen bǎ Zhōngwén zuòyè dōu zuòwán le.\ 我们把中文作业都做完了。\ We have finished all of our Chinese homework.
\ Tā bǎ kǎoshì juàn fēicháng rènzhēn de jiǎnchá-le liǎng biàn. \ 他把考试卷非常认真地检查了两遍。\ He very carefully checked the test paper twice.
\ Tā rèqíng de bǎ wǒmen ràng jìn wūzili.\ 她热情地把我们让进屋子里。\ She warmly ushered us into the room.
\ Wǒ bǎ mén yòng lì tuī-le jǐ xiàr, háishì méi yǒu tuīkāi. \ 我把门用力推了几下儿，还是没有推开。\ I pushed the door hard a few times, but I still couldn't open it.

VI\. Verbs which may not be used as the predicate verb in a bǎ 把 sentence.

modal verbs:

</div>

i.  <span class="grissuperleger">some modal verbs denoting wish,
    desire or aspiration (<span class="hanzi">表示意愿的</span>):
    </span>
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <span class="pinyin">yào</span> <span class="hanzi">要</span> wish/want (to)   <span class="pinyin">xiǎng</span> <span class="hanzi">想</span> wish (to)   <span class="pinyin">yuànyì</span> <span class="hanzi">愿意</span> willing (to)
      <span class="pinyin">kěn</span> <span class="hanzi">肯</span> willing (to)     <span class="pinyin">gǎn</span> <span class="hanzi">敢</span> dare (to)
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ii. <span class="grissuperleger">modal verbs denoting reasoning
    (<span class="hanzi">表示对情理、事理判断的</span>): </span>
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <span class="pinyin">yīnggāi</span> <span class="hanzi">应该</span> ought to   <span class="pinyin">yīngdāng</span> <span class="hanzi">应当</span> ought to   <span class="pinyin">yīng</span> <span class="hanzi">应</span> ought to
      <span class="pinyin">gāi</span> <span class="hanzi">该</span> ought to         <span class="pinyin">děi</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span> have to/must
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

iii. <span class="grissuperleger">modal verbs denoting judgement of
    possibilities (<span
    class="hanzi">表示对主客观条件判断的</span>): </span>
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <span class="pinyin">néng</span> <span class="hanzi">能</span> an/be able to   <span class="pinyin">kěyǐ</span> <span class="hanzi">可以</span> can   <span class="pinyin">nénggòu</span> <span class="hanzi">能够</span> can
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

iv. <span class="grissuperleger">modal verbs denoting permission
    (<span class="hanzi">表示准许、允许的</span>): </span>
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <span class="pinyin">néng</span> <span class="hanzi">能</span> can            <span class="pinyin">kě</span> <span class="hanzi">可</span> may            <span class="pinyin">kěyǐ</span> <span class="hanzi">可以</span> may
      <span class="pinyin">zhǔn</span> <span class="hanzi">准</span> allow/permit   <span class="pinyin">xǔ</span> <span class="hanzi">许</span> allow/permit   <span class="pinyin">bùdé</span> <span class="hanzi">不得</span> may not
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------

v.  <span class="grissuperleger">modal verbs denoting
    evaluation/assessment (<span class="hanzi">表示评价的</span>):
    </span>
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <span class="pinyin">pèi</span> <span class="hanzi">配</span> be worthy of   <span class="pinyin">zhídé</span> <span class="hanzi">值得</span> deserve
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

vi. <span class="grissuperleger">modal verbs denoting
    possibility/probability (<span
    class="hanzi">表示可能的</span>):</span>
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      <span class="pinyin">kěnéng</span> <span class="hanzi">可能</span> possible   <span class="pinyin">huì</span> <span class="hanzi">会</span> be likely/sure to   <span class="pinyin">yào</span> <span class="hanzi">要</span> be about to
      <span class="pinyin">děi</span> <span class="hanzi">得</span> have to/must    <span class="pinyin">néng</span> <span class="hanzi">能</span> can
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. intransitive verbs (<span

class="hanzi">不及物动词</span> verbs which do not
take objects)</span>
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  <span class="pinyin">lǚxíng</span> <span class="hanzi">旅行</span> to travel   <span class="pinyin">hézuò</span> <span class="hanzi">合作</span> to cooperate   <span class="pinyin">bìyè</span> <span class="hanzi">毕业</span> to graduate
  <span class="pinyin">xiūxi</span> <span class="hanzi">休息</span> to rest      <span class="pinyin">jiéhūn</span> <span class="hanzi">结婚</span> to marry      etc.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. some verbs of cognition, mentality or

