Grammar > Chinese Verbs
Grammatical Functions of Chinese Verb (Verb Phrase)
A verb is a word indicating actions, behavior, mental activities, changes and developments, etc.A Chinese verb or verb phrase can be used as a subject(主语), a predicate(谓语), an object(宾语), an attributive(定语), an adverbial(状语) or a complement(补语) in the sentence.
1. As a subject (主语 Zhǔyǔ)
The subject is the person or thing that performs the action. It is the topic of the sentence.A verb or verb phrase can be used as a subject(主语) in the sentence, such as 喝茶, 走到学校 and 努力地工作 in the following sentences.
- Hēchá shì hěn yǒu jiǎngjiù de.喝茶是很有讲究的。Drinking tea is quite an art. 12789
- Zǒudào xuéxiào zhǐ yòng 10 fēnzhōng.走到学校只用10分钟。It only takes 10 minutes to get to school. 12790
- Nǔlì de gōngzuò jiù huì yǒu shōuhuò.努力地工作就会有收获。Working hard will be rewarding. 12791
2. As a predicate (谓语 Wèiyǔ)
The predicate is used to state the subject in a sentence.Verbs and verb phrases can be used as predicates, such as 听, 说, 学习, and 讨论 in the following sentences.
- Duìbùqǐ, wǒ gāngcái méi tīng. Nǐ shuōle shénme?对不起，我刚才没听。你说了什么？Sorry, I wasn't listening. What did you say? 12157
- Wǒ xuéxíle bù shǎo jìsuànjī zhīshì.我学习了不少计算机知识。I've learned a lot about computers. 10366
- Wǒmen tǎolùnle yàocǎo chá de yōudiǎn.我们讨论了药草茶的优点。We discussed the merits of herbal tea. 9957
3. As an object (宾语 Bīnyǔ)
The object in a sentence is the entity that is acted upon by the subject. It is usually placed after the verb.Instead of using a noun/pronoun as an object, some verbs can be followed by a verb as an object.
This type of verbs include:
进行（思考），准备（考试），希望（成为），从事（教育工作），开始（讨论），得以（通过），加以（说明），继续（工作），遭到（拒绝），受到（欢迎），etc.
Verb(Predicate) + Verb(Object) structure is used in the following sentences, like 开始 +讨论, 继续 +生活 and 受到 +欢迎.
- Wǒmen gāng kāishǐ tǎolùn.我们刚开始讨论。We just started to discuss. 12792
- Wǒ jiāng rúhé jìxù shēnghuó?我将如何继续生活？How will I continue to live? 12793
- Rúguǒ nǐ shìgè gēshǒu, nǐ huì shòudào huānyíng.如果你是个歌手，你会受到欢迎。If you are a singer, you will be welcomed. 12794
4. As an attributive (定语 Dìngyǔ)
In grammar, an attributive is a word or phrase that modifies the head noun.The particle "的" is the marker of the attributive.
In Chinese, the structure Verb + 的 can be used as an attributive to describe head noun, like 出售的, 学习的, and 喝的.
Please note: Verbs acting as attributives cannot be reduplicated.
- Yǐ chūshòu de shāngpǐn bùnéng tuìhuàn.已出售的商品不能退换。Items that have already been sold cannot be returned. 12797
- Wǒ méiyǒu zhǎodào xuéxí de dìfāng.我没有找到学习的地方。I did not find a place to study. 12796
- Wǒ xiǎng yào yīdiǎnr hē de dōngxī.我想要一点儿喝的东西。I want something to drink. 12795
5. As an adverbial (状语 Zhuàngyǔ)
Adverbial is the part of a sentence that we use to give more information about predicate.The particle 地 is the adverbial marker. The structure Verb + 地 can be used to modify predicate, like 感激地, 生气地, and 担心地 in the following example sentences.
Please note: Verbs acting as adverbials cannot be reduplicated.
- Tā gǎnjī de shōu xiàle qián.他感激地收下了钱。He accepted the money gratefully. 12798
- Wǒ shēngqì de zuò xiàlái.我生气地坐下来。I sat down angrily. 12800
- Wǒ dānxīn de kànzhe tāmen.我担心地看着他们。I looked worriedly at them. 12799
6. As a complement (补语 Bǔyǔ)
A complement is a sentence part used after a verb or an adjective that supplements the result, degree, tendency, likelihood, state, or quantity of the predicate.In Chinese, some verbs can be used after main verb as complement, such as 完, 懂, 见, 开, 上, 到, 给, 成, 出去, 进来, 起来, etc.
Verb(Predicate) + Verb(Complement) structure is used in the following sentences, like 写 +完, 跑了 +出去, and 听 +懂.
- Wǒ yǐjīng xiě wán zuòyèle.我已经写完作业了。I have already finished my homework. 12801
- Tā cóng jiàoshì lǐ pǎole chūqù.他从教室里跑了出去。He ran out of the classroom. 12802
- Wǒ tīng dǒngle tāmen shuō dehuà.我听懂了他们说的话。I understood what they said. 11836