Four useful result complements: 住, 開, 掉, and 錯
住 ♬, 開 ♬, 掉 ♬, and 錯 ♬ are common result complements. They come after verbs and show the result of the action.
| Complement | Core result | Common feeling |
|---|---|---|
| 住 ♬ | hold, keep, stop, or fix in place | something is held or kept |
| 開 ♬ | open, separate, or move apart | something becomes open or apart |
| 掉 ♬ | remove, lose, fall off, or disappear | something is gone |
| 錯 ♬ | wrongly; incorrectly | the action reaches the wrong result |
These complements are short, but they change the meaning of the verb clearly.
1. Verb + 住: hold or keep in place
住 ♬ after a verb often means the action successfully holds, keeps, stops, or fixes something in place.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verb + 住 | hold, keep, stop, or fix something successfully |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 請按住按鈕三秒。 ♬ | Please hold down the button for three seconds. |
| 他抓住欄杆了。 ♬ | He grabbed the railing. |
按住 means to press and keep pressing. 抓住 means to grab and successfully hold onto something.
2. 住 with memory or attention
住 can also be used with memory or attention. The result is that something stays in the mind or attention is held.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 我記住這個密碼了。 ♬ | I remembered this password. |
| 這個標題吸引住大家的注意力。 ♬ | This title held everyone’s attention. |
Here, 記住 means the information is kept in memory, and 吸引住 means attention is successfully held.
3. Verb + 開: open or separate
開 ♬ after a verb often means something opens, separates, moves apart, or spreads out as the result of the action.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verb + 開 | open, separate, move apart, or spread out |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 請打開附件。 ♬ | Please open the attachment. |
| 請把兩張桌子拉開。 ♬ | Please pull the two tables apart. |
打開 means to open something. 拉開 means to pull things apart or create distance.
4. 開 with abstract separation
開 can also show that ideas, responsibilities, or topics are separated clearly.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 請把兩個問題分開討論。 ♬ | Please discuss the two issues separately. |
| 這兩個概念要區分開。 ♬ | These two concepts need to be distinguished clearly. |
In these sentences, 分開 and 區分開 are not about physical distance. They show clear separation in thinking or discussion.
5. Verb + 掉: remove, lose, or disappear
掉 ♬ after a verb often means something is removed, lost, deleted, dropped, or gone as a result.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verb + 掉 | remove, lose, delete, drop, or make something disappear |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 舊檔案刪掉了。 ♬ | The old file was deleted. |
| 他把收據弄掉了。 ♬ | He lost the receipt. |
刪掉 means something is deleted. 弄掉 often means something is lost, dropped, or made to disappear by accident.
6. 掉 can mean removing something unwanted
掉 is also common when removing something unnecessary, old, extra, or unwanted.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 請把重複的句子刪掉。 ♬ | Please delete the repeated sentences. |
| 我把錯字改掉了。 ♬ | I corrected the typo. |
改掉 often means changing something so the old or wrong version is gone.
7. Verb + 錯: do something wrong
錯 ♬ after a verb means the action was done incorrectly, or the wrong item, place, time, or person was chosen.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verb + 錯 | do something incorrectly / choose the wrong target |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 我填錯日期了。 ♬ | I filled in the wrong date. |
| 他傳錯檔案了。 ♬ | He sent the wrong file. |
填錯 means the information filled in was wrong. 傳錯 means the wrong file, message, or target was sent.
8. 錯 can apply to many action types
錯 is especially useful when talking about mistakes in typing, choosing, reading, hearing, sending, or entering information.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 我聽錯名字了。 ♬ | I heard the name wrong. |
| 她走錯出口了。 ♬ | She went to the wrong exit. |
The complement 錯 makes the mistake part clear without adding a separate sentence.
9. Potential forms with these complements
These result complements can also appear in potential complements with 得 or 不. This shows whether the result can be reached.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 記得住 ♬ | can remember |
| 打不開 ♬ | cannot open |
| 改得掉 ♬ | can change and get rid of |
| 聽不錯 ♬ | cannot hear incorrectly; unlikely to mishear |
Some potential forms are common, while others depend heavily on context. For learners, start with common forms like 記得住 and 打不開.
10. Common mistakes
Choose the complement based on the result, not on the English translation. Also, do not leave out the result complement when it is needed for the meaning.
| Not natural | Natural Chinese |
|---|---|
| 請按按鈕三秒。 | 請按住按鈕三秒。 ♬ |
| 請把兩張桌子拉。 | 請把兩張桌子拉開。 ♬ |
| 我日期填了錯。 | 我填錯日期了。 ♬ |
The not-natural examples are only for comparison, so they do not need audio.
Quick choice guide
| Result you want | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hold or keep in place | 住 ♬ | 請按住按鈕。 ♬ |
| open or separate | 開 ♬ | 請打開附件。 ♬ |
| remove or lose | 掉 ♬ | 舊檔案刪掉了。 ♬ |
| wrong result | 錯 ♬ | 我填錯日期了。 ♬ |
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