ChineseGrammarWiki/ancien/Chinese-Grammar-Wiki/Programmes/B1.old/Grammar-wiki-B1-93.txt.html

<p>While most <a href="complement" title="wikilink">complements</a> follow <a href="verb" title="wikilink">verbs</a>, degree complements very often follow <a href="adjective" title="wikilink">adjectives</a>. They intensify or in some other way modify the degree of expression of the adjective (or verb).</p>
<h2 id="when-to-use-degree-complements">When to Use Degree Complements</h2>
<p>Until now, you may have probably been getting by just fine modifying your verbs with adverbs. You can use 非常 to say &quot;very&quot; and all that. Great. But once you learn to use degree complements, a whole new layer of expressiveness is infused into your language. You will be able to express <strong>degree</strong> of verbs and adjectives with much more precision and color. But how do you know <em>when to use</em> the degree complement? Here are the main reasons to use it:</p>
<ol>
<li>To express <strong>how</strong> a <a href="verbs" title="wikilink">verb</a> happened or assess its quality</li>
<li>To express <strong>to what extent</strong> (or degree) an <a href="adjectives" title="wikilink">adjective</a> is true</li>
</ol>
<p>For the first case, the most typical examples would be describing <em>how well</em> an action is done, or in <em>asking</em> how well an action is done, which are sometimes also classified as <a href="descriptive_complement" title="wikilink">descriptive complements</a> and <a href="state_complement" title="wikilink">state complements</a>.</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你们 觉得 我 画 <em>得 怎么样</em> ？<span class="expl">The complement is used to ask &quot;how well I draw.&quot;</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐmen juéde wǒ huà <em>de zěnmeyàng</em>?</span></li>
<li>我们 觉得 你 画 <em>得 很 好</em> 。<span class="expl">The complement tells us that &quot;I draw very well.&quot;</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen juéde nǐ huà <em>de hěn hǎo</em>.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他 的 英语 说 <em>得 怎么样</em> ？ <span class="expl">The complement is used to ask &quot;how well he speaks English.&quot;</span><span class="pinyin">Tā de Yīngyǔ shuō <em>de zěnmeyàng</em>?</span></li>
<li>他 的 英语 说 <em>得 一般</em> 。 <span class="expl">The complement tells us that &quot;His English is average.&quot;</span><span class="pinyin">Tā de Yīngyǔ shuō <em>de yībān</em>.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>For the second case, instead of using the good old standby adverbs 很 and 非常, we can use all kinds of degree complements to spice up our adjective. A few more similar patterns will be introduced below.</p>
<p>A few more examples:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>她 长 <em>得 不 好看</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎng <em>de bù hǎokàn</em>.</span><span class="trans">She is unattractive.</span></li>
<li>你 想 <em>得 太 复杂</em> 了 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zěnme xiǎng <em>de zhème fùzá</em>? </span><span class="trans">You're overthinking it.</span></li>
<li>奶奶 走 <em>得 很 慢</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Nǎinai zǒu <em>de hěn màn</em>.</span><span class="trans">Grandma walks very slowly.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="descriptive-and-state-complements">Descriptive and State Complements</h2>
<p>Not every aspect of Chinese grammar is agreed upon in the world of academia, and this is the case with degree complements, <a href="descriptive_complement" title="wikilink">descriptive complements</a>, and <a href="state_complement" title="wikilink">state complements</a>. Some scholars hold that the three are distinct, while others posit they're all just types of degree complements. Still others maintain that degree complements are one, and descriptive complements and state complements are also one.</p>
<p>Here's how a professor of Chinese at Yale puts it<a href="#fn1" class="footnoteRef" id="fnref1"><sup>1</sup></a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>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.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Okayyy, so it sounds like descriptions and states are all degree complements? That's one of the views on the issue.</p>
<p>None of these classifications truly matters though: the key is <em>understanding</em> them and <em>using</em> complements correctly to express yourself in Chinese. (This is already difficult without adding in unnecessary academic distinctions!)</p>
<h2 id="verbs-with-both-degree-complements-and-objects">Verbs with Both Degree Complements and Objects</h2>
<p>Both adding a complement to a verb with an object and adding an objective to a verb with a complement complicate a sentence in Mandarin, because <em>a single verb cannot be followed by both an object and a complement</em>. In order to get all three pieces of information into a grammatically correct Chinese sentence, there are two approaches to take:</p>
