Result Complements: 错/懂/好/完/清楚
A result complement is a word placed directly after a verb to say the outcome of the action. At HSK 2 the common ones are 错 (wrong), 懂 (understood), 好 (done well), 完 (finished), 清楚 (clear) and 见 (perceived).
Pattern: Verb + Result Complement (+ 了/Object)
- 我听懂了。= I understood (by listening). [懂 = successfully comprehended]
- 他写错了。= He wrote it wrong. [错 = incorrect outcome]
- 我们做好了。= We finished properly / got it ready. [好 = properly/completely done]
- 她吃完了饭。= She finished eating. [完 = simply finished, nothing left]
- 请说清楚。= Please speak clearly. [清楚 = clear outcome]
Each result pairs with certain verbs: 听/看 + 懂/错/清楚; 做/穿 + 好; 吃/写/看 + 完.
Negation — use 没(有), keep the result complement:
- 我没听懂。= I didn't understand. (NOT 我不听懂)
Common mistake: don't drop the result complement after 没有 — 没(有) negates the whole verb+result unit, not just the verb.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我听懂了老师的话。 | Wǒ tīng dǒng le lǎo shī de huà. | I understood what the teacher said. | Minimal frame: Verb (听) + Result (懂) + 了. |
| 他写错了这个字。 | Tā xiě cuò le zhè ge zì. | He wrote this character wrong. | Same pattern with a different result: 错 (incorrectly). |
| 我没听懂，你能说清楚一点吗？ | Wǒ méi tīng dǒng, nǐ néng shuō qīng chǔ yī diǎn ma? | I didn't understand — can you say it more clearly? | Negation keeps the result complement (没听懂, not 没听). New result 清楚 introduced too. |
| 你的问题我已经回答好了。 | Nǐ de wèn tí wǒ yǐ jīng huí dá hǎo le. | I've already answered your question properly. | Result 好 with a different verb (回答) — shows a task completed satisfactorily. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
错 (cuò)
Says the action went wrong.
Structure: Verb + 错 (+ 了)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你说错了，不是明天，是后天。 | Nǐ shuō cuò le, bú shì míng tiān, shì hòu tiān. | You said it wrong, it is not tomorrow but the day after. |
| 对不起，我拿错了你的杯子。 | Duì bu qǐ, wǒ ná cuò le nǐ de bēi zi. | Sorry, I took your cup by mistake. |
| 他把电话号码记错了。 | Tā bǎ diàn huà hào mǎ jì cuò le. | He remembered the phone number wrongly. |
Not: 我写了错这个字。 错 attaches directly to the verb: 我写错了这个字.
错 is also explained in: Resultative complements: 好/完/到/懂/坏 (HSK 4).
懂 (dǒng)
Says the listener or reader understood.
Structure: Verb + 懂 (+ 了)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 老师讲得很慢，我都听懂了。 | Lǎo shī jiǎng de hěn màn, wǒ dōu tīng dǒng le. | The teacher spoke slowly, and I understood it all. |
| 你看懂这个句子了吗？ | Nǐ kàn dǒng zhè gè jù zi le ma? | Did you understand this sentence? |
| 这本书太难，我读不懂。 | Zhè běn shū tài nán, wǒ dú bu dǒng. | This book is too hard, I cannot understand it. |
Not: 我没听懂了老师的话。 After a negative 没 there is no 了: 我没听懂老师的话.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (结果补语).
懂 is also explained in: Resultative complements: 好/完/到/懂/坏 (HSK 4).
好 (hǎo)
Says the action is finished properly and ready.
Structure: Verb + 好 (+ 了)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 饭做好了，来吃吧。 | Fàn zuò hǎo le, lái chī ba. | The meal is ready, come and eat. |
| 你准备好了吗？ | Nǐ zhǔn bèi hǎo le ma? | Are you ready? |
| 作业写好了，我可以玩了吗？ | Zuò yè xiě hǎo le, wǒ kě yǐ wán le ma? | I have finished my homework, may I play now? |
Not: 我把作业写好完了。 One verb takes one result complement; 好 and 完 do not stack.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, adverbs (程度副词); level 2, complement (结果补语).
