Complements: Result & Direction
完, 到, 見, 起來, 下去 — the verb suffixes that turn knowing a word into using it naturally.
Complements are not grammar add-ons. They are the part of the verb phrase that tells you what actually happened. 看 means 'look.' 看完 means 'finished reading.' 看得完 means 'able to finish reading.' This page covers result complements, direction complements, and the potential complement — mapped to TOCFL Band B and Dangdai Books 3–4.
What Complements Do
English uses separate words for what Mandarin packs into a single attached complement. 'I ate it all up' = 我吃完了. 'She ran out' = 她跑出去了. The complement is not optional decoration — it often carries the most important information in the sentence.
Complements are the gap between knowing a verb and sounding natural with it. 看 means "look." 看完 means "finished reading." 看得完 means "able to finish reading." Three different words from one character — all from the complement.
Result Complements
Result complements (結果補語) attach directly after the verb to indicate what resulted from the action. They are obligatory when the result is part of the meaning — not optional decoration.
我看完了那本書。
Wǒ kàn wán le nà běn shū.
I finished reading that book.
The most common result complement. 完 means the action reached its natural endpoint.
我找到工作了。
Wǒ zhǎo dào gōngzuò le.
I found a job — I managed to find one.
到 implies the action successfully connected with its target. 找到 = found (succeeded). 找不到 = can't find.
我聽見了一個聲音。
Wǒ tīng jiàn le yī gè shēngyīn.
I heard a sound.
Used with perception verbs: 看見 (see), 聽見 (hear), 聞到 (smell — uses 到). Marks that the perception was successful.
我準備好了。
Wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le.
I'm ready / I've prepared properly.
好 marks completion with the nuance that it was done right, not just finished. 做好 = done and done well.
你聽懂了嗎？
Nǐ tīng dǒng le ma?
Did you understand what you heard?
Always follows perception/communication verbs: 聽懂, 看懂, 說懂 (rare). Marks whether the content was successfully processed.
這個被我弄壞了。
Zhège bèi wǒ nòng huài le.
I broke this.
壞 as a result complement indicates the object ended up in a bad/broken state — not the adjective 壞 (bad).
Direction Complements
Direction complements (趨向補語) indicate the direction of movement relative to the speaker. Simple forms: 上, 下, 進, 出, 回, 過, 起. Compound forms add 來 (toward speaker) or 去 (away from speaker): 上來, 上去, 下來, 下去, 進來, 進去, 出來, 出去, 回來, 回去, 起來. Many compounds also carry extended, non-directional meanings.
他站起來了。
Tā zhàn qǐlái le.
He stood up.
天氣熱起來了。
Tiānqì rè qǐlái le.
The weather is getting hot — beginning to warm.
起來 has two uses: physical upward movement, and the beginning of a new state.
繼續說下去。
Jìxù shuō xiàqù.
Continue speaking.
下去 often means 'to continue doing something' rather than physical downward movement.
他走出來了。
Tā zǒu chūlái le.
He walked out here.
我想出來了！
Wǒ xiǎng chūlái le!
I thought of it! — the idea came out.
出來 is highly productive. Metaphorical: 想出來 (think of), 說出來 (say it out).
她回去了。
Tā huíqù le.
She went back.
回來 vs 回去 — 來 = towards speaker, 去 = away from speaker. This distinction applies to all direction complements.
請進來！
Qǐng jìnlái!
Please come in!
The most common polite phrase using a direction complement.
Potential Complements
Replace 了 with 得 (can) or 不 (cannot) between the verb and result/direction complement to ask whether the result is achievable. This form is one of the most distinctive features of Mandarin grammar.
Structure: V + 得 + result/direction = can achieve the result. V + 不 + result/direction = cannot achieve the result. The complement itself stays the same — only 得 or 不 changes.
這麼多飯，你吃得完嗎？
Zhème duō fàn, nǐ chī de wán ma?
Can you finish all this food?
太多了，我吃不完。
Tài duō le, wǒ chī bù wán.
There's too much — I can't finish it.
你買得到那本書嗎？
Nǐ mǎi de dào nà běn shū ma?
Can you manage to buy that book?
他說太快了，我聽不懂。
Tā shuō tài kuài le, wǒ tīng bù dǒng.
He spoke too fast — I couldn't understand.
TOCFL & Dangdai
TOCFL Band B introduces result complements — especially 完, 到, 好 — in both reading and listening. Band B tests the potential complement (V + 得/不 + complement) in multiple choice. Band C expects production of complex direction complements including metaphorical 起來 and 下去. Complements are the single grammar area with the most Band B–C test questions after 把.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the complement with 把
把 almost always needs a complement. The disposal construction tells you an object was acted on — but it needs to say what happened to it as a result.
我把書看。
我把書看完了。
把 almost always needs a complement. The disposal construction tells you an object was acted on — but it needs to say what happened to it as a result.
Confusing 得 (potential) with 的 (possessive) or 地 (adverbial)
The potential complement uses 得 (dé, neutral tone). 的 (de) is possessive/modification. 地 (de) is adverbial. In potential complements, only 得 or 不 appear between verb and complement.
我吃的完。
我吃得完。
The potential complement uses 得 (dé, neutral tone). 的 (de) is possessive/modification. 地 (de) is adverbial. In potential complements, only 得 or 不 appear between verb and complement.
Translating English 'can' as 可以 when a potential complement is what's needed
可以 expresses permission or general ability. The potential complement (聽得懂) expresses whether the specific result is achievable in this instance. Native speakers use the potential complement form far more naturally for situational capability.
我可以聽懂他說的話。
我聽得懂他說的話。
可以 expresses permission or general ability. The potential complement (聽得懂) expresses whether the specific result is achievable in this instance. Native speakers use the potential complement form far more naturally for situational capability.
Continue Learning
把 Construction →
把 almost always pairs with a complement. Here is how the disposal construction works.
被: Passive Voice →
The passive side of the disposal pair — complement patterns appear here too.
了: Aspect, Not Tense →
Result complements often co-occur with 了 — here's what 了 adds.
Chinese Sentence Structure →
Where complements fit in the broader SVO / topic-comment system.
Referenced Resources
Complements only click with volume.
Zhong Chinese schedules Dangdai sentences with every major complement from Book 3 onward — so you encounter 完, 到, 起來, and 下去 in context, timed by FSRS.