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  <h1>Result complements "<span class="pinyinst">-dao</span>" "<span class="hanzist">到</span>" and "<span class="pinyinst">-jian</span>" "<span class="hanzist">见</span>"</h1>

  <p>Two of the most common result complements in Chinese are <span class="hanzi">到</span> (<span class="pinyin">dào</span>) and <span class="hanzi">见</span> (<span class="pinyin">jiàn</span>). On this page we're only going to be talking about verbs related to the senses ("see," "hear," etc.), and for this usage, the two are interchangeable.</p>

  <h2 id="verbs-with-到-dào-and-见-jiàn">Verbs with <span class="hanzist">到</span> (<span class="pinyinst">dào</span>) and <span class="hanzist">见</span> (<span class="pinyinst">jiàn</span>)</h2>

  <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>

  <p>Result complements are a huge topic in Chinese grammar, but you can approach them in stages. The structure you come across the most is a verb with <span class="hanzi">到</span> (<span class="pinyin">dào</span>):</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p>Subj. + Verb + <span class="hanzist">到</span> + Obj.</p>
  </div>

  <p>What <span class="hanzi">到</span> (<span class="pinyin">dào</span>) does is indicate that the outcome of the verb is achieved - what its result is. Without a result complement, the sentence would describe only the action itself. To illustrate, <span class="hanzi">看</span> (<span class="pinyin">kàn</span>) "to look" is the action of turning your head in a particular direction and focusing your eyes, whereas <span class="hanzi">看到</span> (<span class="pinyin">kàndào</span>), "<b>to see</b>," is the result of your brain taking in the visual input. It may sound a little hokey, but it really is possible to "look but not see," and Chinese makes a clear distinction between the action and the result.</p>

  <p>The complement <span class="hanzi">见</span> (<span class="pinyin">jiàn</span>) is very similar to <span class="hanzi">到</span> (<span class="pinyin">dào</span>), and it is used in the same way:</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p>Subj. + Verb + <span class="hanzist">见</span> + Obj.</p>
  </div>

  <p>However, there is a difference. <span class="hanzi">见</span> (<span class="pinyin">jiàn</span>) is generally only used after verbs involving one of the senses, like <span class="hanzi">听</span> (<span class="pinyin">tīng</span>) and <span class="hanzi">看</span> (<span class="pinyin">kàn</span>), whereas <span class="hanzi">到</span> (<span class="pinyin">dào</span>) can be attached to a large variety of verbs, which we will discuss at a higher level later.</p>

  <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">你 看 见 那 个 帅哥 了 吗 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ kànjiàn nàge shuàigē le ma?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 看到 那 个 帅哥 了 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ kàndào nàge shuàigē le ma?</span> <br/> Did you see that handsome guy?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">我 看 见 了 。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin"> Wǒ kànjiàn le.</span> <br/> We didn't say what "I" saw; you have to infer it from the context.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 看 到 了 。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ kàndào le.</span> <br/> I saw it.</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">你 听 见 了 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ tīngjiàn le ma?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 听 到 了 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ tīngdào le ma?</span> <br/> Did you hear it?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="negative-forms">Negative Forms</h2>

  <h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>

  <div class="deux">
    <p>Subj. + <span class="hanzist">没</span> + Verb + <span class="hanzist">到</span> / <span class="hanzist">见</span> + Obj.</p>
  </div>

  <p>This structure can be negated using <span class="hanzi">没</span> (<span class="pinyin">méi</span>) on <span class="hanzi">没有</span> (<span class="pinyin">méiyǒu</span>). This is because if there is a result, then it already happened. And you need to <a href="Negation_of_&quot;you&quot;_with_&quot;mei&quot;" title="wikilink">use 没 (méi) to negate past events</a>, not <span class="hanzi">不</span> (<span class="pinyin">bù</span>).</p>

  <h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">你 没 看 到 那 个 帅哥 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ méi kàndào nàge shuàigē ma?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 没 看 见 那 个 帅哥 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ méi kànjiàn nàge shuàigē ma?</span> <br/> You didn't see that handsome guy?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">我 没有 看 到 。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ méiyǒu kàndào.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 没有 看 见 。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin"> Wǒ méiyǒu kànjiàn.</span> <br/> We didn't say what "I" didn't see; you have to infer it from the context.I didn't see it.</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">你 没 听 到 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ méi tīngdào ma?</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 没 听 见 吗 ？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ méi tīngjiàn ma?</span> <br/> You didn't hear it?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="Result_complement_&quot;-wan&quot;_for_finishing" title="wikilink">Result complement "-wan" for finishing</a></li>

    <li><a href="Result_complement_&quot;-qilai&quot;" title="wikilink">Result complement "-qilai"</a></li>

    <li><a href="Result_complement_&quot;-cuo&quot;" title="wikilink">Result complement "-cuo"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li>Short-term Spoken Chinese: Threshold Vol. 2 (<span class="hanzi">汉语口语入门篇下</span>) (p. 92)</li>

    <li>Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 109)</li>

    <li>40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (<span class="hanzi">基础汉语40课上册</span>） (pp. 205-6)</li>
  </ul>
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