# State Complements with Subject-Predicate Phrases (HSK 5 Grammar) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5-state-complements-2-g047 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-5-g047 HSK levels: 5 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:58.887Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to use Verb/Adjective + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase in Mandarin Chinese to describe the resulting state or intensity of an action or quality. Grammar [HSK 5 · Sentence components › Complement › State complements 2](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5#hsk-5-g047) # HSK 5 State Complements with Subject-Predicate Phrases: Verb/Adjective + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase This lesson explains the HSK 5 state complement pattern where a verb or adjective is followed by 得 (de) and a complete subject-predicate phrase. You will learn how both verb-based and adjective-based predicates link to this complement, what relationships the internal subject can have to the main clause, and how to handle word order when an object is present. Main Subject Verb 得 Complement Subject Complement Predicate Example sentence 大家笑得肚子都疼了。 Dàjiā xiào de dùzi dōu téng le. Everyone laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt. Verb (笑) + 得 + subject-predicate phrase (肚子都疼了), where the internal subject is a body part belonging to the main subject. A common mistake × 他讲故事得孩子们都听入迷了。 Tā jiǎng gùshi de háizimen dōu tīng rùmí le. Intended: He told stories so well that the children were all fascinated. Incorrect: The particle 得 cannot be placed directly after the object 故事 (gùshi). See “他讲故事讲得孩子们都听入迷了。” for the correct verb-copying structure. Corrected example: 他讲故事讲得孩子们都听入迷了。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Role Does This State Complement Play? In the HSK Level 5 syllabus, one key subtype of State Complement 2 (状态补语2) is formed by placing 得 (de) immediately after a verb or an adjective, followed by a subject-predicate phrase (主谓短语). Grammatically, the entire segment after 得 acts as the complement of the main predicate. Instead of merely grading an action with a simple word like 'well' or 'fast', a subject-predicate complement paints a complete mini-scene that shows the observable state, consequence, or vivid extent produced by that action or quality. Because the complement contains its own internal subject and predicate, it can describe either a specific part of the main subject (such as a body part or possession) or a separate person or thing affected by the main predicate. ## Form 1: Verb + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase When the main predicate is a verb, the complement describes the state resulting from the action. The internal subject inside the complement often represents a body part of the main subject, or another participant who reacts to the action. Main Subject Verb 得 Complement Subject Complement Predicate 大家笑得肚子都疼了。 Dàjiā xiào de dùzi dōu téng le. Everyone laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt. Verb (笑) + 得 + subject-predicate phrase (肚子都疼了), where the internal subject is a body part belonging to the main subject. 他的演讲感染得观众纷纷落泪。 Tā de yǎnjiǎng gǎnrǎn de guānzhòng fēnfēn luòlèi. His speech moved the audience so much that they shed tears one after another. Verb (感染) + 得 + subject-predicate phrase (观众纷纷落泪), where the internal subject (观众) is the group affected by the main subject. In the first example, 肚子 (dùzi, stomach) is the internal subject of the complement, and 都疼了 (dōu téng le, started hurting) is its predicate; together they show the physical state caused by laughing. In the second example, the complement has its own distinct subject, 观众 (guānzhòng, the audience), showing how another group of people ended up behaving as a result of the speech. ## Form 2: Adjective + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase When the main predicate is an adjective, the subject-predicate complement illustrates how intense that state or quality is by showing its concrete consequence. The internal subject of the complement can be a separate entity in the environment or a fronted patient topic (such as a task or meal) that the main subject cannot handle. Main Subject Adjective 得 Complement Subject Complement Predicate 这几天经理忙得午饭也顾不上吃。 Zhè jǐ tiān jīnglǐ máng de wǔfàn yě gùbushàng chī. These past few days, the manager has been too busy even to make time for lunch. Adjective (忙) + 得 + subject-predicate phrase (午饭也顾不上吃), where 午饭 serves as the internal topic-subject of the complement. 外面热得知了直叫。 