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HSK 5 Complements of State: Verb or Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase
This lesson covers the HSK 5 complement of state formed by placing 得 after a verb or adjective and following it with a verb phrase. You will learn how this structure depicts the concrete outcome or observable state caused by an action or quality, how to handle verbs with objects, and how to distinguish this pattern from basic manner evaluations and adjacent complement structures.
听了那个幽默的故事，大家笑得流出了眼泪。
Here the action verb 笑 (to laugh) is followed by 得 and the verb phrase 流出了眼泪 (shed tears) to show the observable result of laughing.
× 他追公共汽车得喘不过气来。
Incorrect. The particle 得 cannot be placed directly after a noun object like 公共汽车. Repeat the verb 追 after the object as shown in the corrected sentence.
Corrected example: 他追公共汽车追得喘不过气来。
Read the full explanation and examples
What Does Verb/Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase Express?
In the HSK 5 grammar syllabus, Complements of State 2 introduces complex complements following the structural particle 得, beginning with the sub-pattern Verb or Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase. While earlier levels focus on using 得 with simple adjectives to evaluate how well or fast someone performs an action, this pattern uses a descriptive verb phrase after 得 to show what happens as a result of that action or state.
Instead of merely grading an action, the verb phrase after 得 paints a concrete picture of the state reached by the subject. You can often understand it in English as doing something or feeling a certain way to the point of doing something else. The main verb or adjective sets up the cause or initial condition, and the verb phrase after 得 describes the observable consequence or resulting state.
Pattern 1: Verb + 得 + Verb Phrase
When the main predicate before 得 is an action verb, the verb phrase following 得 describes the physical or behavioral state that the subject enters because of performing that action. The verb phrase after 得 is rarely a single bare verb; it typically includes a resultative or directional element, an object, an aspect marker like 了, or a potential complement that shows what the subject can or cannot do as a consequence.
听了那个幽默的故事，大家笑得流出了眼泪。
Here the action verb 笑 (to laugh) is followed by 得 and the verb phrase 流出了眼泪 (shed tears) to show the observable result of laughing.
A strict word-order rule applies here: the particle 得 must attach directly to the verb. It cannot be separated from the verb by an object, and it cannot take aspect particles like 了 or 过 directly before it. If the main verb has an object (including separable verb-object compounds), you must either repeat the verb after the object or move the object to the front of the clause before attaching 得.
他追公共汽车追得喘不过气来。
Because 追 (to chase) takes the object 公共汽车 (bus), the verb 追 is repeated before attaching 得 and the potential verb phrase 喘不过气来.
× 他追公共汽车得喘不过气来。
Incorrect. The particle 得 cannot be placed directly after a noun object like 公共汽车. Repeat the verb 追 after the object as shown in the corrected sentence.
Corrected example: 他追公共汽车追得喘不过气来。
Pattern 2: Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase
When the main predicate before 得 is an adjective—frequently describing a physical sensation, emotion, or workload such as累 (tired), 忙 (busy), 紧张 (nervous), 气 (angry), or 高兴 (happy)—the verb phrase after 得 illustrates the intensity of that quality by showing the behavior or reaction it triggers.
最近项目太多，经理忙得忘了吃午饭。
The adjective 忙 (busy) is followed by 得 and the verb phrase 忘了吃午饭 (forgot to eat lunch), illustrating how busy the manager was.
第一次上台发言，他紧张得说不出话来。
The verb phrase after 得 is a negative potential complement (说不出话来), which is very common when showing how a state blocks normal action.
看到录取通知书，妹妹高兴得跳了起来。
The adjective 高兴 (happy) leads into 得 plus the verb phrase 跳了起来 (jumped up), depicting an immediate physical reaction.
Distinguishing This Pattern from Neighbouring Complements
Because several Chinese complement structures use 得 or describe states, comparing this pattern with related structures helps clarify when to choose a verb phrase after 得:
- Versus Evaluative State/Manner Complements (Verb + 得 + Adjective Phrase, such as 跑得很快): Basic complements use an adjective phrase after 得 to evaluate habitual skill or manner (running fast). In contrast, Verb/Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase describes a specific resulting action or condition reached in a situation (running to the point of gasping for breath).
- Versus Subject-Predicate State Complements (Verb/Adjective + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase): In the verb-phrase pattern taught here, the implied performer of the verb phrase after 得 is normally the main subject of the sentence (for instance, the manager is busy and the manager forgets lunch). If a new subject is introduced after 得—such as 笑得肚子疼 (laughing until one's stomach hurts, where stomach is the subject of hurt)—it belongs to the subject-predicate complement pattern rather than the simple verb-phrase pattern.
- Versus Formulaic Degree Complements (such as 形容词/心理动词 + 得 + 不得了): Fixed degree expressions like 不得了 simply boost the abstract level of an adjective (extremely busy), whereas a verb phrase after 得 specifies the concrete behavioral consequence (busy to the point of forgetting to eat).
- Versus Extended Directional Complements (Verb/Adjective + 下来/下去/起来/过来/过去): Extended directional complements attach directly to a verb or adjective without 得 to mark an aspectual shift into or continuation of a state (such as 忙起来, starting to get busy). Only when a full verb phrase is used after 得 to illustrate the result of the state (such as 高兴得跳了起来) are both structures combined.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put 了 immediately before 得 to mark a completed event?
No: do not insert verbal 了 between the main verb or adjective and this structural 得; 笑了得流眼泪 is not the target pattern. Aspect markers can appear inside the complement, as in 流出了眼泪 or 忘了吃午饭. 了 marks aspect or a change of situation, not past tense by itself; time expressions and context locate the event in time.
How does negation work in the Verb/Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase structure?
Choose the scope of the negation. To describe an inability caused by the state, place it inside the complement: 紧张得说不出话来 means so nervous as to be unable to speak. To deny that the degree or result was reached, negate the larger predicate instead: 他并没有忙得忘了吃饭 means he was not so busy that he forgot to eat. These do not communicate the same claim.
Can the verb phrase after 得 be just a single one-character verb?
Generally no. The complement after 得 needs to form a complete descriptive verb phrase rather than a bare verb. It normally includes an object (忘了吃午饭), a directional or resultative complement with 了 (跳了起来), or a potential complement construction (说不出话来).
