Learn how to express the result of an action by adding result complements after verbs in Chinese
1 Introduction to Resultative Complements
Resultative complements are words added after action verbs to indicate the result or outcome of that action.
These complements can be verbs, adjectives, or directional compounds that describe what happens as a result of the main action.
Key Features of Resultative Complements
The object often moves to the beginning of the sentence as the topic:
The main verb and result complement form a single grammatical unit:
- Action Verbs (做完)
- Adjectives (做好)
- Directional Compounds (搬进来)
Special patterns for questions and negative sentences:
Important Sentence Structure
The basic structure for resultative complements differs from normal Chinese word order:
Note: The object becomes the topic and moves to the beginning for emphasis.
2 Action Verbs as Result Complements
When an action verb serves as a result complement, it indicates that the action has reached a certain stage or completion.
Common action verb complements include: 完 (finish), 会 (learn how to), 到 (arrive/reach), 明白 (understand).
Object as Topic
Subject
Verb
Result
Particle
Action Verb Complement Examples
完 (wán)
喝完 (finish drinking)
做完 (finish doing)
会 (huì)
学会 (learn how to)
教会 (teach successfully)
到 (dào)
收到 (receive)
找到 (find)
明白 (míngbai)
看明白 (understand by looking)
听明白 (understand by listening)
Negation with 没 (méi)
For negative sentences, use 没 (méi) before the verb and omit 了 (le):
了 is removed in negative sentences with 没.
Question Forms
Two ways to form questions with result complements:
Both are correct; 没有 is more emphatic.
3 Adjectives as Result Complements
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4 Directional Compounds as Result Complements
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5 Usage Notes and Special Patterns
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Practice Exercises
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