數量補語/数量补语 shùliàng bǔyǔ (Quantitative Complement)

Quantity Complements 2

Posted on by tiffany

Grammar Point:
数量补语 shùliàng bǔyǔ (Quantitative Complement) is also called the complement of quantity, which indicates the quantity, frequency, or duration of an action or state. In this article, we are going to talk about the frequency or quantity of an action or state. Chinese Duration Complement

Chinese Quantitative Complement

Duration Complements

Here, it’s important to note that duration and time are not the same. Duration refers to the length or span of time that an action takes, indicating whether the action happens continuously or repeatedly. It provides information about how long the action lasts.

S + V + Duration Complement

我们wǒmen休息xiūxi了le10 分钟fēnzhōng
We took a 10-minute break.

我wǒ已经yǐjīng在zài这zhè间jiān公司gōngsī待dāi了le17 年nián了le
I’ve been with this company for 17 years.

我wǒ去qù北京běijīng旅行lǚxíng了le9 天tiān
I traveled to Beijing for 9 days.

他们tāmen结婚jiéhūn7 年nián了le， 这是zhèshì最zuì重要zhòngyào的de一年yìnián
They have been married for 7 years, this is the most important year.

FYI
Hey, did you know there’s a Chinese idiom called 七年之痒 qīnián zhī yǎng? It’s like the “seven-year itch” in romantic relationships. According to this expression, after being together for about seven years, couples might start feeling a little restless or dissatisfied. It’s like a little tickle that makes them crave something new or exciting. This term is used to describe that moment in a long-term relationship when one or both partners might feel the need for a change or get tempted by other possibilities. So, if you have a Chinese partner, watch out for that “七年之痒 qīnián zhī yǎng”! 😉

Note:
When there is only “了1” in a sentence, it indicates that the action or event has been completed or finished. On the other hand, when there are “了2” in a sentence, it implies that the action started at a certain point in the past and continues until the present moment.

S + V + O + V + Duration Complement

我wǒ每个měige星期xīngqī学xué汉语hànyǔ学xué5 天tiān
I learn Chinese 5 days a week.

我wǒ看kàn这个zhège电视diànshì节目jiémù看kàn了le半年bànnián了le
I have been watching this TV program for half a year.

S + V + O (People) + Duration Complement

When the object in a sentence is a noun that refers to a person or a pronoun, it is typically placed before the complement of duration.

我wǒ等děng了le他tā半bàn个ge多duō小时xiǎoshí
I waited for him for more than half an hour.

妈妈māma照顾zhàogù了le孩子háizi一天yìtiān
Mom took care of the child for a day.

S + V + Duration Complement + (的) + O

When the verb in a sentence is a verb-object compound word, the complement can be placed between the verb and the object, and it can be used with or without 的 de.

他tā游yóu了le四十sìshí分钟fēnzhōng的de泳yǒng
He swam for 40 minutes.

爸爸bàba睡shuì了le3 个ge钟头zhōngtou的de觉jiào
Dad slept for 3 hours.

我wǒ只zhǐ看kàn了le1 分钟fēnzhōng中文zhōngwén， 就jiù想xiǎng睡觉shuìjiào了le
I only read 1 minute of Chinese, and then want to go to sleep.

Negation of the Duration Complements

Duration complement must be placed in front of negation words.

他tā得到dédào了leCovid， 所以suǒyǐ5 天tiān不能bùnéng来lái上班shàngbān
He got Covid, so he couldn’t come to work for 5 days.

我家wǒjiā水管shuǐguǎn坏huài了le， 所以suǒyǐ我家wǒjiā已经yǐjīng3 天tiān没有méiyǒu水shuǐ了le
My house plumbing is broken, so my house has been no water for 3 days.

Practice

TouchHover over the space to see the answers.

✔️ I’ve known Tiffany for 5 years.

我wǒ跟gēnTiffany 认识rènshi5 年nián了le

✔️ She has to go to the Internet for 8 hours a day.

她tā每天měitiān都dōu要yào上shàng8 个ge钟头zhōngtou的de网wǎng

✔️ She can’t be without internet for 10 minutes.

她tā不能bùnéng10 分钟fēnzhōng没有méiyǒu网络wǎngluò

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