<h3 id="approach-1-repeat-the-verb">Approach #1: Repeat the Verb</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 <strong>说</strong> 中文 <strong>说</strong> <em>得 很 好</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <strong>shuō</strong> Zhōngwén <strong>shuō</strong> <em>de hěn hǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">You speak Chinese well. (lit. You speak Chinese speak it well.)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Make sure that the object comes after the first instance of the verb, and the complement after the second.</p>
<h3 id="approach-1-move-the-object-to-the-front">Approach #1: Move the Object to the Front</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 <strong>中文</strong> 说 <em>得 很 好</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <strong>Zhōngwén</strong> shuō <em>de hěn hǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">You speak Chinese well. (lit. You Chinese speak well.)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Just to be completely clear, the following sentences are both <em>incorrect</em>:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>你 <strong>说</strong> 中文 <em>很 好</em> 。</li>
<li>你 <strong>说</strong> 中文 <em>得 很 好</em> 。</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="degree-complements-following-adjectives">Degree Complements Following Adjectives</h2>
<h3 id="used-with-了">Used with 了</h3>
<p>There are three especially common degree complements which can follow adjectives immediately and are <em>not</em> preceded by a 得:</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="Adjectives_with_&quot;-ji_le&quot;" title="wikilink">极了</a> (like 好), indicating an extremely high degree.</li>
<li><a href="Negative_adjectives_with_&quot;-si_le&quot;" title="wikilink">死了</a> usually comes after adjectives with negative connotations (like 忙, 累, 臭, 难看), and are commonly used to exaggerate the degree of how bad something is. In recent years, however, 死了 also comes after adjectives with positive connotations.</li>
<li>Figuratively, <a href="坏了" class="uri" title="wikilink">坏了</a> is a bit like the complement <a href="Negative_adjectives_with_&quot;-si_le&quot;" title="wikilink">死了</a>, and can be used to mean &quot;extremely&quot; in either a positive or a negative sense.</li>
</ol>
<p>A few examples：</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>菜 的 味道 <strong>好</strong> <em>极了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Cài de wèidào <strong>hǎo</strong> <em>jí le</em>.</span><span class="trans">This food's flavor is amazing.</span></li>
<li>这 件 衣服 <strong>漂亮</strong> <em>极了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè jiàn yīfu <strong>piàoliang</strong> <em>jí le</em>.</span><span class="trans">This piece of clothing is sooo pretty.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他 的 袜子 <strong>臭</strong> <em>死了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Tā de wàzi <strong>chòu</strong> <em>sǐ le</em>.</span><span class="trans">His socks totally reek.</span></li>
<li>小狗 <strong>可爱</strong> <em>死了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Xiǎogǒu <strong>kě'ài</strong> <em>sǐ le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Her baby is so adorable! </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>老师 说 今天 没有 作业 ，学生们 都 <strong>高兴</strong> <em>坏了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎoshī shuō jīntiān méiyǒu zuòyè, xuéshēng men dōu <strong>gāoxìng</strong> <em>huài le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The teacher said there's no homework for today, which made the students extremely happy.</span></li>
<li>发现 儿子 又 跟 同学 打架，爸爸 <strong>气</strong> <em>坏了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Fāxiàn érzi yòu gēn tóngxué dǎjià, bàba <strong>qì</strong> <em> huài le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Discovering that his son was fighting with his classmate again incensed father.</span></li>
<li>找 不 到 孩子 ，妈妈<strong>急</strong> <em>坏了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhǎo bu dào háizi, māma <strong>jí</strong> <em>huài le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Having not found the child, the mother was extremely anxious.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Note that 死 can also act as a <a href="result_complement" title="wikilink">result complement</a>. In the examples above, however, it merely indicates an extreme degree (no actual deaths involved!).</p>
<h3 id="used-with-得">Used with 得</h3>
<p>The expression of &quot;degree&quot; following a <em>verb</em> is quite broad. A vast array of adjectives can appear in the degree complement following verbs, indicating degree and quality. When it comes to <em>adjectives</em>, however, expression of degree is often much more limited. The following are some of the more common degree complements which follow adjectives.</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>这个 学生 <strong>聪明</strong> <em>得 很</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhège xuéshēng <strong>cōngming</strong> <em>de hěn</em>.</span><span class="trans">This student is super smart.</span></li>
<li>我 看 ，你的 工作 <strong>轻松</strong> <strong></strong> <em>得 很</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒkàn, nǐ de gōngzuò <strong>qīngsōng</strong> <em>de hěn</em>.</span><span class="trans">In my opinion, your job is extremely relaxed.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他 <strong>固执</strong> <em>得 不得了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <strong>gùzhí</strong> <em>de bùdéliǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">He is awfully stubborn.</span></li>
<li>赢 了 比赛 以后 ，他 骄傲 <strong></strong> <em>得 不得了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Yíng le bǐsài yǐhòu, tā <strong>jiāo'ào</strong> <em>de bùdéliǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">He was terribly proud after he won the competition.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 儿子 <strong>淘气</strong> <em>得 要命</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ érzi <strong>táoqì</strong> <em>de yàomìng</em>.</span><span class="trans">My son is incredibly naughty.</span></li>
<li>地铁 <strong>挤</strong> <em>得 要命</em> ！<span class="pinyin">Dìtiě <strong>jǐ</strong> <em>de yàomìng</em>!</span><span class="trans">The metro is intenselt crowded!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 的 牙 <strong>痛</strong> <em>得 不 行</em> ！<span class="pinyin">Wǒ de yá <strong>tòng</strong> <em>de bù xíng</em>!</span><span class="trans">My teeth hurt so terribly!</span></li>
<li>今天 <strong>热</strong> <em>得 不 行</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Jīntiān <strong>rè</strong> <em>de bù xíng</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's awfully hot today.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="compared-with-potential-complements">Compared with Potential Complements</h2>
<p>Some sentences that contain adjective complements may be indistinguishable as degree or potential complements when they are taken out of context. The following table explains different meanings that one complement phrase could have as either a degree or potential.</p>
<div class="liju">
<table>
<caption>Examples of complement phrases that can serve as both degree and potential complements</caption>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th><p>Example</p></th>
<th><p>Degree Complement Translation</p></th>
<th><p>Potential Complement Translation</p></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p>她说得很清楚</p></td>
<td><p><span style="font-size:0.7em;"><span class="spaced">&quot;She speaks very clearly.&quot; </span></span></p></td>
<td><p><span style="font-size:0.7em;"> <span class="spaced"> &quot;She is able to speak very clearly.&quot; </span></span></p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td><p>他做得非常快</p></td>
<td><p><span style="font-size:0.7em;"><span class="spaced"> &quot;He does it very fast.&quot; </span></span></p></td>
<td><p><span style="font-size:0.7em;"><span class="spaced"> &quot;He is able to do it very fast.&quot; </span></span></p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p>他们唱得很好</p></td>
<td><p><span style="font-size:0.7em;"><span class="spaced"> &quot;They sing very well.&quot; </span></span></p></td>
<td><p><span style="font-size:0.7em;"><span class="spaced"> &quot;They are able to sing very well.&quot; </span></span></p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p>Degree complements commonly are directly preceded by an adverb (她说得很清楚) distinguishing them from potential complements which are never directly preceded by an adverb.</p>
<h2 id="references">References</h2>
<references/>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(外国人实用汉语语法)" title="wikilink">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)</a> (pp. 284-292) <a href="http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B001J0ADWA&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition" title="wikilink">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition</a> (pp. 105-6) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0415372615">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)" title="wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)</a> (p. 139) <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="40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(基础汉语40课上册）" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）</a> (p. 141)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
<ul>
<li>Oxford University website: <a href="http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Lang%20work/Grammar%20database/grammar_database1.htm#Complement%20of%20degree%20得">Complement of degree 得</a></li>
<li>Yale University website: <a href="http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/degree/grammar/Degree.htm">The Complement Of Degree</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.doc88.com/p-9069095291857.html">现代汉语中程度补语的范围及类别</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.docin.com/p-1196439776.html">带“得”字程度补语和状态补语的比较分析</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:Complements" class="uri" title="wikilink">Category:Complements</a></p>
<section class="footnotes">
<hr />
<ol>
<li id="fn1">See the article <a href="http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/degree/grammar/Degree-1.htm">What is the complement of degree?</a> by Ling Mu, Rongzhen Li, and Peisong Xu.<a href="#fnref1">↩</a></li>
</ol>
</section>