好 is also explained in: Resultative complements: 好/完/到/懂/坏 (HSK 4).
完 (wán)
Says the action is finished.
Structure: Verb + 完 (+ 了)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我吃完饭就去。 | Wǒ chī wán fàn jiù qù. | I will go as soon as I finish eating. |
| 你看完这本书了吗？ | Nǐ kàn wán zhè běn shū le ma? | Have you finished this book? |
| 作业还没写完。 | Zuò yè hái méi xiě wán. | The homework is not finished yet. |
Not: 我不吃完饭。 Deny a result with 没(有): 我没吃完饭.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (结果补语).
完 is also explained in: Result Complements: V+到/住/走 (HSK 3) · Resultative complements: 好/完/到/懂/坏 (HSK 4).
清楚 (qīng chu)
Says the action was done clearly.
Structure: Verb + 清楚 (+ 了)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 黑板上的字我看不清楚。 | Hēi bǎn shàng de zì wǒ kàn bu qīng chu. | I cannot see the words on the board clearly. |
| 他把问题讲清楚了。 | Tā bǎ wèn tí jiǎng qīng chu le. | He explained the problem clearly. |
| 你听清楚了吗？ | Nǐ tīng qīng chu le ma? | Did you hear it clearly? |
Not: 我听了清楚。 清楚 follows the verb directly: 我听清楚了.
清楚 is also explained in: Advanced resultatives: 住/成/开/清楚 (HSK 4).
见 (jiàn)
Says the seeing or hearing actually registered.
Structure: 看 / 听 / 遇 + 见
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我在路上看见了一只猫。 | Wǒ zài lù shàng kàn jiàn le yì zhī māo. | I saw a cat on the road. |
| 你听见了吗？外面有人在叫你。 | Nǐ tīng jiàn le ma? Wài miàn yǒu rén zài jiào nǐ. | Did you hear? Someone outside is calling you. |
| 昨天我在商店遇见了老同学。 | Zuó tiān wǒ zài shāng diàn yù jiàn le lǎo tóng xué. | Yesterday I ran into an old classmate at the shop. |
Not: 我听了见他的声音。 见 follows the verb directly, and 了 goes after it: 我听见了他的声音.
见 is also explained in: Result Complements: V+到/住/走 (HSK 3).
Compared side by side: 看见 vs 看到.
What this opens up
These patterns list Result Complements among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- Result Complements — HSK 3
- Resultative complements — HSK 4
Questions about Result Complements
What does 结果补语 (Result Complements) mean in Chinese?
A result complement is a word placed directly after a verb to say the outcome of the action. At HSK 2 the common ones are 错 (wrong), 懂 (understood), 好 (done well), 完 (finished), 清楚 (clear) and 见 (perceived). It is an HSK 2 grammar point.
How do you use 结果补语 (Result Complements) in a sentence?
我听懂了老师的话。 — Wǒ tīng dǒng le lǎo shī de huà. — I understood what the teacher said. Minimal frame: Verb (听) + Result (懂) + 了.
Where does 结果补语 (Result Complements) come in the HSK sequence?
HSK 2, and none of its prerequisites are grammar points — nothing else on this reference has to come first, so you can start here.
What does 结果补语 (Result Complements) lead to?
The 把 Construction (HSK 3), Potential Complements (HSK 3). Each of them names 结果补语 (Result Complements) among its own prerequisites.
What is the difference between 看见 and 看到?
They are close. 见 only works with seeing and hearing (看见, 听见, 遇见), while 到 works with many more verbs such as 找到 and 买到. In everyday use you can often swap them.
How do I say I cannot understand, and what about 住, 到 and 上?
Put 不 between the verb and the result: 我听不懂. Other results work the same way: 记住 (remember), 找到 (find), 关上 (close), as in 我记不住这个字。
Result 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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