Chinese verbs: the result complement and the potential form
All 236, each with the bare verb, the verb with its complement, the form that says the result cannot be reached, the English meaning and an example sentence — sorted by the complement, not by the alphabet.
Why sorted like this
Chinese verbs never change their form, so Chinese has no irregular verbs at all. What it has instead is a second word straight after the verb that says how the action turned out: listen and understood, look for and found, eat and full. English often hides that result inside a different verb, Chinese says it every time — and the same complement with bu in the middle is how Chinese most often says "cannot". These 236 verbs are not 236 separate facts. They fall into families by their complement, and once you know what a complement does, you know it after every verb it can follow. Each verb is listed once, under the complement it is most worth learning with; its other common partners are named in the notes.
236 verbs.
wán — finished
11 verbsChinese verbs never change their form, so there is nothing here to conjugate. What they take instead is a second word straight after them that says how the action turned out — its result. 完 is the simplest: the action has run to its end. 喝 is "drink", 喝完 "finish drinking". Put 得 or 不 between the two halves and you say whether the result can be reached at all: 喝得完 "can finish it", 喝不完 "cannot finish it, there is too much". That third column, the potential form, is how Chinese says "cannot" far more often than with 不能. The plain past is negated with 没, and the result stays: 我还没喝完, "I haven’t finished it yet".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 喝 | 喝完 | 喝不完 | to drink → to finish drinking | 1 |
你的咖啡喝完了吗？我再给你倒一杯。Have you finished your coffee? I’ll pour you another cup. 喝了 only says you drank; 喝完了 says the cup is empty. | ||||
| 写 | 写完 | 写不完 | to write → to finish writing | 2 |
作业太多了，今天晚上肯定写不完。There is far too much homework — I’ll never finish it tonight. | ||||
| 说 | 说完 | 说不完 | to speak → to finish speaking | 2 |
请让他把话说完，别打断他。Please let him finish what he is saying — don’t interrupt him. Other results of 说: 说清楚 "make clear", 说不出来 "cannot put into words". | ||||
| 卖 | 卖完 | 卖不完 | to sell → to sell out | 2 |
对不起，今天的包子已经卖完了。Sorry, today’s steamed buns are already sold out. | ||||
| 用 | 用完 | 用不完 | to use → to use up | 2 |
打印机里的纸用完了，我去拿一些来。The printer has run out of paper; I’ll go and fetch some. Its other potential has a meaning of its own: 用不着 "there is no need". | ||||
| 唱 | 唱完 | 唱不完 | to sing → to finish singing | 2 |
她唱完以后，大家都站起来鼓掌。When she had finished singing, everyone stood up and clapped. | ||||
| 花 | 花完 | 花不完 | to spend → to spend all of | 3 |
还没到月底，他的工资就花完了。It isn’t even the end of the month, and his wages are all spent. | ||||
| 讲 | 讲完 | 讲不完 | to tell, to explain → to finish telling | 3 |
老师还没讲完，下课铃就响了。The teacher hadn’t finished explaining when the bell rang. | ||||
| 聊 | 聊完 | 聊不完 | to chat → to finish chatting | 3 |
她们俩一见面就有聊不完的话。Whenever the two of them meet, they never run out of things to say. | ||||
| 检查 | 检查完 | 检查不完 | to examine, to check → to finish checking | 3 |
医生检查完以后，说没什么大问题。When the doctor had finished the examination, she said it was nothing serious. | ||||
| 讨论 | 讨论完 | 讨论不完 | to discuss → to finish discussing | 4 |
这个问题今天讨论不完，我们下次接着谈。We won’t get through this question today; we’ll carry on next time. | ||||
hǎo — done, and done properly
12 verbs好 "good" as a result says the action is finished and the outcome is ready to use: the meal is cooked, the luggage packed, the seatbelt fastened. Compare 写完 "stopped writing" with 写好 "it is written and ready to send". English speakers tend to leave 好 out, and a Chinese listener hears the difference between "I prepared" and "I am ready". In the potential form the meaning leans towards quality: 做不好 is "cannot do it well", not "cannot do it at all".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 做 | 做好 | 做不好 | to do, to make → to get done (properly) | 2 |
饭做好了，快来吃吧！Dinner’s ready — come and eat! 做完 only says you stopped; 做好 says it is ready. 做不好 is "cannot do it well". | ||||
| 准备 | 准备好 | 准备不好 | to prepare → to be ready | 2 |
明天就要考试了，你准备好了吗？The exam is tomorrow — are you ready? | ||||
| 修 | 修好 | 修不好 | to repair → to get working again | 2 |
师傅说我的电脑今天修不好，明天再来取。The repairman says my computer can’t be fixed today; I’m to come back for it tomorrow. | ||||
| 休息 | 休息好 | 休息不好 | to rest → to get a proper rest | 3 |
昨天晚上没休息好，今天一直头疼。I didn’t get a proper rest last night and have had a headache all day. | ||||
| 收拾 | 收拾好 | 收拾不好 | to tidy, to pack → to get tidied, to get packed | 3 |
出发以前，记得把行李收拾好。Remember to get your luggage packed before we set off. | ||||
| 照顾 | 照顾好 | 照顾不好 | to look after → to look after well | 3 |
你放心去旅行吧，我会照顾好你的猫。Go on your trip and don’t worry — I’ll take good care of your cat. | ||||
| 系 | 系好 | 系不好 | to tie, to fasten → to fasten securely | 3 |
飞机马上要起飞了，请系好安全带。The plane is about to take off; please fasten your seatbelt. Read jì when you tie or fasten something; the same character is xì in 关系 "relation". | ||||
| 包 | 包好 | 包不好 | to wrap → to wrap properly | 3 |
我总是包不好饺子，一煮就破。I can never wrap dumplings properly — they split as soon as they go in the water. | ||||
| 治 | 治好 | 治不好 | to treat (an illness) → to cure | 3 |
别担心，这种病是治得好的。Don’t worry — this illness can be cured. | ||||
| 安排 | 安排好 | 安排不好 | to arrange → to get arranged | 4 |
会议室我已经安排好了，下午两点开会。I’ve sorted out the meeting room; the meeting is at two this afternoon. | ||||
| 处理 | 处理好 | 处理不好 | to deal with → to handle well | 4 |
这件事要是处理不好，客户会很不满意。If we don’t handle this properly, the client will be very unhappy. | ||||
| 管 | 管好 | 管不好 | to be in charge of → to keep in order | 4 |
连自己都管不好，怎么去管别人？If you can’t keep yourself in order, how can you tell others what to do? With 了 it says something else: 管不了 "it is beyond my control". | ||||
dào — reached, found, got
12 verbs到 "arrive" as a result says the action reached its goal. This is the family where English hides the result inside a different verb: "look for" is 找 and "find" is 找到; "meet with" is 遇 and "come across" 遇到. A learner who says 我找了钥匙 has only said that they looked. 找不到 is the everyday "I can’t find it"; 没找到 is the plain "I didn’t find it". With verbs of thinking 到 has the same job: 想到 "think of", 没想到 "I never expected".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 找 | 找到 | 找不到 | to look for → to find | 1 |
我的钥匙找不到了，你看见了吗？I can’t find my keys — have you seen them? The classic pair: 找 on its own is only "look for". "Find" needs the result. | ||||
| 收 | 收到 | 收不到 | to collect, to accept → to receive | 2 |
我昨天给你发了邮件，你收到了吗？I sent you an email yesterday — did you get it? | ||||
| 见 | 见到 | 见不到 | to see, to meet → to get to see | 2 |
他在国外工作，我一年也见不到他几次。He works abroad; I barely see him a few times a year. | ||||
| 遇 | 遇到 | 遇不到 | to meet with → to come across, to run into | 3 |
如果遇到问题，随时给我打电话。If you run into any problems, call me at any time. | ||||
| 得 | 得到 | 得不到 | to obtain → to get, to gain | 3 |
他的努力终于得到了老板的认可。His hard work finally won his boss’s recognition. Here 得 is the full verb "obtain", not the toneless 得 that builds the potential form. | ||||
| 办 | 办到 | 办不到 | to handle, to do → to manage, to pull off | 3 |
一个星期学会开车？这我可办不到。Learn to drive in a week? That’s beyond me. | ||||
| 订 | 订到 | 订不到 | to book → to manage to book | 3 |
假期的时候人太多，常常订不到火车票。In the holidays there are so many people that you often can’t get train tickets. | ||||
| 闻 | 闻到 | 闻不到 | to smell → to catch the smell of | 3 |
我一进门就闻到了饭菜的香味。As soon as I came in, I could smell the cooking. In today’s Chinese 闻 is "smell"; the old sense "hear" survives in words such as 新闻 "news". | ||||
| 借 | 借到 | 借不到 | to borrow → to manage to borrow | 3 |
这本书图书馆里借不到，只好自己买。The library doesn’t have this book, so I’ll have to buy it myself. | ||||
| 寄 | 寄到 | 寄不到 | to post → to arrive (of something posted) | 3 |
这个包裹明天能寄到上海吗？Can this parcel get to Shanghai by tomorrow? | ||||
| 抢 | 抢到 | 抢不到 | to grab, to rush for → to manage to get | 4 |
演唱会的票几分钟就没了，我没抢到。The concert tickets were gone within minutes; I didn’t manage to get one. | ||||
| 感觉 | 感觉到 | 感觉不到 | to feel → to sense, to notice | 4 |
刚开始跑步的时候感觉不到累，第二天腿才疼。When you first start running you don’t feel tired; it’s only the next day that your legs ache. | ||||
dǒng and huì — understood, mastered
6 verbsTwo results of the mind. 懂 says the meaning got through: 听懂 "understand what is said", 看懂 "understand what is written". 会 says a skill has arrived: 学会 "learn how to", 教会 "teach successfully". The verb in front says how the understanding came — by listening, by reading, by puzzling over it. 我听不懂 is the sentence every learner needs first, and it means "I can hear you and I don’t understand", which is a different problem from 听不见 "I can’t hear you".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 听 | 听懂 | 听不懂 | to listen → to understand (by listening) | 1 |
对不起，我听不懂，请说慢一点儿。Sorry, I don’t understand — please speak a little more slowly. With 见 it is about the ears, not the meaning: 听不见 "I can’t hear you". | ||||
| 读 | 读懂 | 读不懂 | to read → to understand (what one reads) | 2 |
这篇文章生词太多，我读不懂。This article has too many new words; I can’t make sense of it. | ||||
| 学 | 学会 | 学不会 | to study → to learn (how to), to master | 2 |
我学了一个夏天，终于学会了游泳。I worked at it all summer and finally learned to swim. English "learn" is two Chinese words: 学 is the studying, 学会 the being able to. | ||||
| 教 | 教会 | 教不会 | to teach → to teach successfully | 3 |
我教了他好几遍，还是教不会。I’ve shown him several times and he still can’t do it. | ||||
| 弄 | 弄懂 | 弄不懂 | to handle, to fiddle with → to get to understand | 3 |
这个语法我看了三遍才弄懂。I had to read this grammar point three times before I got it. | ||||
| 搞 | 搞懂 | 搞不懂 | to do (colloquial) → to figure out | 3 |
我真搞不懂他为什么突然生气了。I really can’t work out why he suddenly got angry. | ||||
jiàn — seen, heard, perceived
3 verbs见 turns an effort of the senses into a perception: 看 "look" becomes 看见 "see", 听 "listen" becomes 听见 "hear". English has two verbs for each sense; Chinese has one verb and a result, which is why 我看了，可是没看见 — "I looked, but I didn’t see it" — is a perfectly ordinary sentence. With verbs of meeting, 见 says that two people actually came face to face.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 看 | 看见 | 看不见 | to look → to see | 1 |
你坐前面吧，坐在后面看不见黑板。Sit at the front — from the back you can’t see the board. One verb, many results: 看懂 "understand by reading", 看完 "finish reading", 看出来 "be able to tell", 看不起 "look down on". | ||||
| 碰 | 碰见 | 碰不见 | to bump into → to run into (somebody) | 3 |
真巧，我在超市碰见了一个老同学。What a coincidence — I ran into an old classmate at the supermarket. | ||||
| 望 | 望见 | 望不见 | to gaze into the distance → to catch sight of | 4 |
站在山顶上，能望见远处的大海。From the top of the mountain you can see the sea in the distance. | ||||
zháo — reached at last
4 verbsThe same character as the 着 of "-ing", read zháo and doing a different job: as a result it says the action finally hit its target. 睡着 is "fall asleep" — sleep has been reached — and 睡不着 is the "I can’t get to sleep" of every restless night. In the north 着 often stands where the rest of the country says 到: 找着 for 找到. A small family and a useful one: 用不着 "there is no need" belongs here too.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 睡 | 睡着 | 睡不着 | to sleep → to fall asleep | 2 |
咖啡喝多了，我晚上睡不着。I’ve had too much coffee, and at night I can’t get to sleep. Read zháo: 他睡着了 "he has fallen asleep". The toneless zhe of "-ing" is the same character doing another job. | ||||
| 够 | 够着 | 够不着 | to reach for → to reach | 4 |
柜子太高，孩子够不着上面的饼干。The cupboard is too high; the child can’t reach the biscuits on top. | ||||
| 点 | 点着 | 点不着 | to light → to get burning | 4 |
木头太湿了，怎么也点不着。The wood is too damp; it just won’t catch. | ||||
| 摸 | 摸着 | 摸不着 | to touch, to feel for → to get hold of | 4 |
他说得太突然，大家都摸不着头脑。He said it so abruptly that nobody could make head or tail of it. 摸不着头脑, "cannot find the head", is a fixed phrase for being completely puzzled. | ||||
zhù — held fast
15 verbs住 "live, stay" as a result says something has been made to stay put: 记住 "fix in one’s memory", 抓住 "get a firm hold of", 挡住 "block and keep blocked". Much of its use is in the potential: 记不住 "it won’t stay in my head", 忍不住 "cannot help it". Shouted on its own, 站住！ means "Stop right there!"
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 记 | 记住 | 记不住 | to remember, to note → to memorise | 2 |
生词太多，我怎么也记不住。There are so many new words that I just can’t retain them. | ||||
| 抓 | 抓住 | 抓不住 | to grab → to catch hold of | 3 |
这是个好机会，你一定要抓住。This is a good opportunity — make sure you seize it. | ||||
| 忍 | 忍住 | 忍不住 | to endure → to hold back | 3 |
他的样子太好笑了，我忍不住笑了。He looked so funny that I couldn’t help laughing. Before another verb 忍不住 is "cannot help doing": 忍不住哭了, "could not help crying". | ||||
| 站 | 站住 | 站不住 | to stand → to stand still, to stay on one’s feet | 3 |
地上太滑了，我差点儿站不住。The floor was so slippery I could barely keep my feet. Shouted, 站住！ is "Stop!" — to someone running off. | ||||
| 接 | 接住 | 接不住 | to receive → to catch | 3 |
球扔得太高了，我没接住。The ball was thrown too high and I didn’t catch it. | ||||
| 挡 | 挡住 | 挡不住 | to block → to block off, to keep out | 3 |
前面的人太高，挡住了我的视线。The person in front is so tall he is blocking my view. | ||||
| 拦 | 拦住 | 拦不住 | to bar the way → to stop, to hold back | 4 |
他决定了的事，谁也拦不住。Once he has made up his mind, nobody can stop him. | ||||
| 留 | 留住 | 留不住 | to keep, to ask to stay → to keep from leaving | 4 |
工资太低，公司留不住好员工。The pay is too low; the company can’t hold on to good staff. | ||||
| 扶 | 扶住 | 扶不住 | to support with the hand → to steady | 4 |
老人差点儿摔倒，幸好旁边的人扶住了他。The old man nearly fell, but luckily someone beside him caught hold of him. | ||||
| 堵 | 堵住 | 堵不住 | to block up → to stop up, to plug | 4 |
水管漏水了，用毛巾也堵不住。The pipe is leaking, and even a towel won’t stop it. | ||||
| 盖 | 盖住 | 盖不住 | to cover → to cover up | 4 |
被子太小了，盖不住脚。The quilt is too small to cover my feet. | ||||
| 守 | 守住 | 守不住 | to guard → to hold on to | 4 |
还剩十分钟，我们一定要守住比分。There are ten minutes left — we have to hold on to the lead. | ||||
| 撑 | 撑住 | 撑不住 | to prop up → to hold out | 4 |
连续加班一个月，他终于撑不住，病倒了。After a month of overtime he couldn’t hold out any longer and fell ill. | ||||
| 顶 | 顶住 | 顶不住 | to push against → to withstand | 5 |
压力再大，也要顶住。However great the pressure, you have to stand up to it. | ||||
| 憋 | 憋住 | 憋不住 | to hold in → to hold back (a laugh, one’s breath) | 5 |
开会的时候他好不容易才憋住没笑，一出会议室就大笑起来。In the meeting he only just managed not to laugh; the moment he left the room he burst out laughing. | ||||
zǒu and diào — away, gone
13 verbsTwo results that remove something. 走 "walk" says it has left with somebody: 带走 "take away", 偷走 "steal and make off with". 掉 "drop" says it is gone for good: 扔掉 "throw away", 删掉 "delete", 改掉 "get rid of (a habit)". English does the same with "away", "off" and "out", but not in the same places: 卖掉 is "sell off", 忘掉 "put out of one’s mind".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 带 | 带走 | 带不走 | to take, to bring → to take away | 2 |
东西太多了，一次带不走。There’s too much stuff to take in one go. | ||||
| 偷 | 偷走 | 偷不走 | to steal → to steal and make off with | 3 |
钱可以被偷走，学到的知识谁也偷不走。Money can be stolen; what you have learned nobody can take from you. | ||||
| 送 | 送走 | 送不走 | to see off → to see (somebody) out | 3 |
送走客人以后，她才坐下来休息。Only once she had seen the guests out did she sit down to rest. | ||||
| 运 | 运走 | 运不走 | to transport → to haul away | 4 |
这些旧家具明天会有人来运走。Someone is coming tomorrow to take this old furniture away. | ||||
| 扔 | 扔掉 | 扔不掉 | to throw → to throw away | 3 |
这些旧衣服我舍不得扔掉。I can’t bring myself to throw these old clothes away. 掉 "drop" as a result means "gone for good": 扔掉, 卖掉, 忘掉. | ||||
| 擦 | 擦掉 | 擦不掉 | to wipe → to wipe off, to rub out | 3 |
墙上的字是用油漆写的，擦不掉。The writing on the wall is in paint; it won’t wipe off. | ||||
| 删 | 删掉 | 删不掉 | to delete → to delete for good | 3 |
这张照片拍得不好，删掉吧。This photo didn’t come out well — delete it. | ||||
| 跑 | 跑掉 | 跑不掉 | to run → to run away, to get away | 3 |
小偷想跑，可是门口有保安，他跑不掉。The thief wanted to make a run for it, but there was a guard at the door and he couldn’t get away. | ||||
| 剪 | 剪掉 | 剪不掉 | to cut (with scissors) → to cut off | 3 |
她把长头发剪掉了，我差点儿没认出来。She has cut off her long hair — I almost didn’t recognise her. | ||||
| 改 | 改掉 | 改不掉 | to change → to get rid of (a habit) | 4 |
他晚睡的习惯一直改不掉。He has never managed to break his habit of going to bed late. | ||||
| 戒 | 戒掉 | 戒不掉 | to give up (a habit) → to quit for good | 4 |
他试了很多次，还是戒不掉烟。He has tried many times and still can’t give up smoking. | ||||
| 甩 | 甩掉 | 甩不掉 | to fling → to shake off | 4 |
他跑得很快，一会儿就甩掉了后面的人。He ran fast and soon shook off the people behind him. | ||||
| 逃 | 逃掉 | 逃不掉 | to flee → to escape | 4 |
该做的事早晚要做，你逃不掉的。What has to be done will have to be done sooner or later — you can’t get out of it. | ||||
kāi — open, apart
13 verbs开 "open" as a result opens things and pulls them apart: 打开 "open", 拉开 "pull open", 分开 "separate", 离开 "leave". The figurative uses are worth learning as words of their own: 离不开 "cannot do without", and 想不开, literally "cannot think it open" — to take something so hard that one cannot let it go. Its opposite, 看开, is to accept it and move on.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 打 | 打开 | 打不开 | to hit, to do → to open | 1 |
这个文件我的电脑打不开。My computer won’t open this file. 打 on its own does a hundred jobs; with 开 after it, it opens — a door, a box, a file, the light. | ||||
| 拉 | 拉开 | 拉不开 | to pull → to pull open | 3 |
抽屉太紧了，怎么也拉不开。The drawer is too tight; it just won’t pull open. | ||||
| 拆 | 拆开 | 拆不开 | to take apart → to open up, to unwrap | 3 |
孩子一拿到礼物就拆开了。The child unwrapped the present the moment he got it. | ||||
| 分 | 分开 | 分不开 | to divide → to separate | 3 |
成功和努力是分不开的。Success and hard work cannot be separated. | ||||
| 离 | 离开 | 离不开 | to be apart from → to leave | 3 |
她的工作离不开电脑。She can’t do her job without a computer. 离开 is the everyday "leave"; 离不开 is "cannot do without". | ||||
| 切 | 切开 | 切不开 | to cut (with a knife) → to cut open | 3 |
这把刀太钝了，连西瓜都切不开。This knife is so blunt it won’t even cut a watermelon. | ||||
| 解 | 解开 | 解不开 | to untie → to undo | 4 |
绳子系得太紧，我解不开。The rope is tied too tight; I can’t undo it. | ||||
| 睁 | 睁开 | 睁不开 | to open (the eyes) → to get one’s eyes open | 4 |
太阳太亮了，我的眼睛都睁不开。The sun is so bright I can hardly open my eyes. | ||||
| 张 | 张开 | 张不开 | to open (mouth, arms) → to open wide | 4 |
请张开嘴，我看看你的牙。Open wide, please — let me look at your teeth. | ||||
| 躲 | 躲开 | 躲不开 | to hide, to dodge → to get out of the way | 4 |
车开得太快，他差点儿没躲开。The car was going so fast he barely got out of the way. | ||||
| 拧 | 拧开 | 拧不开 | to twist → to unscrew | 4 |
瓶盖太紧，你帮我拧开好吗？The lid is too tight — could you unscrew it for me? | ||||
| 剥 | 剥开 | 剥不开 | to peel → to peel open | 4 |
这个橘子的皮很薄，不容易剥开。This tangerine has a very thin skin and isn’t easy to peel. | ||||
| 掰 | 掰开 | 掰不开 | to break with the hands → to break apart | 5 |
他把馒头掰开，分给我一半。He broke the steamed bun in two and gave me half. | ||||
An adjective as the result
20 verbsAlmost any adjective can stand after a verb as its result, and this is where Chinese is at its most compact: 洗干净 "wash until clean", 吃饱 "eat until full", 问清楚 "ask until it is clear", 长大 "grow until big". The verb says what you did, the adjective what came of it, and English needs a phrase for what Chinese packs into two words. 错 "wrong" belongs here as well — 写错, 听错, 拿错 — but it has no potential form, since nobody is "unable to get it wrong": it is negated with 没 (我没听错, "I heard right") and so it is not in the table.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 吃 | 吃饱 | 吃不饱 | to eat → to eat one’s fill | 1 |
我吃饱了，谢谢，真的吃不下了。I’m full, thank you — I really can’t eat any more. 吃 takes almost every result there is: 吃完 "finish eating", 吃不下 "have no room for more", 吃不了 "cannot manage it". | ||||
| 洗 | 洗干净 | 洗不干净 | to wash → to wash clean | 2 |
吃饭以前要把手洗干净。Wash your hands properly before you eat. | ||||
| 问 | 问清楚 | 问不清楚 | to ask → to get a clear answer | 2 |
去之前最好先问清楚地址。Before you go, it’s best to check the exact address first. 清楚 goes with every verb of saying and perceiving: 我没听清楚 "I didn’t quite catch that". | ||||
| 打扫 | 打扫干净 | 打扫不干净 | to sweep, to clean → to get clean | 3 |
客人来之前，我们得把房间打扫干净。We have to get the place clean before the guests arrive. | ||||
| 刷 | 刷干净 | 刷不干净 | to brush, to scrub → to scrub clean | 3 |
锅底烧黑了，怎么刷也刷不干净。The bottom of the pan is burnt black; however hard I scrub, it won’t come clean. | ||||
| 数 | 数清 | 数不清 | to count → to count exactly | 3 |
夜里天上的星星多得数不清。At night there are more stars in the sky than anyone could count. Read shǔ as a verb; the noun "number" is shù. | ||||
| 叫 | 叫醒 | 叫不醒 | to call → to wake (somebody) | 3 |
明天早上六点叫醒我，好吗？Will you wake me at six tomorrow morning? | ||||
| 吵 | 吵醒 | 吵不醒 | to make a noise → to wake with noise | 3 |
小声一点儿，别把孩子吵醒了。Keep your voice down — don’t wake the baby. | ||||
| 晒 | 晒干 | 晒不干 | to put in the sun → to dry in the sun | 3 |
这几天一直下雨，衣服晒不干。It has been raining for days, and the washing won’t dry. | ||||
| 吹 | 吹干 | 吹不干 | to blow → to blow-dry | 3 |
头发吹干了再出去，外面很冷。Dry your hair before you go out — it’s cold outside. | ||||
| 煮 | 煮熟 | 煮不熟 | to boil → to cook through | 3 |
鸡蛋要煮十分钟才能煮熟。Eggs need ten minutes to cook through. 熟 "cooked, ripe" is often heard as shóu in everyday speech. | ||||
| 长 | 长大 | 长不大 | to grow → to grow up | 3 |
我是在农村长大的。I grew up in the countryside. Read zhǎng "grow"; as an adjective the same character is cháng "long". | ||||
| 解释 | 解释清楚 | 解释不清楚 | to explain → to explain clearly | 4 |
这个误会一时解释不清楚。This misunderstanding can’t be cleared up in a moment. | ||||
| 表达 | 表达清楚 | 表达不清楚 | to express → to put clearly | 4 |
我心里明白，可是用中文表达不清楚。I know what I mean, but I can’t put it clearly in Chinese. | ||||
| 绑 | 绑紧 | 绑不紧 | to tie up → to tie tightly | 4 |
箱子要绑紧，不然路上会掉下来。Tie the case on tightly, or it will fall off on the way. | ||||
| 填 | 填满 | 填不满 | to fill in → to fill up | 4 |
这个坑太大，一车土也填不满。This hole is so big that a whole lorryload of earth wouldn’t fill it. | ||||
| 照 | 照亮 | 照不亮 | to shine on → to light up | 4 |
这盏灯太暗了，照不亮整个房间。This lamp is too dim to light the whole room. | ||||
| 喂 | 喂饱 | 喂不饱 | to feed → to feed until full | 4 |
这只小狗怎么喂都喂不饱。However much you feed this puppy, it is never full. | ||||
| 养 | 养活 | 养不活 | to raise, to keep → to keep alive, to support | 4 |
这盆花很娇气，我总是养不活。This plant is very delicate; I never manage to keep it alive. | ||||
| 救 | 救活 | 救不活 | to rescue → to bring back to life | 4 |
医生们尽了全力，还是没能救活他。The doctors did everything they could, but they couldn’t save him. | ||||
shàng — closed, on, attained
15 verbs上 "up" as a result does three jobs. It closes: 关上, 锁上. It attaches: 穿上 "put on", 贴上 "stick on". And it reaches a goal that was hard to reach: 考上 "get into (a university)", 赶上 "make it in time", 跟上 "keep up". 赶不上火车, missing the train, is a sentence everybody needs. One relative has no potential form at all: 爱上 "fall in love with".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 关 | 关上 | 关不上 | to close → to shut (firmly) | 2 |
风太大了，窗户怎么也关不上。The wind is so strong the window just won’t shut. | ||||
| 穿 | 穿上 | 穿不上 | to wear → to put on | 2 |
去年的裤子今年已经穿不上了。Last year’s trousers don’t fit me any more. | ||||
| 戴 | 戴上 | 戴不上 | to wear (glasses, a hat) → to put on | 3 |
外面太阳很大，戴上帽子吧。The sun is strong outside — put a hat on. 穿 is for clothes and shoes, 戴 for everything worn on top: a hat, glasses, a watch, a mask. | ||||
| 考 | 考上 | 考不上 | to sit an exam → to get a place (by exam) | 3 |
她考上了一所很好的大学。She got into a very good university. | ||||
| 赶 | 赶上 | 赶不上 | to hurry → to catch, to make it in time | 3 |
快点儿走，不然赶不上末班车了。Hurry up, or we’ll miss the last bus. | ||||
| 追 | 追上 | 追不上 | to chase → to catch up with | 3 |
他跑得太快了，我追不上他。He runs too fast for me to catch him. | ||||
| 跟 | 跟上 | 跟不上 | to follow → to keep up with | 3 |
老师讲得太快，很多学生跟不上。The teacher goes too fast, and many of the students can’t keep up. | ||||
| 锁 | 锁上 | 锁不上 | to lock → to lock up | 3 |
出门的时候别忘了把门锁上。Don’t forget to lock the door when you go out. | ||||
| 联系 | 联系上 | 联系不上 | to contact → to get hold of | 3 |
我给他打了好几次电话，一直联系不上。I’ve called him several times and still can’t get hold of him. | ||||
| 帮 | 帮上 | 帮不上 | to help → to be of help | 3 |
这件事我真的帮不上忙，对不起。I really can’t help you with this — sorry. Almost always with 忙 after it: 帮不上忙, "be of no help". | ||||
| 贴 | 贴上 | 贴不上 | to stick → to stick on | 3 |
信封上要贴上邮票才能寄。An envelope needs a stamp on it before it can be posted. | ||||
| 挂 | 挂上 | 挂不上 | to hang → to hang up | 3 |
新窗帘已经挂上了，房间漂亮多了。The new curtains are up, and the room looks much nicer. | ||||
| 合 | 合上 | 合不上 | to close (a book, a lid) → to shut | 4 |
请大家合上书，我们听写。Close your books, everyone — it’s time for dictation. | ||||
| 闭 | 闭上 | 闭不上 | to close (the eyes, the mouth) → to shut | 4 |
闭上眼睛，慢慢地深呼吸。Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. | ||||
| 插 | 插上 | 插不上 | to insert → to plug in; to get (a word) in | 4 |
他们聊得太热闹，我一句话也插不上。They were chatting so eagerly that I couldn’t get a word in. | ||||
lái and qù — which way, seen from the speaker
12 verbsA verb of movement can take a direction after it, and the direction is measured from the speaker. 来 is towards me and 去 away from me: 进来 "come in" is said by someone inside, 进去 "go in" by someone outside. Between the verb and 来 or 去 a second direction can stand — 上, 下, 进, 出, 回, 过 — so that 挤进去 is "squeeze — in — away from me". Unstressed after the verb, 来 and 去 lose their tone (jìnlai, jìnqu); in the potential form they usually keep it (jìnbuqù).
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 进 | 进去 | 进不去 | to enter → to go in | 2 |
我忘了带钥匙，进不去了。I forgot my key and can’t get in. Said from inside, it is 进来: "come in". | ||||
| 出 | 出去 | 出不去 | to exit → to go out | 2 |
雨太大了，我们出不去。It’s raining too hard for us to go out. | ||||
| 回 | 回来 | 回不来 | to return → to come back | 2 |
今天加班，晚上七点以前回不来。I’m working late today and won’t be back before seven. | ||||
| 上 | 上去 | 上不去 | to go up → to get up (there) | 3 |
电梯坏了，奶奶家在十楼，她上不去。The lift is broken; Grandma lives on the tenth floor and can’t get up there. | ||||
| 下 | 下来 | 下不来 | to go down → to come down | 3 |
小猫爬到树上，下不来了。The kitten has climbed up the tree and can’t get down. | ||||
| 过 | 过来 | 过不来 | to cross → to come over, to get across | 3 |
桥修好以前，对面的车过不来。Until the bridge is repaired, cars from the other side can’t get across. | ||||
| 开 | 开过去 | 开不过去 | to drive → to drive through, to drive past | 3 |
这条路太窄，大车开不过去。This road is too narrow for big vehicles to get through. Two layers after the verb: the way (过, across) and the direction (去, away from the speaker). | ||||
| 挤 | 挤进去 | 挤不进去 | to squeeze → to squeeze in | 3 |
地铁里人太多，我根本挤不进去。The underground train was so packed I couldn’t squeeze on at all. | ||||
| 塞 | 塞进去 | 塞不进去 | to stuff → to stuff in | 4 |
箱子满了，这双鞋塞不进去。The case is full; this pair of shoes won’t go in. | ||||
| 要 | 要回来 | 要不回来 | to ask for → to get back | 4 |
借给他的钱，恐怕要不回来了。I’m afraid I’ll never get back the money I lent him. | ||||
| 赚 | 赚回来 | 赚不回来 | to earn → to earn back | 4 |
钱没了还能赚回来，身体坏了就难了。Lost money can be earned back; lost health is another matter. | ||||
| 钻 | 钻进去 | 钻不进去 | to burrow → to get through, to creep in | 4 |
洞太小了，猫钻不进去。The hole is too small for the cat to get through. | ||||
qǐlai — up, and back into mind
9 verbs起来 starts literally — 站起来 "stand up", 举起来 "lift up" — and moves into the mind: 想起来 is "it has come back to me", and 想不起来 the name on the tip of your tongue. It also gathers things together and puts them away (拼起来 "piece together", 藏起来 "hide away"), and after a verb with no object it can mark a beginning: 笑起来 "burst out laughing". That last use has no potential form. Keep all of these apart from 看起来 "it looks as if", which is a fixed phrase and not a result.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 想 | 想起来 | 想不起来 | to think → to recall | 2 |
他的名字我一下子想不起来了。For the moment I can’t think of his name. 想 has several results with meanings of their own: 想到 "think of", 想出来 "come up with", 想不开 "take something too hard", 想不通 "cannot see why". | ||||
| 爬 | 爬起来 | 爬不起来 | to crawl, to climb → to get up | 3 |
冬天早上太冷，我总是爬不起来。On winter mornings it’s so cold I can never drag myself out of bed. | ||||
| 举 | 举起来 | 举不起来 | to raise → to lift up | 3 |
这么重的箱子，你举得起来吗？A box that heavy — can you lift it above your head? | ||||
| 抬 | 抬起来 | 抬不起来 | to lift (together) → to lift up | 4 |
桌子太重，我们两个人都抬不起来。The table is so heavy that the two of us can’t lift it. | ||||
| 提 | 提起来 | 提不起来 | to lift (by a handle) → to pick up; to summon up | 4 |
最近太累了，做什么都提不起兴趣。I’ve been so tired lately that I can’t summon up interest in anything. With an object the two halves of 起来 usually move apart or the 来 drops: 提不起兴趣, 提不起兴趣来. | ||||
| 藏 | 藏起来 | 藏不起来 | to hide → to hide away | 4 |
孩子把糖藏起来了，不让妹妹看见。The boy hid the sweets so that his sister wouldn’t see them. | ||||
| 回忆 | 回忆起来 | 回忆不起来 | to recollect → to call to mind | 4 |
小时候的事，很多我都回忆不起来了。A lot of things from my childhood I can no longer call to mind. | ||||
| 拼 | 拼起来 | 拼不起来 | to piece together → to put together | 4 |
花瓶碎成这样，再也拼不起来了。With the vase smashed like this, it can never be put back together. | ||||
| 振作 | 振作起来 | 振作不起来 | to rouse oneself → to pull oneself together | 5 |
失败一次没关系，振作起来，再试一次。Failing once doesn’t matter — pull yourself together and try again. | ||||
chūlai — out, and out into the open
15 verbsLiterally 出来 brings something out towards the speaker: 拿出来, 拔出来. Far more often it says that something hidden has become known, or something new now exists: 认出来 "recognise", 猜出来 "guess right", 看出来 "be able to tell", 研究出来 "develop". English uses "out" in the same way — work out, find out, make out — and that is the easiest way to remember it. Keep it apart from 起来: you 想起来 what you once knew, and 想出来 what nobody knew before.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 认 | 认出来 | 认不出来 | to recognise → to know (somebody) again | 3 |
十年没见，她变得我都认不出来了。In ten years she had changed so much that I could hardly recognise her. | ||||
| 猜 | 猜出来 | 猜不出来 | to guess → to guess right | 3 |
你猜我给你买了什么？猜不出来吧？Guess what I’ve bought you! You can’t, can you? | ||||
| 算 | 算出来 | 算不出来 | to calculate → to work out | 3 |
这道数学题我算了半天也没算出来。I spent ages on this maths problem and still didn’t work it out. | ||||
| 尝 | 尝出来 | 尝不出来 | to taste → to tell by the taste | 3 |
汤里放了一点儿糖，你尝得出来吗？There’s a little sugar in the soup — can you taste it? | ||||
| 查 | 查出来 | 查不出来 | to check, to look up → to find out | 3 |
做了很多检查，医生还是查不出来是什么病。He had a great many tests, but the doctors still couldn’t find out what was wrong. | ||||
| 选 | 选出来 | 选不出来 | to choose → to pick out | 3 |
这么多颜色，我真选不出来。So many colours — I really can’t decide. | ||||
| 画 | 画出来 | 画不出来 | to draw, to paint → to get down on paper | 3 |
那天的风景太美了，我画不出来。The scenery that day was too beautiful for me to capture on paper. | ||||
| 背 | 背出来 | 背不出来 | to learn by heart → to recite from memory | 3 |
这首诗我小时候能背出来，现在忘了。As a child I could recite this poem; now I’ve forgotten it. Read bèi here; bēi is "carry on one’s back". | ||||
| 回答 | 回答出来 | 回答不出来 | to answer → to come up with the answer | 3 |
老师的问题太难，全班同学都回答不出来。The teacher’s question was so hard that nobody in the class could answer it. | ||||
| 挑 | 挑出来 | 挑不出来 | to pick → to single out | 4 |
她的作文写得很好，老师一个错都挑不出来。Her essay was so good that the teacher couldn’t find a single mistake. | ||||
| 翻译 | 翻译出来 | 翻译不出来 | to translate → to get across in translation | 4 |
这句话的味道很难翻译出来。The flavour of this sentence is very hard to get across in translation. | ||||
| 哭 | 哭出来 | 哭不出来 | to cry → to let the tears out | 4 |
想哭就哭出来吧，哭完会好受一些。If you want to cry, let it out — you’ll feel better afterwards. | ||||
| 拔 | 拔出来 | 拔不出来 | to pull (up) → to pull out | 4 |
钉子钉得太深，用钳子也拔不出来。The nail has gone in so deep that even pliers won’t pull it out. | ||||
| 研究 | 研究出来 | 研究不出来 | to research → to work out, to develop | 4 |
科学家花了十年才研究出来这种新药。It took the scientists ten years to develop this new medicine. | ||||
| 造 | 造出来 | 造不出来 | to make, to build → to produce | 4 |
这么小的零件，一般的工厂造不出来。An ordinary factory can’t produce parts this small. | ||||
xiàlai — down, and settling
13 verbs下来 brings things down and makes them stay. Literally: 摘下来 "take off", 撕下来 "tear off". Then it fixes something so that it remains: 拍下来 "get it on camera", 抄下来 "copy down", 定下来 "settle", 省下来 "put by". After an adjective it marks a change towards less: 安静下来 "quieten down", 慢下来 "slow down" — which is why it goes with "quiet" and "slow" and not with "loud" or "fast".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 停 | 停下来 | 停不下来 | to stop → to come to a stop | 2 |
这本小说太好看了，一开始看就停不下来。This novel is so good that once you start you can’t stop. | ||||
| 安静 | 安静下来 | 安静不下来 | to be quiet → to quieten down | 3 |
老师一进教室，学生们马上安静下来了。As soon as the teacher came in, the pupils went quiet. An adjective with 下来 marks a change towards less: quieter, calmer, slower, thinner. | ||||
| 拍 | 拍下来 | 拍不下来 | to take (a photo) → to capture on camera | 3 |
这么美的日落，快用手机拍下来！Such a beautiful sunset — quick, get it on your phone! | ||||
| 抄 | 抄下来 | 抄不下来 | to copy → to copy down | 3 |
老师写得太快，黑板上的字我抄不下来。The teacher writes so fast that I can’t copy down what’s on the board. | ||||
| 冷静 | 冷静下来 | 冷静不下来 | to be calm → to calm down | 4 |
你先冷静下来，我们再慢慢谈。Calm down first, and then we’ll talk it through. | ||||
| 定 | 定下来 | 定不下来 | to fix, to decide → to settle | 4 |
旅行的日期还定不下来，要看公司的安排。The dates for the trip can’t be fixed yet; it depends on how things are arranged at work. | ||||
| 撕 | 撕下来 | 撕不下来 | to tear → to tear off, to peel off | 4 |
价格标签贴得太牢，撕不下来。The price label is stuck on so firmly it won’t peel off. | ||||
| 摘 | 摘下来 | 摘不下来 | to pick, to take off → to take down, to remove | 4 |
手指肿了，戒指摘不下来。My finger has swollen, and the ring won’t come off. | ||||
| 降 | 降下来 | 降不下来 | to fall, to lower → to come down | 4 |
孩子发烧两天了，体温一直降不下来。The child has had a fever for two days, and the temperature just won’t come down. | ||||
| 瘦 | 瘦下来 | 瘦不下来 | to be thin → to slim down | 4 |
我每天跑步，可是怎么也瘦不下来。I run every day, but I just can’t lose weight. | ||||
| 省 | 省下来 | 省不下来 | to economise → to put aside | 4 |
她把省下来的钱都寄给了父母。She sent all the money she had saved to her parents. | ||||
| 存 | 存下来 | 存不下来 | to deposit, to store → to save up | 4 |
工资一大半交了房租，钱根本存不下来。Most of my pay goes on rent, so I can’t save anything at all. | ||||
| 慢 | 慢下来 | 慢不下来 | to be slow → to slow down | 4 |
生活节奏太快，很多人想慢下来也慢不下来。Life moves so fast that many people who want to slow down can’t. | ||||
xiàqu — on and on
10 verbs下去 can still mean "down and away" (咽下去, "swallow"), but mostly it says that an action already under way goes on: 说下去 "go on talking", 坚持下去 "keep at it". Its potential is the sound of somebody reaching their limit: 干不下去 "I can’t carry on in this job", 待不下去 "I can’t stay here a minute longer". It points forwards in time, where 下来 points to a result that stays.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 坚持 | 坚持下去 | 坚持不下去 | to persist → to keep going | 3 |
学外语最重要的是坚持下去。The most important thing in learning a language is to keep at it. After a verb 下去 usually means "go on doing": the action already under way continues. | ||||
| 等 | 等下去 | 等不下去 | to wait → to go on waiting | 3 |
已经等了一个小时了，我不想再等下去了。I’ve already waited an hour; I don’t want to wait any longer. | ||||
| 活 | 活下去 | 活不下去 | to live → to go on living, to survive | 4 |
没有水，植物活不下去。Without water, plants cannot survive. | ||||
| 干 | 干下去 | 干不下去 | to do (work) → to carry on (working) | 4 |
这份工作太累了，我真的干不下去了。This job is too exhausting — I really can’t carry on. Read gàn "do, work"; gān is "dry". | ||||
| 待 | 待下去 | 待不下去 | to stay → to stay on | 4 |
这里太吵了，我一分钟也待不下去。It’s so noisy here that I can’t stay another minute. Read dāi "stay"; dài is "treat", as in 对待. | ||||
| 咽 | 咽下去 | 咽不下去 | to swallow → to get down | 4 |
药片太大了，我咽不下去。The tablet is too big; I can’t swallow it. | ||||
| 继续 | 继续下去 | 继续不下去 | to continue → to carry on | 4 |
没有资金，这个项目恐怕继续不下去了。Without funding, I’m afraid the project can’t carry on. | ||||
| 演 | 演下去 | 演不下去 | to act, to perform → to keep up the act | 5 |
他的谎话被拆穿了，戏再也演不下去了。His lie has been exposed; he can’t keep up the act any longer. | ||||
| 进行 | 进行下去 | 进行不下去 | to carry out → to proceed | 5 |
双方意见差得太远，谈判进行不下去了。The two sides were too far apart for the negotiations to go on. | ||||
| 熬 | 熬下去 | 熬不下去 | to endure → to stick it out | 5 |
再熬一个月就毕业了，一定要熬下去。One more month and you’ll graduate — you have to stick it out. | ||||
guòlai and guòqu — across, round, through
11 verbsLiterally these two cross something: 跳过去 "jump over", 游过去 "swim across", 转过来 "turn round to face me". In their other sense 过来 is a return to the normal state — 醒过来 "come round", 缓过来 "get over it" — and 过去 is getting past an obstacle or a hard time: 挺过去 "pull through", 骗不过去 "it won’t fool anyone". 忙不过来, more work than one can cope with, is among the commonest of all.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 跳 | 跳过去 | 跳不过去 | to jump → to jump over, to jump across | 3 |
这条小河太宽了，我跳不过去。This stream is too wide for me to jump across. | ||||
| 游 | 游过去 | 游不过去 | to swim → to swim across | 3 |
河水太急，就算会游泳也游不过去。The current is so strong that even a good swimmer couldn’t get across. | ||||
| 忙 | 忙得过来 | 忙不过来 | to be busy → to cope with everything | 4 |
周末客人太多，店里三个人根本忙不过来。At weekends there are so many customers that three people in the shop can’t possibly cope. The plain form is hardly ever heard: this complement lives in the potential, so the second column holds 忙得过来. | ||||
| 醒 | 醒过来 | 醒不过来 | to wake → to come round | 4 |
手术后两个小时，他才醒过来。He only came round two hours after the operation. | ||||
| 反应 | 反应过来 | 反应不过来 | to react → to realise what is happening | 4 |
事情发生得太快，我还没反应过来就结束了。It all happened so fast that it was over before I knew what was going on. | ||||
| 转 | 转过来 | 转不过来 | to turn → to turn round | 4 |
请你转过来，让我看看后面。Turn round, please, so that I can look at the back. | ||||
| 骗 | 骗过去 | 骗不过去 | to deceive → to fool (somebody) and get away with it | 4 |
这种借口骗不过去，老师一听就知道。An excuse like that won’t fool anyone — the teacher will see through it the moment she hears it. | ||||
| 翻 | 翻过来 | 翻不过来 | to turn over → to turn the other way up | 4 |
饼的一面煎好了，把它翻过来。One side of the pancake is done — turn it over. | ||||
| 缓 | 缓过来 | 缓不过来 | to ease → to recover (from a shock) | 5 |
听到这个消息，她好半天才缓过来。When she heard the news, it was a long while before she recovered. | ||||
| 混 | 混过去 | 混不过去 | to muddle along → to get by unnoticed | 5 |
考试不复习是混不过去的。You won’t get through the exam without revising. | ||||
| 挺 | 挺过去 | 挺不过去 | to stand firm → to pull through | 5 |
最困难的时候已经挺过去了。The hardest time is behind us; we have pulled through. | ||||
liǎo — can it be done at all
12 verbsThe first of four families with no plain result. 了 "finish" appears only in the potential, and it asks the widest question: is it possible at all? 去不了 "I can’t go" — I have to work, I am ill, whatever the reason — and 受不了 "I can’t stand it". So the second column here holds the form with 得, 去得了. The character is the particle 了, but in this use it is always liǎo, never le. Two relatives live with it: 来得及 and 来不及 "in time" and "too late", built the same way with 及 "reach", and 错不了 "it can’t be wrong".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 去 | 去得了 | 去不了 | to go → to be able to go | 2 |
明天我要上班，你的生日聚会我去不了了。I have to work tomorrow, so I won’t be able to come to your birthday party. Read liǎo, never le: 去不了. The particle 了 can still follow it, as here. | ||||
| 来 | 来得及 | 来不及 | to come → to be in time | 2 |
电影七点开始，现在出发还来得及。The film starts at seven; if we leave now we’ll still make it. Not 了 but 及 "reach", built the same way. "I can’t come" is 来不了. | ||||
| 受 | 受得了 | 受不了 | to bear → to be able to stand | 3 |
这里的夏天又热又湿，我真受不了。Summers here are hot and humid — I really can’t stand it. | ||||
| 忘 | 忘得了 | 忘不了 | to forget → to be able to forget | 3 |
第一次来北京的那天，我永远忘不了。I’ll never forget the day I first came to Beijing. | ||||
| 参加 | 参加得了 | 参加不了 | to take part → to be able to take part | 3 |
我的脚受伤了，下周的比赛参加不了。I’ve hurt my foot, so I can’t play in next week’s match. | ||||
| 动 | 动得了 | 动不了 | to move → to be able to move | 3 |
昨天爬了一天山，今天腿疼得动不了。I climbed all day yesterday, and today my legs ache so much I can hardly move. | ||||
| 完成 | 完成得了 | 完成不了 | to complete → to be able to complete | 4 |
只给三天时间，这个任务根本完成不了。With only three days, this task simply can’t be done. | ||||
| 解决 | 解决得了 | 解决不了 | to solve → to be able to solve | 4 |
生气解决不了问题，我们好好谈谈吧。Getting angry won’t solve anything — let’s talk it over properly. | ||||
| 接受 | 接受得了 | 接受不了 | to accept → to be able to accept | 4 |
这么高的价格，一般人接受不了。Most people can’t accept a price that high. | ||||
| 原谅 | 原谅得了 | 原谅不了 | to forgive → to be able to forgive | 4 |
他骗了我这么多年，我实在原谅不了他。He deceived me for so many years that I simply can’t forgive him. | ||||
| 控制 | 控制得了 | 控制不了 | to control → to be able to control | 5 |
他一生气就控制不了自己。Once he gets angry, he can’t control himself. | ||||
| 承受 | 承受得了 | 承受不了 | to bear (a load) → to be able to withstand | 5 |
这座桥承受不了这么重的卡车。This bridge can’t take lorries that heavy. | ||||
dòng — can it be moved
11 verbsPotential only as well. 动 "move" asks whether there is strength enough to shift something: 拿不动 "too heavy to carry", 走不动 "too tired to walk on", 咬不动 "too tough to chew". It works on people too: 劝不动, they will not be talked round. Compare 走不了 "I can’t leave (for some reason)" with 走不动 "I can’t walk any further — my legs won’t".
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 拿 | 拿得动 | 拿不动 | to carry, to hold → to manage to carry | 3 |
箱子太重了，我一个人拿不动。The case is too heavy for me to carry on my own. | ||||
| 走 | 走得动 | 走不动 | to walk → to have the strength to walk | 3 |
爬了一上午的山，我实在走不动了。After a whole morning’s climbing, I really can’t walk another step. 走不动 is about strength; "I can’t go" for any other reason is 走不了. | ||||
| 搬 | 搬得动 | 搬不动 | to move (something heavy) → to be able to shift | 3 |
这台冰箱我们俩搬得动吗？Can the two of us shift this fridge? | ||||
| 推 | 推得动 | 推不动 | to push → to be able to push | 3 |
车在路上坏了，我一个人推不动。The car broke down on the road, and I can’t push it on my own. | ||||
| 咬 | 咬得动 | 咬不动 | to bite → to be able to bite through | 3 |
牛肉太硬了，爷爷咬不动。The beef is too tough for Grandpa to chew. | ||||
| 抱 | 抱得动 | 抱不动 | to hold in one’s arms → to be able to carry | 3 |
孩子长得真快，我已经抱不动他了。The boy is growing so fast that I can’t carry him any more. | ||||
| 骑 | 骑得动 | 骑不动 | to ride → to have the strength to ride | 4 |
坡太陡了，自行车骑不动，只好推着走。The hill is so steep I can’t ride up it; I’ll have to push the bike. | ||||
| 劝 | 劝得动 | 劝不动 | to advise, to urge → to talk round | 4 |
他决定辞职，家里谁也劝不动他。He has decided to resign, and nobody in his family can talk him out of it. 动 moves people too: 劝不动, 说不动 "cannot win them over". | ||||
| 扛 | 扛得动 | 扛不动 | to carry on one’s shoulder → to be able to shoulder | 4 |
这袋米有五十斤，你扛得动吗？This sack of rice weighs twenty-five kilos — can you get it on your shoulder? | ||||
| 拖 | 拖得动 | 拖不动 | to drag → to be able to drag | 4 |
行李箱的轮子坏了，拖不动。The wheels on the suitcase are broken; it won’t pull. | ||||
| 挪 | 挪得动 | 挪不动 | to shift → to be able to budge | 4 |
钢琴太重，四个人都挪不动。The piano is so heavy that even four people can’t budge it. | ||||
xià — is there room
7 verbsPotential only, and about space. 下 here asks whether a place is big enough to take something: 坐不下 "there are not enough seats", 放不下 "it will not fit", 吃不下 "I have no room for more". English says "fit" or "hold" and makes the place the subject; Chinese keeps the verb of what you want to do — sit, put, eat — and adds whether there is room for it. Not to be confused with 坐下 "sit down", which is a direction.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 坐 | 坐得下 | 坐不下 | to sit → to have room to seat | 2 |
这辆车坐不下六个人。Six people won’t fit in this car. Not "sit down" — that is 坐下 — but "is there room": 坐得下吗？ | ||||
| 放 | 放得下 | 放不下 | to put → to have room for; to let go | 3 |
房间太小，放不下两张床。The room is too small for two beds. Also of feelings: 放不下 "cannot let go of". | ||||
| 装 | 装得下 | 装不下 | to pack, to load → to hold | 3 |
我的包太小了，装不下电脑。My bag is too small to hold a laptop. | ||||
| 躺 | 躺得下 | 躺不下 | to lie down → to have room to lie down | 3 |
这张沙发太短，他个子高，躺不下。This sofa is too short; he is tall and can’t stretch out on it. | ||||
| 摆 | 摆得下 | 摆不下 | to set out → to have room to set out | 4 |
菜点得太多，桌子上都摆不下了。We ordered so many dishes that there’s no room for them on the table. | ||||
| 容 | 容得下 | 容不下 | to hold, to tolerate → to have room for; to put up with | 5 |
他心胸狭窄，容不下别人的意见。He is narrow-minded and can’t tolerate other people’s views. | ||||
| 盛 | 盛得下 | 盛不下 | to ladle into → to hold (of a bowl, a pot) | 5 |
这个碗太小，盛不下这么多汤。This bowl is too small to hold so much soup. Read chéng "fill (a bowl)"; shèng is "flourishing". | ||||
qǐ — can it be afforded
12 verbsPotential only, and mostly about money: 买不起 "cannot afford to buy", 住不起 "cannot afford to live there". From money it moves to standing and respect: 看不起 or 瞧不起 "look down on", 输不起 "a bad loser", 惹不起 "not someone to cross". The first apology anyone learns is one of them: 对不起, "cannot face you". Keep it apart from 买不到: there the money is there and the goods are not.
| Verb | With complement | Cannot (with bu) | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 买 | 买得起 | 买不起 | to buy → to be able to afford | 2 |
这块手表太贵了，我买不起。This watch is too expensive; I can’t afford it. | ||||
| 对 | 对得起 | 对不起 | to face → to do right by | 3 |
我一定好好学习，对得起父母的辛苦。I’ll study hard and be worthy of everything my parents have done. The everyday apology is this potential form: 对不起, literally "cannot face you". | ||||
| 住 | 住得起 | 住不起 | to live, to stay → to be able to afford to live (somewhere) | 3 |
市中心的房子太贵，年轻人住不起。Flats in the city centre are too expensive for young people to afford. | ||||
| 租 | 租得起 | 租不起 | to rent → to be able to afford the rent | 3 |
这么大的办公室，我们这样的小公司租不起。A small company like ours can’t afford an office this big. | ||||
| 付 | 付得起 | 付不起 | to pay → to be able to pay | 3 |
一年的学费这么高，很多家庭付不起。A year’s fees are so high that many families can’t pay them. | ||||
| 交 | 交得起 | 交不起 | to hand over, to pay (a bill) → to be able to pay | 4 |
他失业以后，连房租都交不起了。Since losing his job he can’t even pay the rent. | ||||
| 请 | 请得起 | 请不起 | to invite, to hire → to be able to afford (to hire) | 4 |
这么有名的律师，我们可请不起。We could never afford a lawyer that famous. | ||||
| 赔 | 赔得起 | 赔不起 | to pay compensation → to be able to pay for (damage) | 4 |
小心点儿，这个花瓶很贵，打碎了我们可赔不起。Careful — this vase is very expensive; if it breaks we could never pay for it. | ||||
| 输 | 输得起 | 输不起 | to lose → to be a good loser | 4 |
比赛有输有赢，别那么输不起。You win some, you lose some — don’t be such a bad loser. Not about money: 输不起 is somebody who cannot take losing. | ||||
| 瞧 | 瞧得起 | 瞧不起 | to look (colloquial) → to think well of | 4 |
别瞧不起别人，每个人都有自己的长处。Don’t look down on other people; everyone has their own strengths. The same as 看不起. Here 起 is not money but respect. | ||||
| 惹 | 惹得起 | 惹不起 | to provoke → to dare to cross | 5 |
他脾气很大，大家都说他惹不起。He has a fierce temper; everyone says he is not a man to cross. | ||||
| 担 | 担得起 | 担不起 | to carry, to take on → to be able to shoulder | 5 |
这么大的责任，我一个人担不起。I can’t shoulder so great a responsibility on my own. | ||||
Practise the complement and the potential form
One verb and its meaning, two forms to write: the verb with its complement, and the form with bu. Characters or pinyin both count, and spaces are forgiven, not penalised.