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An Extremely Useful Chinese Grammar Structure PotentialComplementBy Julie Tha Gyaw | Date: June 2nd, 2014 | Category: Chinese Language

Tng bu dng. .

Sad but true this is one of the first phrases I learned to say in Chinese, meaning I dont understandwhat youre saying.

I remember wondering, How is it possible for just three little syllables to mean all that?

I eventually started learning Chinese, and was looking forward to never using the phrase tng bu dngever again. But the idea of just three little syllables holding so much meaning continued to intrigue me.

When I reached my second year of college, the following exchange took place in my Chinese class:

.............................................................................................................................................

Dai Laoshi: Classmates, it is time to start speaking Chinese in a way that is not so basic.

Class: Awesome! Lets do it!

Dai Laoshi: We will begin by learning about potential complements.

Class: [Groan.] Sounds like complicated grammar.

Dai Laoshi: First we will learn the best way to say, Look for and can find, and Look for and cannotfind. Those are zho de do () and zho bu do (). Say it with me.

Class: Zho de do, zho bu do.

Dai Laoshi: Next we will learn to say, Can see by looking, and Cannot see by looking. Those are knde do () and kn bu do ().

.............................................................................................................................................

At that point, I began actually paying attention. Once again, I was struck by how much meaning waspacked into such short phrases. Before long, it dawned on me that tng bu dng is also a potentialcomplement phrase.

Soon, this (potentially) dry and boring grammatical concept became one of the many reasons why I loveChinese.

They take some getting used to, but once you get it and start using them, it's so much more fun thanalways relying on boring old k y () or nng () all the time. Besides, using potentialcomplements makes you feel like you have rock star Chinese!

I've written about some potential complements that are my favorite to use in conversation. Theyre myfavorite not only because they are just three little syllables packed with meaning, but also because these

particular ones are very useful in certain situations.

Ive grouped them into three categories (situations) for youshopping, dining, and story-telling.

Use these potential complement phrases when SHOPPING:

Mi bu q

This means "can't afford to buy" and can be helpful in a bargaining situation.

If a vendor quotes you a high price, you can scoff and say mi bu q. Although, the vendor might scoffback and say, Youre a foreigner! Of course you can afford it! N sh y g wi go rn, dng rn mide q! ()

You also hear this one a lot when people are talking about the high prices of real estate in China. So many people mi bu q fngzi (), or "cannot afford to buy a house."

Mi bu do (Unable to buy)

This describes a situation where you intend to buy something, but cannot because it's sold out or thestores are out of stock.

It's often the case that you mi bu do train tickets in China during a national holiday, because too manypeople are traveling at those times.

You can also use this phrase if you want to say, Money cannot buy happiness, which is qin mi bu do xng f ().

Chun bu shng

Many Western-sized people unfortunately have to putthis phrase to good use when trying to buy clothes orshoes in China.

It means cant put it on and you can use it to refer tothings that are too small to wear. I myself have hadmany occasions to use this phrase with shopassistants as I came out of a dressing room, handedthem back the clothes, and sadly said chun bushng.

Use these potential complement phrases when DINING:

Zu de xi

You use this phrase to talk about how many people can sit around a table.

If you have a large group of people eating together at a restaurant, youll discover that most Chinesebanquet-style round tables zu de xi ten people comfortably, and any more than twelve people isdefinitely zu bu xi ().

Ch bu xi

This one is so descriptive! It literally means cannot eat down, as if youre unable to swallow anotherbite, because your stomach is just too full.

This phrase is especially useful when youre at aChinese banquet or invited to someones home andsome well-meaning person is practically force-feedingyou yet ANOTHER bite of food.

Just say, W ch bu xi le! () They willget the message that youre busting at the seams.

Ch bu wn

This one is similar to the last one, but means cannotfinish eating.

In China, the host of a meal will traditionally prepareor order so much food that its ch bu wn.

If its just enough to ch de wn, and theres no food left on the table at the end of the meal, then thehost will probably start ordering more, assuming that everyone is still hungry.

Use these potential complement phrases for added drama in your STORYTELLING:

Shu bu lio

TweetTweet 0

This one means cant stand it.

If you want to tell someone about how something is driving you crazy and you just can't or couldn't take itfor one more second, then you can say, W shu bu lio le! ()

You can really add some drama by exaggerating the fourth tone of shu too.

I heard a neighbor use this phrase once when complaining very animatedly to building managementabout the noise levels coming from the floor above her.

Wng bu lio

If you cannot forget something, even if perhaps youd LIKE to forget it, then youre in a wng bu liosituation.

Theres something dramatic and romantic about the phrase, so there are several Chinese songs and atleast one movie that have the title wng bu lio.

If youre telling someone about something amazing that happened, you can say, Its forever etched intomy memory. W yng yun wng bu lio. (.)

Mng bu gu li

Okay, so this one is four syllables, not three, but Ithink it deserves to be on this list because we allexperience the feeling of mng bu gu li every nowand then: it means something like too busy tomanage or cant keep up with everything I have todo.

You can use this one when complaining to someoneabout your situation at work, or if you need aneffective way of asking for help with something. Justsay, Its too much for me to do on my own. W yge rn mng bu gu li. ().

What's next?Even though potential complement may seem like a boring concept at first, it's extremely important anduseful.

Once you learn its grammatical structure, you can instantly apply it to countless conversational situationsin everyday life. Plus, you'll start understanding lots of short phrases Chinese people throw at you,because potential complements are used everywhere!

We have an awesome video for you to dig deeper into this concept. Yangyang will show you throughseveral examples why it's wrong to translate "cannot" into "b hu ()" and "b nng ()" in manyreal life situations, and why potential complements are such a big deal.

Watch the video now:

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Baikaidi 4 days agoThis was very helpful! I've always wanted a complete list of these... How can I find more?

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Julie Tha Gyaw 3 days ago BaikaidiSo glad it's helpful for you! I'm not aware of any complete lists out there. Maybesomeone else knows of one? I do know that this topic is covered extensively in theGrammar Lessons section on Yoyo Chinese. 13 lessons are devoted to potentialcomplements, so it's a great place to start.

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CoreyInPDX 10 hours agoHi Julie, this is another great article, and caused me to start re-re-reviewing those grammarlessons :-) This particular fragment you wrote left me wanting to see the complete Chinesesentence: "zu de xi ten people comfortably"Would this be a good way to phrase a sentence using this phrase: "?

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Julie Tha Gyaw 8 hours ago CoreyInPDXThat's exactly right, Corey! And if you want to ask how many people can be seatedaround a table, you can ask "?"

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Dave Landis 3 days agoGreat article, Julie!

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Julie Tha Gyaw 3 days ago Dave LandisThanks, Dave!

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