Result complements are one of the most common and useful [types of complements](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Complement). Often the complement is simply an adjective like 好 (hǎo) or a single syllable like 完 (wán). They indicate that an action has led to a certain result and make that result clear to the listener. Using Adjectives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 好 (hǎo) implies that something is done to *completion* or done *well*. Forming a result complement with 好 has a very similar meaning to [forming one with 完](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22-wan%22_result_complement). It expresses that the action has been completed successfully. 错 (cuò) is used to express that an action has been performed incorrectly in some way, resulting in a mistake (错). This pattern covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English. Other [adjectives](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Adjective) commonly used as result complements include: 晚 (wǎn), 饱 (bǎo), 坏 (huài), 清楚 (qīngchu), 明白 (míngbai), 干净 (gānjìng), 破 (pò). ### Structure For the basic structure, you'll almost always see a 了 after the complement: To negate a result complement, use 没 instead of 不: ### Examples When using result complements, it's very common to make the object a [topic](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Topic-comment_sentences). This means the object is moved to the beginning of the sentence and the subject is often omitted. Some examples: Using One-Syllable Verbs --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Besides adjectives, there are a few single-syllable verbs which can also be used as result complements. Some examples include [到 (dào), 见 (jiàn)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complements_%22-dao%22_and_%22-jian%22), 懂 (dǒng), 会 (huì), 走 (zǒu), 掉 (diào). There really aren't a lot of these, which is part of the reason why these words are usually seen as one verb instead of two verbs. ### Structure For the basic structure, you'll often see a 了 after the complement: ### Examples Compared with Potential Complement ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Used in 把 Sentences -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although we have avoided [把 sentences](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Ba_sentence) in this article for the sake of simplicity, you may have noticed that sentences which feature result complements often also use 把. This is because 把 sentences and result complements work particularly well together, as they both deal with the result of an action or the "disposal" of an object. Apart from result complements involving perception and psychological verbs, most result compounds work nicely in 把 sentences. See also ------------------------------------------------------- - [Result complement "xiaqu"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complement_%22xiaqu%22) - [Advanced result complements](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Advanced_result_complements) - [Result complement "-wan" for finishing](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complement_%22-wan%22_for_finishing) - [Result complements "dao" and "jian"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Result_complements_%22dao%22_and_%22jian%22) Sources and further reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)) (pp. 273 - 284) [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA) - [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition) (pp. 97-9) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2h67UYa) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)) (pp. 43- 4) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2femBuy) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 233-4) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2fdV2l3) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC2)) (pp. 87 - 88) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_3_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC3)) (pp. 35) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/756191251X/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=756191251X) - [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8A%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89) (pp. 223) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20) ### Websites - Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): [The Complement of Result](http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/result/grammar/result.htm) \