HSK 4 Grammar
补语 — Degree & Potential Complements
Master the two key complement types at HSK 4: Degree Complements (程度补语) and Potential Complements (可能补语) with interactive exercises.
2
Types
4
Patterns
30+
Exercises
Complement Types at HSK 4 / 补语类型
程度补语 Degree
Degree Complements express the intensity or extent of an adjective or psychological verb. They answer "how much?" or "to what degree?" and are placed directly after the adjective or verb.
Adj / 心理V + 死了 / 得厉害 / 极了
可能补语 Potential
Potential Complements indicate whether an action can or cannot be accomplished. They use 得 (positive) or 不 (negative) inserted between the verb and the result complement 了 (liǎo).
V + 得了(liǎo) / V + 不了(liǎo)
Sentence Anatomy / 句子解剖
她
紧张
得
厉害
Subject 主语
Adj / Verb
Marker 得/不
Complement 补语
Subject + Adj/V + Marker + Complement
A. Degree Complement Patterns / 程度补语句型
Pattern A1
Adj + 死了
Extremely... / ...to death
今天热死了！
Jīntiān rè sǐ le!
It's boiling hot today!
考试以前我紧张死了。
Kǎoshì yǐqián wǒ jǐnzhāng sǐ le.
I was extremely nervous before the exam.
走了一天路，累死了。
Zǒu le yī tiān lù, lèi sǐ le.
Walked all day, absolutely exhausted.
✗ 今天热死。
✓ 今天热死了。
死了 is a fixed pair in this pattern. 了 cannot be omitted; without it the expression is incomplete.
Pattern A2
Adj/V + 得厉害
Terribly / severely
她紧张得厉害。
Tā jǐnzhāng de lìhai.
She is terribly nervous.
我的头疼得厉害。
Wǒ de tóu téng de lìhai.
My head hurts badly.
外面冷得厉害，多穿点儿。
Wàimiàn lěng de lìhai, duō chuān diǎnr.
It's terribly cold outside, put on more clothes.
✗ 她紧张厉害。
✓ 她紧张得厉害。
The structural particle 得 is required between the adjective/verb and 厉害. Without 得, the sentence is ungrammatical.
Pattern A3
Adj + 极了
Extremely / couldn't be more...
这个消息好极了！
Zhège xiāoxi hǎo jí le!
This news is wonderful!
听到这件事，她高兴极了。
Tīng dào zhè jiàn shì, tā gāoxìng jí le.
Hearing this, she was overjoyed.
B. Potential Complement Patterns / 可能补语句型
Pronunciation alert: In Potential Complements, 了 is pronounced liǎo (third tone), NOT le. It means "to finish / to manage / to be able to handle" and functions as a result complement. This is completely different from the aspect particle 了 (le).
Pattern B1
V + 得了 (de liǎo)
Can manage / able to handle
这些菜你们吃得了吗？
Zhèxiē cài nǐmen chī de liǎo ma?
Can you manage to eat all these dishes?
这个工作他一个人做得了。
Zhège gōngzuò tā yī gè rén zuò de liǎo.
He can handle this job by himself.
这么重的箱子你拿得了吗？
Zhème zhòng de xiāngzi nǐ ná de liǎo ma?
Can you carry such a heavy box?
Pattern B2
V + 不了 (bu liǎo)
Cannot manage / unable to handle
点了太多菜，我吃不了。
Diǎn le tài duō cài, wǒ chī bu liǎo.
Ordered too much food, I can't eat it all.
这么多东西一个人拿不了。
Zhème duō dōngxi yī gè rén ná bu liǎo.
One person can't carry so many things.
明天的会议我参加不了。
Míngtiān de huìyì wǒ cānjiā bu liǎo.
I can't make it to tomorrow's meeting.
✗ 这些菜我不吃了。 (means "I won't eat anymore" — different meaning!)
✓ 这些菜我吃不了。 (means "I can't eat this much")
不吃了 (bù chī le) means "deciding not to eat anymore" (volition). 吃不了 (chī bu liǎo) means "unable to finish eating" (ability). They have completely different meanings.
Sentence X-Ray / 句子透视
Click a word, then click a label to tag it. Identify every component in each sentence.
Click a word, then click a label to tag it. Tag all parts, then check.
Error Spotting / 纠错练习
Is this complement sentence correct or incorrect? Judge each sentence.
Comprehensive Quiz / 综合测试 (12 questions)
今天热！
死了 is a fixed degree complement pair. 了 cannot be omitted, and 得 is not used with 死了.
她紧张厉害。
The structural particle 得 links the adjective/verb to the degree complement 厉害. Do not confuse it with 的 (attributive) or 地 (adverbial).
这些菜我们吃。
V+不了(liǎo) is the Potential Complement meaning "cannot manage to finish." 不得 is not the correct form for this pattern.
Which sentence uses a Degree Complement correctly?
Adj+极了 is a correct degree complement pattern. 死 needs 了 after it; 得 needs a complement after it; and 极了 cannot precede the adjective.
What type of complement is used in: 我头疼得厉害？
得厉害 is a Degree Complement describing the intensity of the headache. It answers "how much does it hurt?" rather than indicating ability or result.
What type of complement is used in: 这么多我吃不了？
V+不了(liǎo) is a Potential Complement indicating the inability to accomplish the action. It answers "can you manage it?" not "how much?"
明天的会我参加。
"I can't make it to the meeting" uses V+不了(liǎo) to express inability. 没有 expresses "didn't" (past negation), which is a different meaning.
这个工作他一个人做。
"He can handle this job by himself" uses V+得了(liǎo), the positive form of the Potential Complement meaning "can manage."
Which sentence is INCORRECT?
她紧张厉害 is missing the structural particle 得. The correct form is 她紧张得厉害.
How is 了 (liǎo) different from 了 (le)?
了 (liǎo) is a verb meaning "to finish/manage" used as a result complement in V+得了/V+不了. 了 (le) is a particle marking completion or change of state.
这么重的箱子你拿吗？
"Can you carry it?" is a question using the positive V+得了(liǎo). The question particle 吗 makes it a yes/no question, so the positive form is used.
外面冷，别出去了。
Adj+得厉害 is the correct degree complement pattern meaning "terribly cold." 极 alone is incomplete (needs 了), and 厉害得 reverses the word order.
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