Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 14

CEFR A2-B1

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Test yourself (20 questions)

Mandarin Resultative Complements: 看见, 吃完, 找到

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

A Mandarin verb often says only what you tried. A result word straight after it says how it came out: (kàn) is look, (kànjiàn) is see. The pair then works as one verb. The complements page introduces the four commonest; this page has the full set and the rules.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the result word.

  1. 我吃了。 (I've finished eating.)

    wǒ chī ___ liǎo 。 (I've finished eating.)

  2. 你说的话我没听。 (I didn't understand what you said.)

    nǐ shuō de huà wǒ méi tīng ___。 (I didn't understand what you said.)

  3. 我终于找工作了。 (I've finally found a job.)

    wǒ zhōng yú zhǎo ___ gōng zuò le 。 (I've finally found a job.)

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

the resultWhat do the colours mean?
找 zhǎo, look for → 找到 zhǎodào, find
TrySucceedPinyinEnglish
kànjiànlook → see
tīngdǒnglisten → understand
zhǎodàolook for → find
chīwáneat → finish eating
xuéhuìstudy → learn (can do it)

English often changes the verb (look, see); Mandarin keeps the verb and adds the result. The rest of the page is what follows from treating the pair as one verb.

On a table, a smiling blue bowl heaped with steaming porridge and berries, a spoon standing in it, beside a sleepy green bowl that has been eaten clean, the spoon resting inside and a few crumbs left.

还没吃 (hái méi chī): not eaten yet. 吃完了 (chīwán le): eaten up, all gone.

The common result words

the resultWhat do the colours mean?

A dozen result words do most of the work. Most are ordinary words in their own right; after a verb they report the outcome:

ResultExamplePinyinEnglish
kànwánfinish reading
zuòhǎoget done (properly)
mǎidàomanage to buy
tīngjiànhear
kàndǒngread and understand
xuéhuìlearn (to do it)
xiěcuòwrite wrongly
cāiduìguess right
jìzhùmemorise
rēngdiàothrow away
xǐ gānjìngwash clean

In sentences:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ zhōngyú zhǎodào gōngzuò le.I've finally found a job
。Wǒ jìzhù le tā de diànhuà hàomǎ.I've memorised his phone number
，。Duìbuqǐ, wǒ xiěcuò le nǐ de míngzi.Sorry, I wrote your name wrong

The result can also be a two-syllable word, as in (xǐ gānjìng), wash clean. The (bǎ) and (bèi) patterns lean on these: (wǒ bǎ yīfu xǐ gānjìng le), I washed the clothes clean.

见 (jiàn) or 到 (dào)?

the resultWhat do the colours mean?

For seeing and hearing, both work and mean the same in most sentences:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ kànjiàn tā le.I saw him
。Wǒ kàndào tā le.I saw him
？Nǐ tīngjiàn le ma?Did you hear that?

The difference is reach. (dào), "reach", works far beyond the senses: (zhǎodào), find; (mǎidào), manage to buy; (shōudào), receive. (jiàn) mostly stays with seeing and hearing.

了 (le) goes after the whole pair

the resultWhat do the colours mean?

The verb and its result are one unit, so nothing comes between them. (le), and usually the object, follow the pair:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ chīwán le.I've finished eating
。Tā zhǎodào le yàoshi.He found the keys
。Wǒ kànwán le nà běn shū.I've finished that book
。Wǒ xuéhuì le yóuyǒng.I've learnt to swim

Think of (chīwán) as a single verb, "finish eating". splits it, and no speaker does that.

没 (méi) for no result, and asking with 了没有 (le méiyǒu)

the result没 méi (no result)What do the colours mean?

A result that did not happen takes (méi) in front of the pair, and the (le) goes:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ méi kànjiàn tā.I didn't see him
。Wǒ méi tīngdǒng.I didn't understand
。Tā méi zhǎodào yàoshi.He didn't find the keys

(bù) does not go here: is wrong. It turns up before a pair mostly in conditions, where nothing has happened yet: ， (bú zuòwán zuòyè, jiù bù néng wán), if you don't finish your homework, you can't play.

