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<title>Result complements</title>
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<h1>Result complements</h1>

<p>Result complements are one of the most common and useful types of complements. Often the complement is simply an adjective like 好 (hǎo) or a single syllable like 完 (wán). They indicate that an action has led to a certain result and make that result clear to the listener.
</p>
<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Using Adjectives </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Using One-Syllable Verbs </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 Compared with Potential Complement </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Used in 把 Sentences </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">6.1 Books
6.2 Websites</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h2>Using Adjectives
</h2>
<p>好 (hǎo) implies that something is done to completion or done well. Forming a result complement with 好 has a very similar meaning to forming one with 完. It expresses that the action has been completed successfully.</p>

<p>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.</p>

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

<h3>Structure</h3>

<p>For the basic structure, you'll almost always see a 了 after the complement:
</p>
<div class="deux">Subj. + Verb + Adj. + 了 (+ Obj.)</div>

<p>To negate a result complement, use 没 instead of 不:
</p>
<div class="deux">Subj. + 没 + Verb + Adj. (+ Obj.)</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 吃 好 了 吗 ？
Nǐ chī hǎo le ma?
Are you done eating? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">对不起 ，我 记 错 了 时间 。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ jì cuò le shíjiān.
Sorry, I got the time wrong. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 来 晚 了 ，我们 已经 关门 了 。
Nǐ lái wǎn le, wǒmen yǐjīng guānmén le.
You came too late. We're already closed. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 玩 坏 了 哥哥 的 玩具 。
Tā wán huài le gēge de wánjù.
He broke his older brother's toy. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 没 吃 饱 。
Wǒ méi chī bǎo.
I didn't eat enough. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 还 没 想 好 。
Tā hái méi xiǎng hǎo.
He hasn't thought it through yet. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 没 听 清楚 ，请 再 说 一遍 。
Wǒmen méi tīng qīngchu, qǐng zài shuō yī biàn.
We didn't hear it clearly. Please say it again.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

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

<h3>Some examples:</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这 个 字 写 错 了。
Zhège zì xiě cuò le.
You wrote this character wrong. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">杯子 摔 坏 了 。
Bēizi shuāi huài le.
The cup is broken. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">房间 打扫 干净 了 吗 ？
Fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng le ma?
Is your room all cleaned up?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Using One-Syllable Verbs
</h2>
<p>Besides adjectives, there are a few single-syllable verbs which can also be used as result complements. Some examples include 到 (dào), 见 (jiàn), 懂 (dǒng), 会 (huì), 走 (zǒu), 掉 (diào). There really aren't a lot of these, which is part of the reason why these words are usually seen as one verb instead of two verbs.</p>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<p>For the basic structure, you'll often see a 了 after the complement:</p>

<div class="deux">Subj. + Verb + [One-syllable Verb] +了 (+ Obj.)
</div>
<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你们 都 听懂 了 吗 ？
Nǐmen dōu tīngdǒng le ma?
Do you understand all of it? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 看 了 ，但是 没 看懂 。
Wǒ kàn le, dànshì méi kàndǒng.
I read it, but I didn't really understand it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 踩到 了 我 的 脚 。
Nǐ cǎidào le wǒ de jiǎo.
You're stepping on my foot. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 不小心 撞到 了 墙 。
Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn zhuàngdào le qiáng.
I hit the wall by accident. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 女儿 学会 了 数数 。
Wǒ nǚ'ér xuéhuì le shǔ shù.
My daughter has learned how to count numbers. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 爸爸 还没 学会 用 智能 手机 。
Wǒ bàba hái méi xuéhuì yòng zhìnéng shǒujī.
My father hasn't learned how to use a smart phone yet. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">老师 拿走 了 我 的 iPad 。
Lǎoshī názǒu le wǒ de iPad.
The teacher took away my iPad. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">小偷 偷走 了 我 的 钱包 。
Xiǎotōu tōuzǒu le wǒ de qiánbāo.
The thief stole my wallet. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 不小心 推倒 了 一 个 老人 。
Tā bù xiǎoxīn tuīdǎo le yī gè lǎorén.
He pushed over an old person on accident. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 撞倒 了 我 的 自行车 。
Nǐ zhuàngdǎo le wǒ de zìxíngchē.
You knocked over my bike. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">谁 扔掉 了 我 的 袜子 ？
Shéi rēngdiào le wǒ de wàzi?
Who threw away my socks? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 卖掉 了 我 的 旧 手机 。
Wǒ màidiào le wǒ de jiù shǒujī.
I sold my old cell phone.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>Compared with Potential Complement</h2>

<p>Result and Potential Complements</p>


Result Complement	Aff. Potential Complement	Neg. Potential Complement
做 完	做 得 完	做 不 完
听 懂	听 得 懂	听 不 懂
看 清楚	看 得 清楚	看 不 清楚
洗 干净	洗 得 干净	洗 不 干净
<h2>Used in 把 Sentences</h2>

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

<p>Result complements in 把 sentences</p>


Subject	把	Object	RC compound verb	
我	把	杯子	摔 坏 了	。
他	把	我 的 电脑	修 好 了	。
小偷	把	我 的 钱包	偷 走 了	。
我们	把	房间	打扫 干净 了	。
<h3>See also</h3>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Result complement "xiaqu" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Advanced result complements </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Result complement "-wan" for finishing </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Result complements "dao" and "jian"</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Sources and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books
</h4>
<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 273 - 284) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 97-9) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 43- 4) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 233-4) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 87 - 88) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 35) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 223) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>Websites</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): The Complement of Result</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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