Wàimiàn rè de zhīliǎo zhí jiào. It is so hot outside that the cicadas are chirping nonstop. Adjective (热) + 得 + subject-predicate phrase (知了直叫), describing the environmental state caused by the heat. Here, 午饭也顾不上吃 (wǔfàn yě gùbushàng chī) functions as a subject-predicate structure inside the complement where 'lunch' acts as the internal subject-topic and 'cannot even manage to eat' is the predicate describing it. In the weather example, 知了直叫 (zhīliǎo zhí jiào, cicadas keep chirping) is a full clause with its own subject and verb, illustrating the state of the heat outdoors. ## Word Order and Position Restrictions Because 得 must attach directly to the verb or adjective stem, several strict word order rules apply in complete sentences: - No intervening object or aspect particle: You cannot place an object, 了 (le), 着 (zhe), or 过 (guo) between the verb/adjective and 得. - Verb-object handling: If the main verb takes an object, you must either repeat the verb after the object (Verb + Object + Verb + 得 + ...) or move the object to the front of the sentence or before the verb. - For the basic high-degree result pattern, start with the plain adjective, as in 忙得午饭也顾不上吃. This is clearer than adding a general intensifier redundantly. A complement does not automatically express a high degree in every 得 construction, so judge the complete sentence rather than applying a blanket ban to all modifiers. Main Subject Verb Object Verb 得 Complement Subject Complement Predicate × 他讲故事得孩子们都听入迷了。 Tā jiǎng gùshi de háizimen dōu tīng rùmí le. Intended: He told stories so well that the children were all fascinated. Incorrect: The particle 得 cannot be placed directly after the object 故事 (gùshi). See “他讲故事讲得孩子们都听入迷了。” for the correct verb-copying structure. Corrected example: 他讲故事讲得孩子们都听入迷了。 他讲故事讲得孩子们都听入迷了。 Tā jiǎng gùshi jiǎng de háizimen dōu tīng rùmí le. He told stories so well that the children were all fascinated. Correct replacement for “他讲故事得孩子们都听入迷了。”: The verb 讲 (jiǎng) is repeated after the object 故事 so that 得 attaches directly to the verb. ## Distinguishing Neighbouring Complement Types Learners often confuse this structure with closely related complement patterns. Comparing what follows the verb or adjective makes the boundaries clear: - Versus Verb/Adjective + 得 + Verb Phrase: In a verb-phrase state complement, the action after 得 shares the same implied subject as the main clause and has no separate noun phrase right after 得. In our pattern, a distinct internal subject (a body part, another person, or a fronted item) stands between 得 and the complement's predicate. - Versus Verb/Adjective + 得 + Fixed Phrase: Fixed-phrase state complements rely on idiomatic or four-character expressions after 得, whereas this pattern uses productive, freely combined subject-predicate clauses. - Versus Degree Complements (such as Adjective/Mental Verb + 得 + 不得了): Pure degree complements use fixed intensifiers like 不得了 (bùdéliǎo) solely to scale intensity ('extremely'), without depicting a concrete scene or a secondary subject's reaction. - Versus Extended Directional Complements (such as 下来, 下去, 起来): Directional complements express how a state begins, continues, or settles over time without using 得, whereas 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase depicts the resulting state through a full mini-clause. Quick check: Look immediately after 得. If you see a noun or pronoun acting as the subject of the following verb or adjective—and the whole clause describes the state resulting from the main predicate—you are dealing with Verb/Adjective + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I add 很 (hěn) before the adjective in 'Adjective + 得 + Subject-Predicate Phrase'?** Use the plain adjective in the basic pattern shown here: 忙得午饭也顾不上吃. You do not need 很 to link it to the subject. Avoid stacking an unnecessary general degree word; do not assume that every 得 complement has the same restrictions or inherently expresses a high degree. **Where does negation go in this structure?** It depends on the scope. A negative predicate inside the complement describes a negative result or inability, as in 忙得午饭也顾不上吃. Negating the larger predicate instead denies that the stated degree or result was reached: 他并没有笑得肚子疼 means he did not laugh to the point of a stomachache. These are different claims. **What kind of noun can be the subject inside the complement after 得?** It is usually a body part or attribute of the main subject (like 肚子, 'stomach'), another person or thing affected by the action (like 观众, 'audience'), or a patient noun phrase fronted as the topic of the complement (like 午饭, 'lunch'). **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 399](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=399) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)