Grammar Topic
Complements in Chinese Grammar
Describe results, direction, degree, possibility, and duration after a verb. Explore 17 high-confidence patterns with explanations and real usage.
Complements Patterns
把 + Object + Verb + Result ComplementUse this 把 pattern when the verb produces a clear result in the object: finish it, break it, clean it, open it, or otherwise change its state. The result complement tells the listener what outcome the action reached.
HSK 2Verb + 得 + AdjectiveReach for this when you want to describe HOW someone does an action — 'verb + (how well/poorly/fast/slowly).' 他跑得很快. (He runs fast.) 得 hooks a quality onto a verb: you're not just reporting that he runs, you're rating the manner. It's the standard way in Chinese to add a quality to an action: speaks fluently, writes neatly, sings beautifully, slept poorly.
HSK 1把 + Object + Verb + Direction ComplementUse this specialist 把 pattern when an object moves in a direction relative to the speaker or another reference point. Complements such as 来, 去, 上来, 下去, 进来, and 出去 make the path explicit.
HSK 2Verb + 完Stick 完 after a verb to say the action got all the way to its end — 吃完 (finish eating), 看完 (finish watching), 写完 (finish writing). It's the most common resultative complement in beginner Chinese, and it specifically marks that everything that needed to happen has happened. Often paired with 了 right after for a completed-and-done feel: 吃完了, 看完了.
HSK 1Verb + 得 + ComplementUse Verb + 得 + complement to describe an action by saying how well, how much, or in what state it was performed. The verb is the action; the chunk after 得 is the report card — 跑得快 (runs fast), 笑得开心 (laughs happily), 累得不想说话 (so tired (he) doesn't want to talk). The complement can be a single adjective or a longer phrase; 得 is the glue that connects them.
HSK 1Verb + 起来Reach for Verb + 起来 in three closely-linked situations: an action moving upward (站起来 stand up, 拿起来 pick up), an action springing into existence (笑起来 burst out laughing, 哭起来 break into tears), or a sensory impression you're forming on the spot (看起来 looks like, 听起来 sounds like, 吃起来 tastes like). The directional 起来 attaches to the verb as a complement, and what follows depends on which of the three meanings you're using. It's everywhere in conversation, especially the 'seems like' usage.
HSK 2Subject + 动词 + 结果补语Reach for Verb + 了 or Verb + 到 when you want to say not just that an action happened but that it landed — completed, reached, succeeded. Bare verbs in Chinese describe activity; result complements pin down outcome. 了 confirms completion in general; 到 specifically marks that the action reached or hit its target (heard it, got it, found it). Together they're the basic toolkit for telling someone an action actually went through.
HSK 1Verb + 不 + ComplementUse this when you want to say someone is unable to complete an action — not because they won't, but because the conditions don't allow it. Insert 不 between the verb and a result/direction complement: 看不懂 'can't understand (despite looking),' 听不见 'can't hear,' 买不到 'can't manage to buy,' 跑不动 'can't keep running.' This is the potential complement structure in its negative form, and it's the standard way to express 'unable to' in everyday Chinese.
HSK 2Verb + 不 + VerbReach for this when you want to say 'can't' in a way that's about physical or situational possibility, not permission. Verb + 不 + complement (like 看不见, 听不懂, 回不去) means 'cannot V because the situation won't allow it.' This is the negative potential complement — extremely common in everyday speech for things like 'I can't see it,' 'I can't go back,' 'I can't understand.' The positive version is Verb + 得 + complement.
HSK 1Verb + 不 + 完Reach for this when there's too much of something to finish — too much food to eat, too many books to read, too much work to do. The 不 sits between the verb and 完 to say the action CAN'T reach completion, usually because the amount is overwhelming. It's a potential complement, not a simple negative: you're not saying 'didn't finish' but 'can't possibly finish.' Use it for emphasis on quantity, not for things you simply chose not to do.
HSK 2Verb + 不出 + ResultReach for this when you tried to do something with your senses or your brain, and the answer just won't come. 看不出 means you looked but couldn't tell. 想不出 means you thought but couldn't come up with it. The action happened; the result did not. It's the negative side of the potential complement V+出, which is about producing a result that emerges out of the action.
HSK 2Verb + 出来Reach for Verb + 出来 when an action causes something to emerge, become visible, or be figured out. Two flavors: literal motion outward (拿出来 — take out, 跑出来 — run out) and recognition or discovery (看出来 — see/tell, 听出来 — hear/tell, 想出来 — think up). The action lands on its target only when 出来 is attached — without it, you've performed the verb but nothing has come into view.
HSK 2Verb + 完 / 到Use these when you need to say HOW an action ended — not just that it happened. 完 marks that the action ran all the way to completion: 吃完 = finished eating. 到 marks that the action reached or achieved a target: 找到 = found, 看到 = saw (and actually perceived it). Without these complements, the verb only describes the activity; with them, the sentence reports a result.
HSK 2Verb + 完 + 了以后Reach for this when you want to say 'after finishing [verb]' — emphasizing that the first action is fully wrapped up before the next one starts. 完 nails down the completion, 了 marks it as actually done, and 以后 adds the time sequence. Useful for talking about routines, plans, and consequences: 'After I finish eating, I'll head out,' 'After he finished running, he felt sick.'
HSK 3-4Verb + 来 / 走Use these to add direction to an action. 来 pulls the action toward the speaker or the reference point: 送来 = bring (to here), 跑来 = run over (to me). 走 pushes the action away or marks departure: 拿走 = take away, 跑走 = run off. Together they form the simplest pair of directional complements — they tell the listener WHERE the verb is heading.
HSK 2Verb + 来 + Verb + 去Reach for this when you want to describe a back-and-forth action with no clear destination — pacing, thinking it over, running around, flipping pages, tossing a thought around. The same verb gets repeated with 来 then 去, sandwiching the movement. It paints a picture of repetition without progress: the doer is moving but not really getting anywhere.
HSK 2Verb + 来/去/出/进Stick a direction word right after a verb to say where the action is heading. 来 (toward me), 去 (away from me), 出 (out), 进 (in) — and there are more (上, 下, 回, 过, 起). They're called directional complements. They turn a generic motion verb into a specific path: 走 ('walk') becomes 走进 ('walk in') or 跑 ('run') becomes 跑出 ('run out').
HSK 1