Verb + 完 (finishing)

• Pinyin: wán
• Formation: Subject + Verb + 完 + (Object) + (了)
• Hanzi breakdown: 完 = 宀 (roof) + 元 (origin)

Meaning

The complement 完 (wán) placed after a verb indicates that the action has been completed or finished entirely. It emphasizes that the action reached its end point.

完 is one of the most common result complements in Chinese. While 了 indicates an action occurred, Verb + 完 specifically emphasizes that the action was carried through to completion — everything was done, nothing remains. For example, 吃了 means 'ate (some)' while 吃完 means 'finished eating (all of it).' The negative form uses 没: 没吃完 (didn't finish eating). The potential forms are 吃得完 (can finish eating) and 吃不完 (can't finish eating). Verb + 完 often appears with 了 at the end of the sentence to indicate the completion is a new situation: 我吃完了 (I've finished eating now).

Examples

1. 我做完了今天的作业。 I finished today's homework.
2. 你看完那本小说了吗？ Have you finished reading that novel?
3. 她还没吃完饭。 She hasn't finished eating yet.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 等我写完这封信再走。
• 牛奶喝完了，需要再买。
• 这些工作我一天做不完。

Don't Say

• 我吃完了了饭。(Do not double 了 — use either Verb + 完 + Object + 了 or Verb + 完了 + Object, not both) → 我吃完饭了。
• 我不吃完饭。(Use 没 instead of 不 to negate a completed action — 不吃完 sounds unnatural for past events) → 我没吃完饭。

Origin & History

The character 完 means 'complete' or 'finished' as a standalone word. Its use as a result complement preserves this meaning directly — when attached to a verb, it signals that the action has been carried out to completion. This is one of the most transparent complement-verb pairings in Chinese.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal