可能补语 kěnéng bǔyǔ — Potential Complement 1
A potential complement tells you whether an action can happen — not whether it did. Put 得 de or 不 bù between a verb and its complement, and you’re no longer describing an outcome — you’re describing a possibility.
This is the first of three parts on 可能补语 kěnéng bǔyǔ. Here we start with the core pattern — verb + 得 de / 不 bù + another verb or adjective.
1 What Is a Potential Complement?
A 结果补语 jiéguǒ bǔyǔ (result complement) states a fact — what actually happened. A 可能补语 kěnéng bǔyǔ (potential complement) does something different: it states a possibility — whether an action can happen, regardless of whether it did. The structure is simple: just slot 得 de or 不 bù in between the verb and its result complement. Let’s put the two side by side.
V + 得 de / 不 bù + Verb / Adjective — built right onto the verb, so it’s always clear you’re talking about possibility.
2 The Structure
Here’s how it’s built, piece by piece:
| Verb | 得 de / 不 bù | Result Complement | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 听 tīng | 得 de | 清楚 qīngchu | = | 听得清楚 tīng de qīngchu — can hear clearly |
| 洗 xǐ | 不 bù | 干净 gānjìng | = | 洗不干净 xǐ bù gānjìng — can’t wash it clean |
| 吃 chī | 不 bù | 完 wán | = | 吃不完 chī bù wán — can’t finish eating |
Able To: V + 得 de + Result Complement
Objects in a sentence with a potential complement can land either right after the complement, or up at the front of the sentence.
Not Able To: V + 不 bù + Result Complement
3 V + 得 de / 不 bù + V / Adj — More Examples
These are some of the most common everyday potential complements — the result word can be a verb (like 到 dào or 懂 dǒng) or an adjective (like 干净 gānjìng or 饱 bǎo).
4 Can I Just Use 能 néng or 可以 kěyǐ Instead?
The answer is yes and no. People will still understand you if you say 能 néng or 可以 kěyǐ instead — but those words carry a lot of other jobs too, so the meaning isn’t always as sharp. A potential complement heads off that ambiguity. Take a sentence like 我不能看到 wǒ bù néng kàn dào — it can be read either of these two ways:
A
Maybe it’s dark, or something’s blocking the view — physically, you’re unable to see.
B
Or maybe you’re being told not to look — you have permission, but you’re choosing not to see.
A potential complement clears that up instantly: 看不到 kàn bú dào can only mean the first — physically unable to see. No ambiguity.
5 Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
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