Adjective Complements in Chinese

Overview

Adjective complements use the pattern Verb/Adjective + 得 + clause to express an extreme degree or resulting state: 忙得没时间吃饭 (so busy that there's no time to eat), 高兴得跳起来 (so happy that he jumped up). This is more expressive than simple 得 + adjective patterns, describing consequences of a state.

At the CEFR B1 level, this construction adds vivid, descriptive power to your Chinese. It answers the question "to what extent?" with a clause rather than a single adjective, creating more nuanced and colorful descriptions common in both spoken and written Chinese.

The pattern is essentially: "Subject is so [state] that [consequence]." The 得 links the cause (the adjective or verb) to the consequence (what happened as a result).

How It Works

Pattern: Adj/Verb + 得 + Consequent clause

Structure	Example	Meaning
Adj + 得 + clause	忙得没时间	so busy there's no time
Adj + 得 + V	高兴得跳起来	so happy, jumped up
V + 得 + Adj + clause	热得受不了	so hot, can't stand it

Common consequent patterns

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
...得不想动	...de bù xiǎng dòng	so...don't want to move
...得受不了	...de shòu bu liǎo	so...can't stand it
...得说不出话来	...de shuō bu chū huà lái	so...can't speak
...得睡不着	...de shuì bu zháo	so...can't fall asleep

Examples in Context

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Note
我忙得没时间吃饭。	Wǒ máng de méi shíjiān chī fàn.	I'm so busy I have no time to eat.	consequence
热得受不了。	Rè de shòu bu liǎo.	So hot I can't stand it.	extreme degree
他高兴得跳起来了。	Tā gāoxìng de tiào qǐlái le.	He was so happy he jumped up.	physical reaction
累得不想动。	Lèi de bù xiǎng dòng.	So tired I don't want to move.	result
她笑得停不下来。	Tā xiào de tíng bu xiàlái.	She laughed so hard she couldn't stop.	unstoppable
冷得发抖。	Lěng de fā dǒu.	So cold I'm shivering.	physical
紧张得说不出话来。	Jǐnzhāng de shuō bu chū huà lái.	So nervous I couldn't speak.	speech failure
吵得睡不着。	Chǎo de shuì bu zháo.	So noisy I can't sleep.	sleep disruption
难过得哭了。	Nánguò de kū le.	So sad that I cried.	emotional result
饿得肚子咕咕叫。	È de dùzi gūgū jiào.	So hungry my stomach is growling.	vivid description

Common Mistakes

Confusing simple 得 + adj with 得 + clause

• Wrong: Thinking 说得好 and 忙得没时间 are the same pattern
• Right: 说得好 = manner (speak well); 忙得没时间 = extent (so busy that...)
• Why: The first evaluates quality; the second describes a consequence of an extreme state.

Omitting 得 in consequent clauses

• Wrong: 忙没时间吃饭
• Right: 忙得没时间吃饭
• Why: 得 is the grammatical link between the state and its consequence; it cannot be omitted.

Using overly simple consequences

• Wrong: 高兴得很 (just means "very happy" -- same as 很高兴)
• Right: 高兴得跳起来 (so happy he jumped -- vivid consequence)
• Why: The power of this pattern comes from describing a specific, vivid consequence, not just restating "very."

Practice Tips

• Build a toolkit of vivid consequence clauses: 受不了, 说不出话来, 睡不着, 停不下来. These combine with many adjectives.
• Describe physical reactions to emotions: 高兴得... (so happy that...), 害怕得... (so scared that...), 生气得... (so angry that...).
• Practice by exaggerating: describe your day with 得 + consequence patterns for humor and expressiveness.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: 得 for Degree/Manner -- understand basic 得 patterns first