Resultative complements: 好/完/到/懂/坏
A resultative complement follows the verb to describe what happened as a result.
| Complement | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 好 | done satisfactorily / ready | 做好 (done well), 准备好 (ready) |
| 完 | done exhaustively / finished | 吃完 (finished eating), 写完 (finished writing) |
| 到 | reached a target | 找到 (found), 买到 (managed to buy) |
| 懂 | comprehended | 听懂 (understood by listening), 看懂 (understood by reading) |
| 坏 | result is damage | 弄坏 (broke it), 累坏 (exhausted) |
Negative potential form: V+不+complement = cannot achieve the result
- 听不懂 (can't understand), 找不到 (can't find)
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这道题我做好了，可以去玩了。 | Zhè dào tí wǒ zuò hǎo le, kě yǐ qù wán le. | I've finished this problem well; I can go play now. | 做好 = satisfactorily completed (ready/done), used when the result meets a standard |
| 她昨晚把那本小说看完了，睡得很晚。 | Tā zuó wǎn bǎ nà běn xiǎo shuō kàn wán le, shuì de hěn wǎn. | She finished reading that novel last night and went to bed very late. | 看完 = exhaustive completion (nothing left to read). 把 construction moves the definite object before the verb. |
| 这个字写了好几遍，他终于写对了。 | Zhè gè zì xiě le hǎo jǐ biàn, tā zhōng yú xiě duì le. | After writing this character many times, he finally got it right. | 写对 = wrote correctly. 终于 shows the result came after effort. |
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.
What this opens up
These patterns list Resultative complements among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- Result Complements — HSK 2
- Result Complements — HSK 3
Resultative 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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