Chinese complements: result, directional, potential, degree and duration
Chinese complements are the words that come after a verb and say how the action turned out: its result, direction, degree, length or number of times. There are 7 main kinds. The pattern is always verb + complement, as in 我听懂了 (Wǒ tīngdǒng le, I understood what I heard).
| Type | Pattern | What it adds | HSK | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result complement | Verb + result (完, 好, 懂, 到, 错) | the outcome of the action: finished, done well, understood, reached | 2 | 我看懂了这篇文章。 Wǒ kàndǒng le zhè piān wénzhāng. I read this article and understood it. |
| Simple directional | Verb + 来 / 去 (or 上, 下, 进, 出, 回) | which way the action moves, toward or away from the speaker | 2 | 他回来了。 Tā huílái le. He has come back. |
| Compound directional | Verb + 上来 / 下去 / 出来 / 进去 ... | direction plus movement toward or away from the speaker | 3 | 他从楼上走下来了。 Tā cóng lóu shàng zǒu xiàlái le. He walked down from upstairs. |
| Potential complement | Verb + 得 / 不 + result or direction | whether the result can or cannot be reached | 3 | 这个字我看不清楚。 Zhège zì wǒ kàn bu qīngchu. I cannot see this character clearly. |
| Degree complement | Verb + 得 + adjective | how well, how fast or how much the action is done | 2 | 他说得很快。 Tā shuō de hěn kuài. He speaks very fast. |
| Duration complement | Verb + 了 + length of time | how long the action lasted | 3 | 我学了两年中文。 Wǒ xué le liǎng nián Zhōngwén. I have studied Chinese for two years. |
| Frequency complement | Verb + number + 次 / 遍 / 趟 | how many times the action happened | 4 | 这部电影我看过两遍。 Zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ kàn guo liǎng biàn. I have seen this film twice. |
How to tell them apart
Ask what the part after the verb answers. 看完 answers "did it finish?" (result). 走进来 answers "which way?" (direction). 看得懂 / 看不懂 answers "is it possible?" (potential). 看得快 answers "how well or how fast?" (degree). 看了两个小时 answers "how long?" (duration), and 看了两次 answers "how many times?" (frequency).
Potential complements come from result and direction
Take a result or directional complement and insert 得 to say you can, or 不 to say you cannot: 听懂 → 听得懂 / 听不懂, 回来 → 回得来 / 回不来. The negative form is far more common in speech. The lesson that compares every kind side by side is Complement types: integrated review.
Frequently asked questions
What is a complement in Chinese grammar?
A complement is a word or phrase placed after the verb that adds information about the action: its result, direction, degree, length or number of times. English has no single matching category, so these ideas are often spread across adverbs and prepositions.
What is the difference between a result complement and a potential complement?
A result complement says what happened: 我听懂了 (I listened and understood). A potential complement says whether it can happen, by inserting 得 for yes or 不 for no: 我听得懂 (I can understand by listening), 我听不懂 (I cannot).
When do I use 得 in a degree complement?
Put 得 (read de) between the verb and the adjective: 他跑得快, 她唱得很好. If the verb has an object, repeat the verb: 他说中文说得很好, or move the object first: 中文他说得很好.
Where does 了 go with a duration complement?
Right after the verb and before the time: 我学了两年中文. Add a second 了 at the end of the sentence if the action is still going on: 我学了两年中文了 means I have studied for two years and still do.
Which complements are in HSK 2, 3 and 4?
HSK 2 teaches result, simple directional and degree complements. HSK 3 adds potential, compound directional, duration and frequency complements, and HSK 4 reviews all of them together and extends each one.
GraphChinese drills each of these patterns and schedules the review that keeps it. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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