A verb-resultative complement compound, or VRCC for short, is a fancy name for a very common two-character (or sometimes three-character) verb form in Mandarin Chinese. It is a character plus an additional character, which is either a verb or character, which shows the result of the action expressed by the first verb.
In English, you may use different verbs to show a result (e.g. “to look” vs. “to see”), while a lot of verbs in Mandarin don’t indicate the result of the action. In this case, we need to have a VRCC to express the result of the verb. The simple way to do it is to add an additional character after the main verb. For example:
| Verb | Verb with resultative component |
|---|---|
看 Transcription: kàn Translation: to look | 看见 Transcription: kànjiàn Translation: to see |
找 Transcription: zhǎo Translation: to look for | 找到 Transcription: zhǎodào Translation: to find |
吃 Transcription: chī Translation: to eat | 吃完 Transcription: chīwán Translation: to finish eating |
洗 Transcription: xǐ Translation: to wash | 洗干净 Transcription: xǐgānjìng Translation: to wash it clean |
In the examples above, we have the basic verbs 看 transcribed kànmeaning to look, 找 transcribed zhǎomeaning to look for, 吃 transcribed chīmeaning to eat, and 洗 transcribed xǐmeaning to wash, none of which indicates the result of the action. When the additional verbs 见 transcribed jiànmeaning too see / 到 transcribed dàomeaning to arrive and the adjectives 完 transcribed wánmeaning finished / 干净 transcribed gānjìngmeaning clean are added after the basic verbs, it forms a verb-resultative complement compound.
In this post, we will discuss how to form a VRCC and how you can use it as a pro. Let’s explore!
What are resultative complements in Mandarin Chinese?
We have seen earlier that there are lots of verbs in Mandarin Chinese that don’t express results; therefore, an additional word, usually a verb or an adjective, must be placed after the verb to indicate this result. These additional verbs and adjectives are called resultative complements. The newly formed verb form is known as the verb-resultative complement compound (VRCC).
Below, you will find the most common result complements in Mandarin:
| Resultative Complement | Examples of verb-resultative complement compound (VRCC) |
|---|---|
见 Transcription: jiàn Translation: to see | 看见 Transcription: kànjiàn Translation: to see 听见 Transcription: tīngjiàn Translation: to hear |
到 Transcription: dào Translation: to get / arrive | 找到 Transcription: zhǎodào Translation: to find 买到 Transcription: mǎidào Translation: to buy and get it |
住 Transcription: zhù Translation: to reside | 记住 Transcription: jìzhù Translation: to bear in mind 拿住 Transcription: názhù Translation: to hold tight |
会 Transcription: huì Translation: able | 学会 Transcription: xuéhuì Translation: to master |
开 Transcription: kāi Translation: to open | 打开 Transcription: dǎkāi Translation: to open up 切开 Transcription: qiēkāi Translation: to cut it open |
懂 Transcription: dǒng Translation: understood | 听懂 Transcription: tīngdǒng Translation: to listen and understand 看懂 Transcription: kàndǒng Translation: to look and understand |
完 Transcription: wán Translation: finished | 吃完 Transcription: chīwán Translation: to finish eating 做完 Transcription: zuòwán Translation: to finish doing |
破 Transcription: pò Translation: broken | 割破 Transcription: gēpò Translation: to cut open 看破 Transcription: kànpò Translation: to see through |
好 Transcription: hǎo Translation: good / done | 写好 Transcription: xiěhǎo Translation: to be done writing 放好 Transcription: fànghǎo Translation: to put it well |
错 Transcription: cuò Translation: wrong | 说错 Transcription: shōucuò Translation: to say it wrong 读错 Transcription: dúcuò Translation: to read it wrong |
干净 Transcription: gānjìng Translation: clean | 洗干净 Transcription: xǐ gānjìng Translation: to wash it clean 扫干净 Transcription: sǎo gānjìng Translation: to sweep it clean |
清楚 Transcription: qīngchǔ Translation: clear | 读清楚 Transcription: dú qīngchǔ Translation: to read it clearly 看清楚 Transcription: kàn qīngchǔ Translation: to see clearly |
Let’s use the verb 割 transcribed gēmeaning to cut with a VRCC to convey the result of an action:
Did you notice any difference between these two sentences? Here is the answer:
In the first sentence, we use the verb 割 transcribed gē without VRCC to indicate the action (to cut grass).
In the second sentence, we not only use the verb 割 transcribed gē, but we also add a VRCC (破 transcribed pòmeaning broken) to indicate the result of being cut: your finger was cut and the skin was broken.
How to use VRCC in positive patterns in Mandarin Chinese?
In a VRCC sentence, we always add the aspectual particle 了 transcribed le after the resultative complements when there is no in he sentence or at the end of the sentence when an object appears. Here 了 transcribed le indicates the completion of an action, which matches the purpose of a resultative complement. This is the VRCC pattern with and without an object:
How to use VRCC in negative patterns in Mandarin Chinese?
When it comes to a negative sentence with a VRCC, we will use the negation words 不 transcribed bù or 没 transcribed méi. Make sure to pay attention to the difference of using 不 transcribed bù and 没 transcribed méi in the VRCC sentence. Keep reading to find out more!
When to use the negation word 没 (méi)?
When 没 transcribed méi is used in a VRCC sentence, it is placed before the verb to indicate the result has not happened yet. Please note that here no aspectual particle 了 transcribed le is needed because the action has not been completed. The pattern is like this:
When to use the negation word 不 (bù)?
When 不 transcribed bù is used in a VRCC sentence, it is placed between the verb and the resultative complement to indicate “to fail to do something.” What’s more, the aspectual particle 了 transcribed le is always present and, when there is an object, it is placed after the object. The pattern is like this:
- 你的手表呢？Transcription: Nǐ de shǒubiǎo ne?Translation: Where is your watch?
- 我找不到了。Transcription: Wǒ zhǎo bù dào le.Translation: They can’t find (it).
Please note that if the aspectual particle 了 transcribed le is left out in the sentences above, these sentences will be indicating a potential complement, which indicates whether an action is possible.
How to use VRCC in a 把 (bǎ) structure in Mandarin Chinese?
The 把 transcribed bǎ sentence structure is used when you want to emphasize that a change has happened to the object of the sentence. When a VRCC is used in a 把 transcribed bǎ structure, the pattern is like this:
How to use VRCC in a 被 (bèi) structure in Mandarin Chinese?
The 被 transcribed bèi structure is the passive voice in Mandarin Chinese, and a VRCC can also be used with this structure. Here is how it is formed:
To sum up
Mandarin employs an interesting way to indicate the result of actions by adding a resultative complement, which is another verb or an adjective, after the verb. The compound is called verb-resultative complement compound (VRCC).
In positive sentences, you need to add the particle 了 transcribed le to indicate the completion of the action.
In negative sentences, you use the negative particles:
不 transcribed bù for present references. The aspectual particle 了 transcribed le is always present.
没 transcribed méi for past references. The aspectual particle 了 transcribed le is not present.
A VRCC can also be used in a 把 transcribed bǎ structure and in a passive structure.
Use these exercises to help you practice your knowledge of VRCC in Mandarin Chinese!
