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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>Verbs can take <a href="potential_complement" title=
"wikilink">potential complements</a> that indicate whether or not
the action is actually possible. They are useful in Chinese to say
if an action can take place.</p>
<h2 id="affirmative-pattern">Affirmative Pattern</h2>
<p>Structurally, potential complements are closely related to both
<a href="result_complement" title="wikilink">result complements</a>
and <a href="direction_complement" title="wikilink">direction
complements</a>, so it helps to be familiar with those first. The
most important and commonly used potential complements are derived
from other complements such as the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Verb + <a href="%E8%A7%81" class="uri" title="wikilink">见</a>
e.g. 看见, 听见 (result complements)</li>
<li>Verb + <a href="%E6%87%82" class="uri" title="wikilink">懂</a>
e.g. 看懂, 听懂 (result complements)</li>
<li>Verb + <a href="%E5%AE%8C" class="uri" title="wikilink">完</a>
e.g. 吃完, 做完, 用完, 花完 (result complements)</li>
<li>Verb + <a href="Adjective" title="wikilink">Adj.</a> e.g. 看清楚,
听明白, 洗干净 (result complements)</li>
<li>Verb + <a href="%E5%88%B0" class="uri" title="wikilink">到</a>
e.g. 找到, 买到, 收到 (result complements)</li>
<li>Verb + Direction e.g. 上来, 下去, 进去, 起来, 走过去, 爬上去 (direction
complements)</li>
</ul>
<p>Potential complements can be positive or negative. What this
means is fairly intuitive - potential complements can be used to
express that something <em>can</em> happen or that it
<em>can't</em>.</p>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Verb + 得 + Complement</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他 一个人 吃 <em>得</em> 完 这么 多 饭 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Tā yīgèrén
chī <em>de</em> wán zhème duō fàn ma?</span> <span class=
"trans">Can he eat all the food by himself?</span></li>
<li>我 找 <em>不</em> 到 我 的 手机 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zhǎo
<em>bu</em> dào wǒ de shǒujī le.</span><span class="trans">I can't
find my cellphone.</span></li>
<li>在 上海 买 <em>得</em> 到 这 个 牌子 的 手表 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Zài
Shànghǎi mǎi <em>de</em> dào zhè gè páizi de shǒubiǎo ma?</span>
<span class="trans">Can you buy this brand of watch in
Shanghai?</span></li>
<li>早上 五点 出发 ， 孩子们 起 <em>得</em> 来 吗 ？ <span class="pinyin">Zǎoshang
wǔdiǎn chūfā, háizi men qǐ <em>de</em> lái ma?</span> <span class=
"trans">We're leaving at five a.m.; will the kids be able to
come?</span></li>
<li>这么 高 的 山 ，你 爬 <em>得</em> 上去 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Zhème gāo
de shān, nǐ pá <em>de</em> shàngqù ma?</span> <span class=
"trans">The mountain is so high. Can you make it to the
top?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="negative-pattern">Negative Pattern</h2>
<h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Verb + 不 + Complement</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>大家 都 看 <em>不</em> 懂 这 句 话 。<span class="pinyin">Dàjiā dōu kàn
<em>bu</em> dǒng zhè jù huà.</span><span class="trans">Nobody can
understand this sentence.</span></li>
<li>你 的 声音 太 小 了 ，我们 听 <em>不</em> 见 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de
shēngyīn tài xiǎo le, wǒmen tīng <em>bu</em>
jiàn.</span><span class="trans">Your voice is too soft. We can't
hear you.</span></li>
<li>我 没 戴 眼镜 ，看 <em>不</em> 清楚 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ méi dài
yǎnjìng, kàn <em>bu</em> qīngchu.</span><span class="trans">When I
don't wear glasses, I can't see clearly.</span></li>
<li>这 件 衬衫 太 脏 了 ，我 洗 <em>不</em> 干净 。<span class="pinyin">Zhè jiàn
chènshān tài zāng le, wǒ xǐ <em>bu</em> gānjìng.</span><span class=
"trans">This shirt is too dirty, I can't clean it.</span></li>
<li>门 太 小 了 ，我 的 车 进 <em>不</em> 去 。<span class="pinyin">Mén tài
xiǎo le, wǒ de chē jìn <em>bu</em> qù.</span><span class=
"trans">The door is too small. My car can't go through
it.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="potential-complements-with-objects">Potential Complements
with Objects</h2>
<p>Objects in sentences with potential complements can occur either
after the complement or at the beginning of a sentence.</p>
<p>A few examples:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 听 <em>不</em> 见 你 说 的 话 。<span class="trans">I can't hear what
you said.</span></li>
<li>你 说 的 话 我 听 <em>不</em> 见 。<span class="trans">I can't hear what
you said.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 吃 <em>得</em> 完 这 一 大 碗 面 吗 ？<span class="trans">Can you
finish eating this big bowl of noodles?</span></li>
<li>这 一 大 碗 面 你 吃 <em>得</em> 完 吗 ？<span class="trans">Can you
finish eating this big bowl of noodles?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 在 上海 吃 <em>不</em> 到 这样 的 小吃 。<span class="trans">You can't
eat this kind of street food in Shanghai.</span></li>
<li>这样 的 小吃 你 在 上海 吃 <em>不</em> 到 。<span class="trans">You can't
eat this kind of street food in Shanghai.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="advanced-potential-complements">Advanced Potential
Complements</h2>
<p>There are actually quite a few potential complements out there,
and this article touches on some of the simplest and most common
ones. Be aware that there are many more, but they all follow the
same basic pattern outlined here. You can also see our article on
<a href="advanced_potential_complements" title="wikilink">advanced
potential complements</a>.</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<h2 id="sources-and-and-further-reading">Sources and and further
reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar" title=
"wikilink">Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar</a> (pp. 71) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1933330899">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide"
title="wikilink">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical
Guide</a> (pp. 191) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0415700108">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"Boya_Chinese_Elementary_Starter_1_(%E5%8D%9A%E9%9B%85%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%88%9D%E7%BB%8F%E8%B5%B7%E6%AD%A5%E7%AF%87)"
title="wikilink">Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)</a>
(pp. 197) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7301075294/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=7301075294">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2</a> (pp. 291)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276709">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"Practicing_HSK_Grammar_(%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%B2%BE%E8%AE%B2%E7%B2%BE%E7%82%BC)"
title="wikilink">Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼)</a> (pp. 125)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B001N6R7DI&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B001N6R7DI">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"Contemporary_Chinese_2_(%E5%BD%93%E4%BB%A3%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%872)"
title="wikilink">Contemporary Chinese 2 (当代中文2)</a> (pp. 63)
<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7800529029/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7800529029">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"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)"
title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)</a> (pp.
99) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/756191251X/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=756191251X">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
<h4 id="yale">Yale</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/potential/grammar/potential.htm">
The Potential Complement</a></li>
<li><a href=
"http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/degree/grammar/Degree-6.htm">
Potential Complement And Degree Complement In Contrast</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:**URGENT**" class="uri" title=
"wikilink">Category:**URGENT**</a> <a href=
"Category:B1_grammar_points" title="wikilink">Category:B1 grammar
points</a> <a href="Category:Potential_complement" title=
"wikilink">Category:Potential complement</a></p>
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