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1 UNIT ONE A bb as a verb means to grasp and its grammatical function as a coverb (see Basic Chinese Unit 24) derives from this meaning. The subject of the sentence essentially takes the object, physically or metaphorically, and does something to it. In grammatical terms the effect of this is to move the object to the front of the verb. This leaves the space behind the verb to be occupied by the results of the action of the verb on the object. These results are expressed in the form of complements (See Basic Chinese Units 2 and 22). For example, or:!"#$%& ta bb beizi xj ganjìng le He washed the cup(s) (so that the cup(s) is/are clean).!"#$$%%( F ta bb beizi xj de ganganjìngjìng (de) He washed the cup(s) thoroughly/he gave the cup(s) a good wash (so that the cup(s) is/are completely clean). There are two important rules associated with the use of bb: () The object grasped by bb is generally of definite reference. In our example above, the object beizi must mean the cup(s). It may of course be given an explicit definite reference by the addition of a demonstrative, as in:!/!"#$%& ta bb nèi zhi/nèi xie beizi xj ganjìng le He washed that cup/those cups. But one cannot say: *!"#$%&'( ta bb yi gè beizi xj ganjìng le because! yi gè beizi is of indefinite reference.

2 (2) The verb must, as was implied above, be followed by a complement. In our example, the verb xj wash is complemented by the adjective gangjìng clean, without which the sentence would not be complete. One cannot say: *!"#$% ta bb nèi gè beizi xj The presence of a complement, especially a long one, in fact necessitates the shift of the object in the first place. One cannot say, for example: *!!""( ) ta xj de ganganjìngjìng (de) beizi While it is possible for the object to follow a verb with a simple complement:!"#$%&' ta xj ganjìng le nèi zhi beizi nonetheless it feels more natural and rhythmically more balanced to use bb. B There is a whole range of complements linked with the verb in bb sentences, and this makes the bb construction one of the most versatile in the Chinese language. In the examples given below, the complement in each case is shown in round brackets: () Result complements. These are either adjectives or verbs, which indicate the outcome of an action. gangjìng clean above is an example of an adjectival result complement. In English these verb-result complements are often translated as verbs which have an inherent process and result meaning (e.g. wash in the example above means wash clean ) and the same applies to most of the examples below. (See also Basic Chinese, Unit 22.)!"#$%&' xuésheng bb heibbn ca ganjìng le ( ganjìng clean ) The student cleaned the blackboard.!"#$%& siji bb qìche xiu hbo le ( hbo good ) The driver repaired his car. 2!"#$%&' ta bb nèi pian wénzhang xif wán le ( wán completed ) He has finished writing that essay.

3 !"#$%& ta bb chuanghu dou db kai le ( kai open ) She opened all the windows.!"#$%&' dìdi bb diànshìji nòng huài le ma ( huài bad ) Did my younger brother break the television set? ( )!" ta bb (ta de) shpu nòng zang le He got his hands dirty. Note: It can be seen from the above examples that in narrative statements or in questions that narrate the particle le, which usually signifies a changed state, is naturally associated with these result complements. If the verb used in the bb, apart from indicating an action, also possesses an inherent notion of result, le by itself may be sufficient to function as the complement:!"#$% ta bb chuanghu dou kai le She opened all the windows.!"#$ nj bb mén guan le ma Have you closed the door? (2) Location complements using zài phrases. (See Basic Chinese, Unit 2.)!"#$%& wp bb huàr guà zài qiáng shang (... zài...shang) I hung the picture on the wall.!"# $% mama bb huar cha zài huapíng li (... zài...li) Mother put the flowers in the vase.!"#$%&'( mèimei bb yasuìqián fàng zài zhfntou xià (... zài...xià) (My) younger sister put her new-year lucky money under (her) pillow. Note: In statements with location complements and other types of complements, the presence or absence of the particle le, may have a subtle change in meaning. For example, in!"#! mama bb huar cha zài huapíng li, the speaker, when narrating the incident, focuses on the action itself; whereas in 3

