Verb as Result Complement

• Pinyin: jiéguǒ bǔyǔ
• Formation: Subject + Verb + Complement Verb + Object

Meaning

Advanced result complements use a second verb (rather than a simple adjective) after the main verb to describe the outcome or result of an action. The complement verb specifies what state or action was achieved through the main verb.

While basic result complements pair a verb with an adjective (e.g., 听懂, 写错), advanced result complements use a full verb as the complement, creating richer and more precise descriptions of outcomes. Common complement verbs include 走 (away), 倒 (fall over), 掉 (drop/off), 住 (hold firm), 出 (out/emerge), 成 (become), and 开 (open/apart). These complements are highly productive and often idiomatic — the meaning of the combination may not be directly predictable from the individual parts. For example, 看出 means 'to perceive/detect' (not just 'look out'), and 听成 means 'to mishear as' (not just 'listen become'). Mastering these combinations requires learning them as semi-fixed collocations rather than applying rigid compositional rules.

Examples

1. 风太大了，把帐篷都吹倒了。 The wind was so strong that it blew the tent over.
2. 他终于从她的表情中看出了不对劲的地方。 He finally detected something wrong from her facial expression.
3. 我不小心把他的名字听成了另一个人的。 I accidentally misheard his name as someone else's.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 那个消息把所有人都吓住了，会议室里一片寂静。
• 我一不留神就把咖啡碰洒了，弄了一桌子。
• 经过反复实验，研究团队终于找出了问题的根源。
• 他说话太快，我把九点听成了六点。

Don't Say

• 我看了出他的心情不好。 (The result complement directly follows the verb without 了 inserted between them — 了 goes after the complement, not before) → 我看出了他的心情不好。
• 她跑去倒了。 (The complement verb must immediately follow the main verb to form a compound — inserting 去 between them breaks the result complement structure) → 她跑倒了。

Origin & History

Result complements are a defining feature of Chinese syntax that emerged during the Tang and Song dynasties. Verb-verb result compounds became increasingly productive in modern Mandarin, allowing speakers to express complex cause-result relationships within a compact verbal structure.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal