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Separable Words in Chinese (离合词): Breaking Down the Complexity of the Language

In Chinese, you can use either “帮助” (bāngzhù) or “帮忙”(bāngmáng) to mean “help.” But, if you say “帮忙他” (bāngmáng tā) to say “help him”, your Chinese teacher will correct you. Only “帮助他” (bāngzhù tā) is correct.

“帮忙” (bāng máng) is a 离合词, or separable word, which is a special group of verbs in Chinese that can be tricky to use.

To help you understand separable words better, we will explore what they are, how to use them in a sentence, and how they differ from general verbs. (You can also check out more HSK grammar tutorial videos here.)

What is a 离合词?

In Chinese, there are certain “separable words” or “离合词” (lí hé cí) which can be used as a single word or as a phrase. The word “离” (lí) means separate and “合” (hé) means unite.

For instance, the word “帮忙” (bāngmáng) is a separable word consisting of two characters, “帮” (bāng) and “忙” (máng). Here’s an example of how to use it in a sentence:

他有困难,我们应该帮忙。 (Tā yǒu kùnnán, wŏmen yīnggāi bāngmáng.)
He is having some trouble, we should do (him) a favor. (the “him” is implied)

The two characters can also be used separately, for example:

他有困难,我们应该他的。(Tā yǒu kùnnán, wǒmen yīnggāi bāng tā de máng.)
He is having some trouble, we should do him a favor.

You cannot separate general verbs like “帮助” under any circumstances. But, you can use one character of the word, like:

我要他。 (wǒ yào bāng tā.)
I want to help him.

To determine if a word is separable or not, you can use a trick: the first character of a separable word usually indicates an action, and the second character is often a noun affected by the action. For instance:

  • 见面 (jiànmiàn) to meet,
  • 握手 (wòshǒu) to shake hands,
  • 跳舞 (tiàowǔ) to dance

These are all separable words. “见”(jiàn), “握”(wò), and “跳”(tiào) are verbs, while “面”(miàn), “手”(shǒu), and “舞”(wǔ) are nouns. However, this trick does not work for all separable words. Therefore, the best way to learn them is through frequent practice and study.

Separable Verbs VS. General Verbs

1. Placement of modifiers

Modifiers are typically placed between the two characters of a separable word. These modifiers can be:

  • auxiliary words like “着” (zhe), “了”(le), and “过”(guò)
  • momentum complements like “次”(cì)
  • quantifier complements like “一个小时”(yí ge xiǎoshí) and “三天”(sān tiān)
  • directional complements like “起来”(qǐlái), or “下去”(xiàqü)

n.b. we will revisit the use of momentum and quantifier complements in section 3.

我们。(Wǒmen jiàn guò miàn.)
We have met each other.

过两次。(Tā jié guò liǎng cì hūn.)
She has been married twice.

了一个小时。(Tā kàn le yí ge xiǎoshí shū.)
He read the book for an hour.

听到这个消息,她来。(tīng dào zhè ge xiāoxi, tā shēng qǐ qì lái.)
Upon hearing this news, she became angry.

In contrast, general verbs cannot be separated, but modifiers can be placed before or after them.

For example:

研究过这个问题。(Tā yánjiū guò zhè ge wèntí.)
He has studied this problem.

这篇文章我修改了三次。 (Zhè piān wénzhāng wǒ xiūgǎi le sān cì.)
I have revised this article three times.

这个问题我们商量了一上午。(Zhè ge wèntí wǒmen shāngliang le yí shàngwǔ.)
We discussed this item for a whole morning.

我们不能再合作下去了。(Wǒmen bù néng zài hézuòxiàqü le.)
We can’t cooperate anymore.

2. Verb duplication

To create the duplicated form of a separable word, simply repeat the first character, which is the verb. For example, if the word is “AB”, the duplicated form is “AAB”.

For example:

我想和你聊聊天儿。(Wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ liáo liáotiānr.)
I want to have a chat with you.

晚饭后我们出去散散步吧。(Wǎnfàn hòu wǒmen chūqü sàn sànbù ba.)
Let’s go for a walk after dinner.

However, if “AB” is a general verb, the duplicated form should be “ABAB”.

下课了,大家休息休息吧!(Xiàkè le, dàjiā xiūxi xiūxiba.)
Class is over, let’s take a break, everyone!

这个问题很复杂,我们需要讨论讨论再做决定。(Zhè ge wèntí hěn fùzá, wǒmen xǖyào tǎolùn tǎolùn zài zuò juédìng.)
It’s such a complicated problem that we need further discussion before making a decision.

3. Placement of complements

To modify separable words with momentum or quantifier complements,  you can put the modifier between the two characters or repeat the verb in front.

我们了半个小时。(Wǒmen zhào le bàn ge xiǎoshíxiàng.)
We spent half an hour taking photos.