4 !"#$%& mama bb huar cha zài huapíng li le the emphasis is more on the result of the action and the fact that the flowers have now been (nicely) placed in the vase. (3) Direction indicators as complements. (See Basic Chinese, Unit 2.)!"# $% wp bb yifu fàng huí yiguì li qù le (... huí...qù) I put the clothes back into the wardrobe.!"#$%&'( bàba bb qián cún jìn yínháng li qù le (... jìn...qù) Father put the money in the bank.!"#$%& ta bb chá duan shàng lóu lái le (... shàng...lái) She carried the tea upstairs. (4) Duration and frequency complements. (See Basic Chinese, Unit 4.)!"#$%&' wp bb kèwén fùxí le libng biàn ( libng biàn frequency complement) I revised the text twice.!"#$%&'( chúshi bb ji kbo le yi gè xiboshí (! yi gè xiboshí duration complement) The cook roasted the chicken for an hour.!"#$%& wp bb tóufa shu le yixià ( yixià brief duration complement) I gave my hair a brush. Note: Brief duration may also be expressed by repeating the verb:!"#"$ wp bb tóufa shu le shu I gave my hair a brush. (5) chéng/ zuò treat...as, regard...as as complements. 4!"#$%&'() ta bb xuésheng dàng chéng zìjj de háizi ( chéng...) He treated his students as his own children.

5 !"#$%= tamen bb zhèi zhpng jiv jiào zuò máotái jiv ( zuò...) They call this kind of liquor Maotai.!"# $%&'()* zuòjia bb zìjj de zuòpjn fanyì chéng yingwén ( chéng...) The author translated his/her own works into English. (6) gfi give to as complement:!"#$%&'( yíma bb nèi píng xiangshuj sòng gfi wp ( gfi...) (My) aunt gave me that bottle of perfume.!"#$%&&' qjng nj bb zhèi feng xìn jiao gfi nj bàba ( gfi...) Please pass this letter to your father. (7) The manner/resultant state de phrase/clause as a complement. (See also Basic Chinese, Unit 22.) (a) Phrase: (b) Clause:!""#$%&'()* ljfàshi bb dìdi de tóufa jibn de tài dubn le ( de...) The barber cut (my) younger brother s hair too short.!"#$%&''(() ta bb zhèi gè wèntí jifshì de qingqingchvchv ( de...) He explained this problem extremely clearly.!"#$%&'()*+ ta bb zhèi jiàn shìqing bàn de dàjia dou mbnyì ( de...) She dealt with the problem to the satisfaction of everybody. C In imperative bb sentences, however, the particle le may sometimes be used with result complements simply to soften the tone. For example,!"#$ qjng bb dongxi fàng hbo (a normal request) Please put your things in order. Whereas!"#$% qjng bb dongxi fàng hbo le 5

6 has a condescending or persuasive tone and might be used by a mother to a child or a teacher to a pupil. le is not generally used in imperatives with complements of other types (e.g. direction, location, etc.). One says:!"#$%&' qjng dàjia bb zuòyè jiao shànglái Please all hand in your homework. / Would you all please hand in your homework.!"#$%&' qjng dàjia bb zhèngjiàn ná chulái Please take out your personal documents. / Would everyone please get out their personal papers.!"#$%& qjng bb laji dào zài zhèr Please tip your rubbish/litter here. But not usually: *!"#$%&' qjng bb laji dào zài zhèr le However, le and D zhe may sometimes be used as complements themselves in imperatives to indicate completion or continuation of the verb in question:!"#$ qjng bb dàngao chi le Please finish the cake.!"#$d qjng bb wp de dàyi ná zhe Please hold my coat. D When negating a bb, the negators ( ) méi(ypu) did not, have not (used in statements) and bié or bù yào do not (used in imperatives) are always placed before bb in the sentence:!"#$%& ta méiypu bb màozi dài shàng He didn t put his hat on.!"#$%& bié bb wp de dongxi gbo luàn le Don t mess up my things. 6 The bb in a statement or question usually expresses an action which has already been realized, and the negator (as above) is likely to be ( ) méi(ypu). However, bù may be used with it, where a condition is stated:

