Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

reSuLTATIve verbS

18.3

‘look for’ something, not ‘find’ something, the open-ended action verb 买/買 mǎi means ‘shop

for’ things, not ‘buy’ things, and the open-ended action verb 听/聽 tīng means ‘listen to’

something, not ‘hear’ something.

Change-of-state verbs refer to events in which the action of the verb results in a change. They

include 站 zhàn ‘stand up,’ 坐 zuò ‘sit down,’ 放 fàng ‘put or place’ (something somewhere),

挂/掛 guà ‘hang’ (something up), and many other verbs.

C13.5, 13.6

18.3 Resultative suffixes

Resultative suffixes contribute one of the following meanings to the resultative verb.

• They indicate the result of the action. These suffixes are often called ‘complements of
  result’ or ‘result complements.’
  For example: 写/寫 xiě ‘write’ 写错/寫錯 xiěcuò ‘write incorrectly’


• They indicate the conclusion of the action.
  For example: 写/寫 xiě ‘write’ 写完/寫完 xiěwán ‘finish writing’
  Here are common resultative endings, followed by examples of resultative verbs in which
  the endings occur. The list of resultative verbs is not exhaustive. Action verbs can freely com-
  bine with resultative suffixes as long as the action can be concluded in the way that the suffix
  indicates.

Resultative verbs with idiomatic meanings will be discussed at the end of this chapter.

note

A third type of suffix, directional suffixes (sometimes called directional complements), also serve as suffixes

on action verbs. Action verb + directional suffixes form directional verbs. the properties of directional verbs

are very similar to those of resultative verbs.

C 19

18.3.1 Suffixes that indicate result: result complements

• 到 dào ‘reach, succeed, attain’
  This suffix follows open-ended action verbs. It indicates that the subject has obtained or reached
  the object as a result of the action. (Similar in meaning to, but more commonly used than, the
  resultative suffix -着/著 zháo.)

买到/買到 mǎidào ‘buy’

找到 zhǎodào ‘find’

想到 xiǎngdào ‘think of’

看到 kàndào ‘see, locate something with one’s eyes’

梦到/夢到 mèngdào ‘dream of’

• 着/著 zháo ‘reach, succeed, attain’

This suffix follows open-ended action verbs. It indicates that the subject has obtained or reached

the object as a result of the action. (See also the resultative suffix -到 dào.)

猜着/猜著 cāizháo ‘guess correctly’

买着/買著 mǎizháo ‘succeed in buying’

找着/找著 zhǎozháo ‘find, succeed in locating’

• 見/见 jiàn ‘perceive’
  This suffix follows open-ended action verbs that refer to perception. It indicates that the subject
  has successfully perceived some object by hearing, sight, or smell.