To ask whether the result happened, add (ma), or (méiyǒu) after the (le):

HanziPinyinEnglish
？Nǐ tīngdǒng le ma?Did you understand?
？Nǐ zuòwán le méiyǒu?Have you finished?

The answer is the pair or its (méi) form: (zuòwán le), finished; (méi zuòwán), not yet.

Did or can: 没看见 (méi kànjiàn) or 看不见 (kàn bu jiàn)?

the result没 méi (no result)得 or 不 in the middle (can or can't)What do the colours mean?

Put (de) or (bu) between the verb and its result and the meaning changes from what happened to what is possible:

HanziPinyinEnglish
méi kànjiàndidn't see
kàn bu jiàncan't see (too far, too dark)
méi tīngdǒngdidn't understand
tīng bu dǒngcan't understand
tīng de dǒngcan understand

That middle or makes a potential complement, the next topic: potential complements. Resultative complements such as (kànjiàn) and the (kàn bu jiàn) form are on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Higher tier.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。 (le) goes after the whole pair
。。a result that didn't happen takes (méi)
。。 (méi) drops the (le)
。。for "I found them": (zhǎo) only looks, (zhǎodào) finds

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Say three things you finished today with (wán): … (wǒ kànwán le…).
  3. Then read potential complements, the "can" and "can't" forms.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Pick the result word.

  1. 我吃了。 (I've finished eating.)

    wǒ chī ___ liǎo 。 (I've finished eating.)

  2. 你说的话我没听。 (I didn't understand what you said.)

    nǐ shuō de huà wǒ méi tīng ___。 (I didn't understand what you said.)

  3. 我终于找工作了。 (I've finally found a job.)

    wǒ zhōng yú zhǎo ___ gōng zuò le 。 (I've finally found a job.)

  4. 我学游泳了。 (I've learnt to swim.)

    wǒ xué ___ yóu yǒng le 。 (I've learnt to swim.)

  5. 对不起，我写了你的名字。 (Sorry, I wrote your name wrong.)

    duì bu qǐ ， wǒ xiě ___ liǎo nǐ de míng zi 。 (Sorry, I wrote your name wrong.)

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. wǒ chī le wán fàn 。

  2. wǒ bú kàn jiàn tā 。

  3. zuó tiān wǒ bù zhǎo dào yào shi 。

Build the word

0/3

Build the verb with its result.

  1. find (look for + reach)

    Type pinyin or characters - tone marks optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. see (look + perceive)

    Type pinyin or characters - tone marks optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. memorise (remember + hold)

    Type pinyin or characters - tone marks optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/4

Did it happen, or is it about whether it can?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Matching

0/5

Match each verb to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a resultative complement in Mandarin?
A second word glued onto a verb to say what the action achieved: (kàn, look) + (jiàn) = (kànjiàn, see); (zhǎo, look for) + (dào) = (zhǎodào, find); (chī, eat) + (wán) = (chīwán, finish eating).
How do you negate a resultative complement?
With (méi), because the result did not happen: (wǒ méi zhǎodào), I didn't find it; (wǒ méi tīngdǒng), I didn't understand. The final (le) goes. (bù) belongs inside the 'can't' form instead: (zhǎo bu dào), can't find it.
Where does (le) go with a resultative complement?
After the whole verb + result pair, never between them: (wǒ chīwán le), I've finished eating. is wrong.
What is the difference between (kànjiàn) and (kàndào)?
For seeing, very little: (wǒ kànjiàn tā le) and (wǒ kàndào tā le) both mean I saw him. (dào) also works far beyond the senses, in (zhǎodào), find, and (mǎidào), manage to buy.
What is the difference between (méi kànjiàn) and (kàn bu jiàn)?
(méi kànjiàn) says it did not happen: I didn't see it. (kàn bu jiàn) says it cannot happen: I can't see it, it is too far or too dark. The second is a potential complement.