7 !"#$=!"#$%&'()*+ mvqin duì háizi shuo: nj bù bb jibkè chuan shàng, bié chu qù wánr Mother said to her child: If you don t put on your jacket, you mustn t (lit. don t) go out and play. E Modal verbs always precede the bb :!"#$%&'( nj bìxu bb wuzi shoushi ganjìng You must tidy up the room.!"#$%&&' mèimei bù kfn bb wánjù huán gfi jifjie The younger sister was not willing to return the toy to the elder sister. F Coverbal phrases and adverbials of manner generally precede bb. They may, however, follow the bb phrase, where emphasis is on them:!"#$%&'(() ta yòng daozi bb níngméng qie chéng yi piàn piàn She cut the lemon into slices with a knife. less usual:!"#$%&'(() ta bb níngméng yòng daozi qie chéng yi piàn piàn She cut the lemon into slices with a knife. Similarly:!"#$%& ta qingqing de bb dongxi fàng xià He put the things down quietly. less usual:!""#$%& ta bb dongxi qingqing de fàng xià He put the things down quietly. G Generally speaking, bb constructions indicate intentional manipulation as most of the above examples show. Occasionally, however, a bb construction may also indicate unintentional intervention or the result of it. To emphasize the accidental nature of the event, gfi may be optionally introduced before the main verb. For example:!( )! mèimei bb qúnzi (gfi) nòng zang le My younger sister dirtied her skirt. 7

8 ( ) ( ) dìdi méi(ypu) bb diànnbo (gfi) gbo huài My younger brother did not break the computer. Note: gbo and nòng, both meaning handle, are often used in association with complements indicating undesirable results. H We have seen that the object of bb normally has definite reference, but, if the speaker is making a factual or argumentative statement rather than recounting an incident, the object can refer to something generic or categorial, that is, to a category of things rather than the individual thing itself. For example,!"#$%&' ta bb xihóngshì kàn zuò shujgup She regards tomatoes as fruit.!"#$%& bié bb péngyou dàng chéng dírén Don t look upon your friends as enemies. Exercise. Rewrite the following sentences using the bb :!"#$%&' xiboháir db pò le bolichuang The child broke the window. 2!"#$%& xibo hóng shu le yixià tóufa Xiao Hong gave his hair a brush. 3!"# qjng chi zhèi xie yào Please take this medicine. 4!"#$%&'()* ta cóng yínháng li qv chu le nèi bj qiánlái She took the money out of the bank. 5!"#$%&'()* zhèi gè wèntí lboshi jifshì de hfn qingchu The teacher explained the problem very clearly. 6!"#$ %&'( nj de yifu wp fàng zài yiguì li le I put your clothes in the wardrobe. Exercise.2 Make bb sentences using the words and phrases below and translate the resulting sentences into English: 8 jibngyì fa gfi lboshi xuésheng 2 xj le yifu ta

9 3 hùshi dì gfi yàopiàn bìngrén 4!" liú zài jia li le wp yàoshi 5 xibotou jjngchá zhua zhù le 6 xiu hbo le siji qìche Exercise.3 The following Chinese sentences all contain errors. Make the necessary correction in each case:!"#$ xibohái bb beizi db The child broke the cup. 2!"#$%& lboshi bb shu zài zhuozi shang The teacher put the books on the table. 3!"#$% wp bb xìn bìxu xif wán I must finish writing the letter. 4!"#$%&'( ta bb shítou dào hbi li qù reng le She threw the stone into the sea. 5!"#$ chúshi bb ji shú/shóu le The cook roasted the chicken. 6!"#$% qjng bb ná hbo hupchepiào Please keep your train ticket safe. (lit. Please hold on to your train ticket.) 7!"#$%&' xibo lj bb yi gè pínggup chi le Xiao Li has eaten an apple. 8!"#$ ta bb shengcí jì le She remembered all the new words. 9!"#$% hùshi bb mén méi guan shàng The nurse didn t shut the door. 0!"#$%&'( qjng bb zhèi jiàn shì bù yào gàosu ta Please don t tell him about this. Exercise.4 Complete the Chinese sentences below with the appropriate complement in each case:!" ta bb qìche tíng chekù (location) She parked the car in the garage. 2!"# / huajiàng bb huar jiao le / (frequency) The gardener watered the flowers twice. 9

10 3!"#$ lbodàye bb chá dou he le (result) The old man drank all the tea. 4!"#$%& xibohupzi tì péngyou bb cài mbi le (direction) The young man came back with the food he had bought for his friend. 5!"##$ = nánháir bb xibo dìdi bei bèi (location) The boy carried his little brother on his back. 6!"# $ lbodàniáng bb xibo guniang dàng (result) The old woman treated the little girl as her own daughter. 7!"# / kuàijì bb qián shv le / (brief duration) The cashier counted the money. 8!"# ( ) chúshi bb cài zhv le ( ) (duration) It took the chef half an hour to prepare the dish. Exercise.5 Translate the following into Chinese, using the bb construction: Don t forget (your) keys. 2 He put the book back on the shelf. 3 I don t want to mix up my things with yours. 4 He also looked on me as a friend. 5 They made ( nòng) me furious. 6 I read her application five times. 7 He wrote the letter very long. 8 Would you like to leave your bag here? Exercise.6 Rewrite the following Chinese sentences as bb constructions, adding an appropriate adjective or verb complement (together with le in each case) to match the English: Example:!"#$ qingjiégong ma chuanghu The cleaners wiped the windows (clean). 0

11 Answer:!"#$%&'( qingjiégong bb chuanghu ma ganjìng le!" bàba xj qìche Father washed the car. 2!" mama liàng yifu Mother hung out the clothes to dry. 3!" yisheng yi bìngrén The doctor cured the patient. 4 /! xibo mao zhua/dbi lboshv The kitten caught the mouse. 5!"# wp péngyou zhv fàn My friend cooked the meal. 6! mèimei jiè shu (My) younger sister borrowed the books. 7!" mìshu jì xìn The secretary posted the letter. 8!"#$ xibo nánhái ca píxié The little boy brushed (his) leather shoes. Pattern and vocabulary drill. Translate the following imperatives into English, making sure that you understand the meaning of the result complement signified by the adjective hbo in good order in each case. Remember also that the meaning of the complement does not necessarily have to be translated separately each time. It may already be implicit in the meaning of the English verbs you choose to use: ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb diànnbo xiu hbo ( xiu repair ) 2 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb chuanghu guan hbo ( guan shut; close ) 3 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb che mén guan hbo 4 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb dàyi guà hbo ( guà hang up ) 5 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb yifu dié hbo ( dié fold up ) 6 ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb nèi bj qián cún hbo ( cún deposit ) 7 ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb nj de tóufa shu hbo ( shu comb ) 8 ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb zhèi jiàn shìqing bàn hbo ( bàn deal with; handle ) 9 ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb zhèi xie dongxi fàng hbo ( fàng put ) 0 ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb nj de bìng yi hbo ( yi cure; treat ) ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb wuzi shoushi hbo ( shoushi tidy up ) 2 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb níngméng qie hbo ( qie cut )

12 Pattern and vocabulary drill.2 In the model below a request is made and a third party carries out the request. Model: ( )! > qjng (nj) bb dàngao qie hbo ( qie cut ) (or )!"#$ ta bb dàngao qie hbo le ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb fángjian shoushí yixià ( shoushí tidy up ) (or )!"#$%& ta bb fángjian shoushí le yixià ( )!"#$ qjng (nj) bié bb diànnbo nòng huài ( nòng mishandle ) (or )!"#$ ta méi bb diànnbo nòng huài Describe in Chinese how a third party would be likely to carry out the following 2 requests. Deduce from the model whether le should be used and, if so, where it should be placed. Afterwards translate the description into English: 2 ( )!"#$$! qjng (nj) bb dàngao qie chéng yi kuài kuài ( qie cut ) 2 ( )!"#$%! qjng (nj) bié bb xíngli fàng zài nàr ( fàng put ) 3 ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb dàyi guà zài nàr ( guà hang up ) 4 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb màozi dài shàng ( dài put on (a hat) ) 5 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb dàyi chuan shàng ( chuan wear (clothes) ) 6 ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb chuanghu ca ganjìng ( ca wipe ) 7 ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb tóufa shu yixià ( shu comb ) 8 ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb yifu liàng chuqù ( liàng put out to dry ) 9 ( )!"#$%&! qjng (nj) bb nèi bj qián cún zài yínháng li ( cún deposit ) 0 ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb kèwén fùxí jj biàn ( fùxí revise; brush up ) ( )!"#$%! qjng (nj) bié bb nèi tiáo qúnzi nòng zang ( nòng mishandle ) 2 ( )!"#$%&! qjng (nj) bié bb nèi píng xiangshuj sòng gfi ta ( sòng give as a gift )

13 Pattern and vocabulary drill.3 The following sentences form pairs of opposites. Translate them into English making intelligent guesses if necessary. ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb chuanghu db kai ( db kai open ) ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb chuanghu guan shàng ( guan shut; close ) 2 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb chuanglián la kai ( la pull ) ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb chuanglián la shàng 3 ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb nèi bj qián cún jìnqù ( cún deposit (money) ) ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb nèi bj qián qv chulái ( qv take ) 4 ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb huàr guà qjlái ( guà hang up ) ( )!"#! qjng (nj) bb huàr qv xiàlái 5 ( )!"! qjng (nj) bb tóufa jibn dubn ( jibn cut (with a pair of scissors) ) ( )!"#$! qjng (nj) bb tóufa liú de cháng xie ( liú grow (hair) ) 6 ( )!! qjng (nj) bb ji kbo shóu ( kbo roast ) ( )!"#$( )! qjng (nj) bié bb ji kbo de tài shóu (le) Contrastive perspectives Have a try at translating the following sentences into Chinese, using the bb. All the verbs have been given in brackets and you only need to come up with the appropriate complements. A English sentences with verbs that have an inbuilt notion of result: I finished that book last night. ( kàn read ) 2 The boy ate all his dinner. ( chi eat ) 3 You have not drunk the whole bottle, have you? ( he drink ) 4 I have done the washing. ( xj wash ) 5 I have broken my watch. ( nòng mishandle ) 6 Can you fix the washing machine? ( xiu repair ) 7 If you stand too close to the fire, you ll scorch your trousers. ( kbo bake; roast ) ( jiao burnt ) 8 You ll crush that box if you sit on it. ( ya press; weigh down on ) 9 Can you undo this knot for me? ( jif untie ) ( jié knot ) 0 The athlete sprained his ankle. ( niv twist ) ( shang injured ) Note: huì + verb phrase + de can always be used to indicate future actions. 3

14 B English sentences, which require various complements in Chinese: Put that thing down! ( fàng put; place ) 2 Don t put your shoes on the table. 3 Where have you put my book? 4 Please don t put your head out of the window. ( sheng to stretch ) 5 They put their rubbish in the dustbin. ( dào dump; tip or diào throw away ) 6 Did you put the key back? 7 Can you put this sentence into Chinese? ( fanyì translate ) 8 Please put the clock back/on or forward an hour. ( bo move with a finger or hand ) (Note that in the complement here you need to use slow and quick.) 9 He left his umbrella on the train. ( là leave behind unwittingly ) 0 I ll leave the children at home. ( zhvnbèi prepare to / dbsuan plan to ) ( liú leave behind on purpose ) Don t leave the chairs outside. ( liú leave behind on purpose ) 2 Tidy up your things. ( shoushi tidy up or zhfnglj arrange; put in order ) 3 I have wrapped up all the presents. ( bao wrap ) 4 They polished off the whole cake. ( chi eat ) 5 I will wind up my lecture at 2 o clock. ( jibng deliver a lecture ) Note: It is normal to use zhvnbèi prepare to or dbsuan plan to to indicate future planned actions. 4