Verb + 得/不 + 了/下/起 (advanced potential complements)

• 拼音: de/bù + liǎo/xià/qǐ
• 结构: Verb + 得/不 + 了/下/起
• 汉字拆解: 了 = originally a pictograph of a child (completion); 下 = one (一) below a line (spatial descent); 起 = 走 (walk) + 己 (self), to rise up

含义

Advanced potential complements use 得 or 不 between a verb and a directional or resultative complement to express whether an action is possible. The three key complements are 了 (ability/capacity), 下 (fitting/accommodating), and 起 (affordability/worthiness). These structures go far beyond simple 'can/cannot' and encode nuanced real-world feasibility.

The potential complement system in Chinese is one of its most distinctive grammatical features, absent in most European languages. Verb + 得/不了 indicates whether an action can be completed or managed — often relating to quantity, time, or physical ability (e.g., 吃得了 means 'can eat it all,' 吃不了 means 'cannot finish eating'). Verb + 得/不下 focuses on spatial accommodation or capacity — whether something can fit or be contained (e.g., 坐得下 means 'can seat/fit,' 坐不下 means 'cannot fit'). Verb + 得/不起 relates to affordability or social worthiness — whether one can bear the cost or merit (e.g., 买得起 means 'can afford,' 对不起 means 'cannot face/sorry'). These complements often overlap in casual speech but carry distinct pragmatic weight. Advanced learners should pay attention to the subtle differences: 吃不了 (cannot finish), 吃不下 (too full to eat more), and 吃不起 (cannot afford to eat) all negate eating but for entirely different reasons.

例句

1. 这么多菜我一个人根本吃不了。
2. 这个小会议室坐得下十个人吗？
3. 以他现在的工资，在北京买不起房子。

用法指南

语境: spoken, written, everyday

语气: evaluative

正确说法

• 你一个人搬得了这张桌子吗？太重了吧。
• 这辆车最多坐得下五个人，再多就挤了。
• 她从小家里穷，上不起好学校。
• 别担心，这点困难我应付得了。

错误说法

• 我吃不了得这碗饭。(得 and 不 cannot both appear — potential complements use either 得 for positive or 不 for negative, never together) → 我吃不了这碗饭。
• 这个教室坐不起二十个人。(起 expresses affordability or worthiness, not spatial capacity — use 坐不下 for fitting into a space) → 这个教室坐不下二十个人。
• 他买不了那栋别墅。(不了 implies inability to complete the purchase, not inability to afford — use 买不起 to express financial inability) → 他买不起那栋别墅。

起源与历史

Potential complements evolved from resultative verb compounds in Middle Chinese. The insertion of 得 or 不 between verb and complement to signal possibility emerged during the Tang-Song period, gradually replacing the earlier use of standalone modal verbs for expressing ability.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal