离合词 líhécí — Separable Verbs 1
Words like 看病 kànbìng “see a doctor” and 上课 shàngkè “attend class” look like single verbs, but they’re secretly a Verb glued to an Object. This lesson covers the 8 most common ones, and the one rule you need to use them correctly.
These 8 words are really Verb + Object pairs travelling together. Most of the time you can just say them as one unit — but the moment you want to add something (like “already did it”), the two halves come apart, and something slides into the middle.
1Quick Reference
Each word is really two morphemes stuck together — a Verb half and an Object half.
| Word | Verb + Object | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 看病 kànbìng | 看 kàn “see” + 病 bìng “illness” | to see a doctor |
| 睡觉 shuìjiào | 睡 shuì “sleep” + 觉 jiào “a sleep” | to sleep |
| 说话 shuōhuà | 说 shuō “speak” + 话 huà “words” | to speak, to talk |
| 上课 shàngkè | 上 shàng “attend” + 课 kè “class” | to attend class |
| 下课 xiàkè | 下 xià “finish” + 课 kè “class” | class is over |
| 上班 shàngbān | 上 shàng “go to” + 班 bān “shift, work” | to go to work |
| 下班 xiàbān | 下 xià “leave” + 班 bān “shift, work” | to get off work |
| 生病 shēngbìng | 生 shēng “produce” + 病 bìng “illness” | to get sick |
2V and O Can Split — Descriptions of O Go Right Before It
Because these words are secretly Verb + Object, the two halves aren’t glued shut — you can always put something between them. The rule: whatever describes, counts, or marks the Object slots in right before the Object, while the Verb stays exactly where it is. Let’s look at four different kinds of “something.”
1. A word describing what kind of Object
中文 Zhōngwén “Chinese” describes what kind of class it is — it goes directly in front of 课 kè, right between the two halves of the word. The same slot also holds a question word when you’re asking about the Object instead of describing it: 上什么课 shàng shénme kè “what class are you taking?”
2. A measure word
场 cháng is the measure word for a “bout” or “episode” of something. 一场 “one bout” sits right before 病 bìng.
3. A duration with 的 de
A duration always needs 的 de right before the Object — 两个小时的 “two hours’ worth of” describes 班 bān the same way an adjective would.
4. Aspect markers attach to the Verb, not the Object
了 le marks that the action itself is completed — so it has to attach directly onto the Verb, not the Object. Since the Verb comes first, 了 le ends up sitting right between V and O. Two other little words work exactly the same way: 过 guò (has done before) and 着 zhe (is doing right now) — both describe the Verb’s aspect, so both attach to the Verb and land in the same middle slot.
3V vs VO — vs 睡觉
Some of these words also have a “Verb-only” form that works perfectly well on its own, with no Object at all. This matters most when you add a 补语 bǔyǔ (complement) — a word describing the result of the action, like 得很好 “very well.” A complement describes the Verb itself, so the Object can’t be sitting there at the same time.
The same logic explains 跑 pǎo vs 跑步 pǎobù: 跑 pǎo is the plain Verb, while 跑步 pǎobù is already Verb + Object. So the moment you want a complement describing the result of the action — like 得很快 “very fast” — the Object can’t be sitting there.
This is just the tip of the iceberg — for the fuller picture of how separable verbs work, see the site’s general overview: 離合詞 líhécí — Separable Verbs in Chinese →
4Common Mistake — Duration Goes in the Middle Too
The same insertion rule applies to “how long”: Verb + 了 le + Duration + 的 de + Object. You cannot tack the duration onto the very end.
5Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
Enjoyed this post? Buy me a coffee so I can keep writing more of these ☕
Support OneDotDot Chinese