the senses (<span
class="hanzi">表示认知、心理活动或感官知觉的</span>)</span>
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  <span class="pinyin">zhīdào</span> <span class="hanzi">知道</span> know      <span class="pinyin">tóngyì</span> <span class="hanzi">同意</span> agree        <span class="pinyin">juéde</span> <span class="hanzi">觉得</span> feel
  <span class="pinyin">xīwàng</span> <span class="hanzi">希望</span> to hope   <span class="pinyin">yāoqiú</span> <span class="hanzi">要求</span> to request   <span class="pinyin">kànjiàn</span> <span class="hanzi">看见</span> see
  <span class="pinyin">tīngjiàn</span> <span class="hanzi">听见</span> hear    etc.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. some verbs of direction (<span

class="hanzi">表示动作方向的</span>) </span>
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  <span class="pinyin">lái</span> <span class="hanzi">来</span> to come     <span class="pinyin">shàng</span> <span class="hanzi">上</span> go up         <span class="pinyin">jìn</span> <span class="hanzi">进</span> to enter
  <span class="pinyin">qù</span> <span class="hanzi">去</span> to go        <span class="pinyin">xià</span> <span class="hanzi">下</span> go down         <span class="pinyin">chū</span> <span class="hanzi">出</span> to exit
  <span class="pinyin">huí</span> <span class="hanzi">回</span> to return   <span class="pinyin">dào</span> <span class="hanzi">到</span> arrive; go to   <span class="pinyin">guò</span> <span class="hanzi">过</span> to cross
  <span class="pinyin">qǐ</span> <span class="hanzi">起</span> to rise      etc.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------

V. some verbs of judgement, existence or

state and ownership <span class="hanzi">(表示判断
、存在和领有的</span>) </span>
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  <span class="pinyin">shì</span> <span class="hanzi">是</span> to be         <span class="pinyin">yǒu</span> <span class="hanzi">有</span> to have         <span class="pinyin">xiàng</span> <span class="hanzi">象</span> resemble
  <span class="pinyin">zài</span> <span class="hanzi">在t</span> o be at...   <span class="pinyin">děngyú</span> <span class="hanzi">等于</span> equal to   <span class="pinyin">chéngwéi</span> <span class="hanzi">成为</span> to become
  <span class="pinyin">jiào</span> <span class="hanzi">叫</span> be called    <span class="pinyin">xìng</span> <span class="hanzi">姓</span> be surnamed    etc.
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VII\. The potential complement cannot be used in the bǎ 把 construction

The potential complement is used for possibility, not disposal. Therefore, it does not occur in the bǎ 把 construction.

~~Nǐ bǎ gōngzuò zuòdewán.~~\ ~~你把工作做得完。~~(ungrammatical)\ (You can finish the work.)

VIII\. The structure of bǎ 把 sentences

n./n. \
eq.;
p. pron.

adv.;\
adj. + (de 地); \
v. phrase;\
cover + n.\

n./n. eq.;\
p. pron.\

adv.; \
adj. +(de 地); \
v. phrase;\
cover+n.\

v.;\
stative v.\

complement+(locative phrase/N 2) + (le了);\
reduplicated verb or its variations; \
le 了;\
noun 2 + le 了\
zhe 着\

n. = noun
n. eq. = noun equivalent, etc.
p.pron. = personal pronoun, such as wǒ 我, nǐ 你, tā 他, wǒmen 我们, nǐmen 你们, tāmen 他们, etc.
adv. = adverb, such as mǎshàng 马上, méi 没, bù 不, etc.
adj. = adjective.\ (e.g.\ kuài bǎ 快把 + noun + verb + ...;\ bǎ 把 + noun + zǎodiǎnr 早点儿 + verb + ...;\ rènzhēn de bǎ 认真地把 + noun + verb + ...;\ bǎ 把 + noun + rènzhēn de 认真地 + verb + ...;\ etc.)
v. = verb
N 2 = Noun 2 (usually the indirect object)

subject	adverbial	bǎ	object	adverbial	predicate	consequential elements
➀	➁	➂	➃	➄	➅	➆
李明\ Lǐ Míng	已经\ yǐjīng	把\ bǎ	你的书\ nǐ-de shū	都\ dōu	拿\ ná	走了。\ zǒu le.
subject	adverbial	bǎ	object	adverbial	predicate	consequential elements
↑	↑	↑\ coverb	↑	↑	↑	↑

Notes: