Potential Complements: V+得/不得
V + 不得 = 'must not V' — the action is dangerous, forbidden, or inappropriate. 这个东西有毒，吃不得。(This thing is poisonous — must not be eaten.)
V + 得 (bare, no complement) = 'may/can V' — permissible, safe, appropriate. Used mostly in contrast with 不得 for emphasis.
这话跟朋友说说倒也说得，可跟老板说就说不得了。
Position: 得/不得 attaches directly to the verb — no complement word in between.
Contrast with V得/不+C (e.g. 看得懂/看不懂): that pattern needs a result word (懂) after 得/不. Bare V+得/不得 has no result word — it expresses permissibility, not ability.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这个东西有毒，吃不得。 | Zhè ge dōng xi yǒu dú, chī bù dé. | This thing is poisonous — you mustn't eat it. | V+不得: eating this thing is dangerous, so it's forbidden. |
| 这件事很秘密，说不得。 | Zhè jiàn shì hěn mì mì, shuō bù dé. | This matter is very secret — it mustn't be told. | V+不得 with an abstract verb (说), showing impropriety rather than physical danger. |
| 这个东西带电，摸不得。 | Zhè ge dōng xi dài diàn, mō bù dé. | This thing is electrified — it mustn't be touched. | V+不得 again, reinforcing the pattern with a new verb (摸). |
| 这话你跟别人说说倒也说得，可跟老板说就说不得了。 | Zhè huà nǐ gēn bié rén shuō shuō dào yě shuō dé, kě gēn lǎo bǎn shuō jiù shuō bù dé le. | You could say this to others, but you mustn't say it to the boss. | Contrasts 得 (permissible) and 不得 (forbidden) in the same sentence, depending on the listener. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
The same pattern at other levels
- Potential Complements — HSK 3
- Potential complements — HSK 4
Potential Complements is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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