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plStructure
Basic form
The verb or adjective that serves as a resultative complement always comes directly after the verb to which it refers.
The verbs that are frequently used as resultative complements include:
| wán 完 | indicates the end of an activity, e.g. kàn wán 看完 ‘to finish reading/watching’; |
| jiàn 见/見 | indicates perceiving through senses (seeing or hearing), e.g. tīng jian 听见/聽見 ‘to hear’ (a sound); |
| zhù 住 | indicates stopping or fixing in a place, e.g. jì zhù 记住/記住 ‘to remember’; |
| huì 会/會 | indicates the acquisition of a skill, e.g. xué huì 学会/學會 ‘to learn’ (effectively); |
| dǒng 懂 | indicates understanding, e.g. kàn dǒng 看懂 ‘understand’ (e.g.: a text one has read); |
| dào 到 | indicates reaching a place or attaining something, e.g. zhǎo dào 找到 ‘to find’. |
The adjectives that are frequently used as resultative complements include:
| hǎo 好 | indicates the completion of an action, e.g. zhǔnbèi hǎo 准备好 / 準備好 ‘to prepare’ (everything necessary); |
| duì 对/對 | indicates a correct result, e.g. suàn duì 算对/算對 ‘to calculate correctly’; |
| cuò 错/錯 | indicates an incorrect result, e.g. jì cuò 记错/記錯 ‘to remember or to record something incorrectly’; |
| gānjìng 干净/乾淨 | indicates cleanliness, e.g. xǐ gānjìng 洗干净 / 洗乾淨 ‘to wash clean’; |
| qīngchu 清楚 | indicates clarity or clear understanding, e.g. tīng qīngchu 听清楚 / 聽清楚 ‘to hear clearly’. |
Some verbs or adjectives, when used as complements, can be combined with many verbs. For example wán 完 ‘to finish’ can form phrases like: kàn wán 看完 ‘to finish reading/watching’, shuō wán 说完/說完 ‘to finish speaking’，xiě wán 写完/寫完 ‘to finish writing’，xǐ wán 洗完 ‘to finish washing’，xué wán 学完/學完 ‘to finish studying’.
Others can be combined with a very limited number of verbs, e.g. huì 会/會 ‘be able to do (something learned)’：xué huì 学会/學會 ‘to learn, to acquire a skill’.
With objects
If a sentence contains an object, it is placed after the verb-complement phrase (not directly after the verb).
If the new information in the sentence concerns the achievement of a certain result and the object is a definite noun phrase, it may be placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Verbs with resultative complements often occur in pseudo-passive sentences. They are placed after the subject referring to the receiver of the action.
Negation
The negation of sentences with a resultative complement is formed by placing the negation adverbs méi 没/沒 ‘not’ or méi yǒu 没有/沒有 ‘not’ before the verb. In negative sentences, the aspectual particle le 了 is omitted.
Such sentences express the idea that the result indicated by the complement has not been achieved, but the action of the main verb itself is not negated.
Questions
A question about the result of an action can be formed by adding the particle ma 吗/嗎 at the end of the sentence.
Similar questions can be formed by adding the negation adverb méi yǒu 没有/沒有 ’not’ at the end of the sentence.
With aspectual particles
In sentences with a resultative complement, the aspectual particle le 了 usually follows the verb-complement phrase. It is never used directly after the verb.
The aspectual particle guo 过/過 is used in a similar way.
In sentences with the resultative complement, the aspectual particle zhe 着/著 is not used.
Also see Aspectual particle.
With adverbs
In sentences with the resultative complement, adverbs usually occur before the main verb.
With modal verbs
In sentences with a resultative complement, modal verbs are always placed before the verb-complement phrase.
Functions
1. Expressing the result of an action
The resultative complements are used to express the idea that in the course of performing the action mentioned in the sentence, the result, effect or state indicated by the complement has been achieved. Compare the meaning of the following sentences:
One verb can be combined with several complements indicating different results of the same action.
tīng wán
tīng jian
tīng dào
tīng dǒng
tīng cuò
听完 / 聽完
听见 / 聽見
听到 / 聽到
听懂 / 聽懂
听错 / 聽錯
‘to finish listening’;
‘to hear’ (e.g. a sound);
‘to hear’ (e.g. the news);
‘to understand’ (e.g. spoken language);
‘to mishear’.
Interrogative sentences with the resultative complements are used to ask whether the result indicated by the complement has occurred (rather than whether the action denoted by the verb was performed). Compare:
Negative sentences with the resultative complement express the idea that the result indicated by the complement has not been achieved. The negation does not apply to the action itself, but only to the unfulfilled result. Compare: