Separable Verb-Object Compounds
A separable verb-object compound is a two-character verb made of a verb plus an object, so 了, 过, a number or a modifier goes between its parts. At HSK 3 the examples are 见面 (meet), 睡觉 (sleep) and 请假 (ask for leave).
In English
Some two-character verbs are really a verb plus an object, such as 见面 (meet), 帮忙 (help), 睡觉 (sleep) and 请假 (ask for leave). Because the object is already inside the word, these verbs cannot take another object after them. Particles like 了 and 过, numbers, durations and modifiers go in the middle: 见了面, 帮个忙, 睡了八个小时的觉, 请了三天假.
If you need to say with whom, use a preposition: 跟他见面. A mistake like 我见面他 is the most common error.
有些两个字的动词其实是"动词+宾语"结构（离合词），时态助词(了/过)、数量词、时段或修饰语要插入到两个语素中间，不能像普通双音节动词那样直接在后面加宾语。
位置规则： 助词/数量/时段/修饰语 插入中间，而不是放在整个词后面。
- 见面 → 见了面 / 见过面 / 见一次面
- 帮忙 → 帮了忙 / 帮个忙 / 帮不了忙
- 睡觉 → 睡了觉 / 睡午觉
- 请假 → 请了假 / 请一天假
- 生气 → 生了气 / 生她的气
常见错误： 离合词后不能直接加宾语。
❌我见面他。 ✅我跟他见面。 / 我见他的面。
这与你学过的动词重叠（AA/A一A）类似——见见面、聊聊天也是把两个语素拆开、中间插入其他成分的例子。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我明天要跟朋友见面。 | Wǒ míng tiān yào gēn péng you jiàn miàn. | I'm going to meet my friend tomorrow. | Minimal frame; the object of 见面 (朋友) is introduced via 跟, never placed directly after 见面. |
| 我们已经三年没见面了。 | Wǒ men yǐ jīng sān nián méi jiàn miàn le. | We haven't seen each other in three years. | Duration (三年) precedes the whole verb phrase here; 了 attaches at the very end, showing the insertion point can vary by structure. |
| 你能不能帮我一个忙？ | Nǐ néng bu néng bāng wǒ yí gè máng? | Could you do me a favor? | Quantity phrase 一个 and indirect object 我 both insert between 帮 and 忙. |
| 他上周请了三天假去看医生。 | Tā shàng zhōu qǐng le sān tiān jià qù kàn yī shēng. | He took three days off last week to see a doctor. | Aspect particle 了 and duration 三天 both insert between 请 and 假, in that order. |
| 妈妈生我的气，因为我回家太晚了。 | Mā ma shēng wǒ de qì, yīn wèi wǒ huí jiā tài wǎn le. | Mom is angry at me because I came home too late. | Possessive modifier 我的 inserts between 生 and 气 to mark the target of anger, instead of following the compound as a direct object. |
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.
见…面 (jiàn … miàn)
Means to meet face to face, and splits to take 了, 过 or a number.
Structure: 见 + 了 / 过 / number + 面
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我们去年见过一次面，后来没再联系。 | Wǒ men qù nián jiàn guò yí cì miàn, hòu lái méi zài lián xì. | We met once last year and have not been in touch since. |
| 我们在咖啡馆见了面，聊了两个小时。 | Wǒ men zài kā fēi guǎn jiàn le miàn, liáo le liǎng gè xiǎo shí. | We met at a cafe and chatted for two hours. |
| 明天我想跟你见个面，可以吗？ | Míng tiān wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ jiàn gè miàn, kě yǐ ma? | I would like to meet you tomorrow, is that all right? |
Not: 我见面了他。 见面 cannot take a direct object; say 我跟他见面 or 我见了他.
睡…觉 (shuì … jiào)
Means to sleep, and splits to take 了, a duration or a modifier.
Structure: 睡 + 了 / duration + (的) + 觉
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他昨天晚上只睡了五个小时的觉。 | Tā zuó tiān wǎn shàng zhǐ shuì le wǔ gè xiǎo shí de jiào. | He slept only five hours last night. |
| 孩子睡完觉就起来玩了。 | Hái zi shuì wán jiào jiù qǐ lái wán le. | The child got up to play as soon as he finished sleeping. |
| 我想睡个午觉。 | Wǒ xiǎng shuì gè wǔ jiào. | I want to take a nap. |
Not: 我睡觉了八个小时。 了 and the duration go inside the word: 睡了八个小时的觉.
请…假 (qǐng … jià)
Means to ask for leave, and splits to take a duration.
Structure: 请 + 了 / duration + 假
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我明天想请半天假。 | Wǒ míng tiān xiǎng qǐng bàn tiān jià. | I would like to take half a day off tomorrow. |
| 她请过两次病假。 | Tā qǐng guò liǎng cì bìng jià. | She has taken sick leave twice. |
| 经理，我想请一天假，可以吗？ | Jīng lǐ, wǒ xiǎng qǐng yì tiān jià, kě yǐ ma? | Manager, I would like to ask for a day off, may I? |
Not: 他请假了三天。 The duration goes inside the word: 他请了三天假.
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 Separable Verb-Object Compounds among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Separable Verb-Object Compounds
What does 动宾式离合词 (Separable Verb-Object Compounds) mean in Chinese?
A separable verb-object compound is a two-character verb made of a verb plus an object, so 了, 过, a number or a modifier goes between its parts. At HSK 3 the examples are 见面 (meet), 睡觉 (sleep) and 请假 (ask for leave). It is an HSK 3 grammar point.
How do you use 动宾式离合词 (Separable Verb-Object Compounds) in a sentence?
我明天要跟朋友见面。 — Wǒ míng tiān yào gēn péng you jiàn miàn. — I'm going to meet my friend tomorrow. Minimal frame; the object of 见面 (朋友) is introduced via 跟, never placed directly after 见面.
What do you need to know before 动宾式离合词 (Separable Verb-Object Compounds)?
Verb Reduplication (HSK 2). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 动宾式离合词 (Separable Verb-Object Compounds) lead to?
Separable verbs 离合词 (HSK 4). Each of them names 动宾式离合词 (Separable Verb-Object Compounds) among its own prerequisites.
Why can I not put an object after 见面?
The word already contains an object: 见 is the verb and 面 is the object. So say who you meet with a preposition, 跟他见面, or use a plain verb, 我见了他.
Which other verbs split like this?
Many do, for example 帮忙, 生气, 洗澡, 结婚 and 毕业. You can say 帮个忙, 生了气, 洗了澡 and 结了婚, with the particle or number in the middle.
Separable Verb-Object Compounds 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.
Start at your true level