我们照相照了半个小时。(Wǒmen zhàoxiàng zhào le
bàn ge xiǎoshí.)
We spent half an hour taking photos.

他一辈子了三次。(Tā yíbèizi jié le sān cì hūn.)
He got married three times in his whole life.

他一辈子结婚结了三次。(Tā yíbèizi jiéhūn jié le sān cì.)
He got married three times in his whole life.

However, state complements can only be expressed by repeating the first character of the separable word.

听课听得快睡着了。(Tā tīngkè tīng de kuài shuì zháo le.)
He nearly fell asleep listening to the lesson.

跑步跑得满头是汗。(Wǒ pǎobù pǎo de mǎn tóu shì hàn.)
I ran until there was sweat running down my face.

General verbs, on the other hand, can have various complements placed after them.

他们商量了一个小时。(Tāmen shāngliang le yí gè xiǎo shí.)
They discussed for an hour.

我们讨论得很热闹。(Wǒmen tǎolùn de hěn rènao.)
We were in a quite a lively discussion.

4. Placement of objects

Directly adding an object after a separable word is not allowed. Instead, you can introduce the object elsewhere in the sentence using a preposition or pronoun.

For example:

我今天下午和他见面。(Wǒ jīntiān xiàwǔ hé tā jiànmiàn.)
I will meet up with him this afternoon.

你应该向他道歉。(Nǐ yīnggāi xiàng tā dàoqiàn.)
You should apologize to him.

你好像她的了。(Nǐ hǎoxiàng shēng tā de qì le.)
It seems like you are angry with her.

However, this rule does not apply to general verbs, as you can add any object directly after them.

For example:

晚上8点我要收看一个电视节目。(Wǎnshang bā diǎn wǒ yào shōukàn yí ge diànshì jiémù.)
I am going to watch a TV show at 8 p.m.

我给你介绍一个新朋友吧。(Wǒ gěi nǐ jièshào yí ge xīn péngyou ba.)
Let me introduce a new friend to you.

Separable words list

Here is a list of some common separable words and common general verbs for you to study.

Separable words:

见面 (jiàn miàn)  
to meet
 睡觉 (shuì jiào)
to sleep
 散步 (sàn bù)
to take a walk
 洗澡 (xǐ zǎo)
to take a shower
 游泳 (yóu yǒng)  
to swim
 唱歌 (chàng gē)
to sing
 跳舞 (tiào wǔ)
to dance
 结婚 (jié hūn)
to get married
 吵架 (chǎo jià)
to quarrel
 打架 (dǎ jià)
to fight
 生气 (shēng qì)
to get angry
 发火 (fā huǒ)
to loose one’s temper
 鼓掌 (gǔ zhǎng)
to applaud
 聊天 (liáo tiān)
to chat
 操心 (cāo xīn)
to worry
 请假 (qǐng jià)
to ask for leave
 离婚 (lí hūn)
to divorce
 握手 (wò shǒu)
to shake hands
 听话 (tīng huà)
to listen to someone
 鞠躬 (jū gōng)
to bow
 请客 (qǐng kè)
to entertain
 吃亏 (chī kuī)
to suffer loss
 保密 (bǎo mì)
to keep secret
 捐款 (juān kuǎn)
to donate money
 住院 (zhù yuàn)
to be hospitalized
 留学 (liú xué)
to study abroad
  

General verbs:

介绍 (jiè shào)
to introduce
 表演 (biǎo yǎn)
to perform
 打扫 (dǎ sǎo)
to sweep
 收看 (shōu kàn)
to watch
 修理 (xiū lǐ)
to repair
 交谈 (jiāo tán)
to talk
 研究 (yán jiū)
to research
 讨论 (tǎo lùn)
to discuss
 访问 (fǎng wèn)
to interview
 商量 (shāng liang)
to consult
 修改 (xiū gǎi)
to revise
 检查 (jiǎn chá)
to check
 批评 (pī píng)
to criticize
 表扬 (biǎo yáng)
to praise
 学习 (xué xí)
to learn
 保护 (bǎo hù)
to protect
 宣传 (xuān chuán)
to propagate
   

By reading this article, you have hopefully gained an understanding of the proper usage of 离合词(líhé cí), which can be a challenging aspect of Chinese grammar. While it may seem confusing initially, with practice and study, you can become proficient in using these separable words. This is an essential step in improving your Chinese language skills and enhancing your ability to speak fluently.

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Spring Zhang

Spring Zhang (张云梦) earned her Master' s Degree from Beijing Language and Culture University in 2016. A 7- year studying experience majoring in Teaching Chinese as an International Language provided her with a solid and professional foundation as a Chinese teacher. During her time as a student, she also had 4-year experience teaching overseas students in universities, which makes her understand her students' difficulties better. She now lives in Singapore and she devotes herself to Chinese Language education.

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