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 (lí hé cí), or separable word, which is a special group of verbs in Chinese that can be tricky to use. Even though they should be separated in a sentence grammatically, you still might see them show up together.

To help you understand separable words better, today 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, so it’s really an oxymoron.

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. (“him” is implied in this case)

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

他有困难，我们应该帮他的忙。(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(bāngzhù) under any circumstances. But, you can use one character of the word, like:

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

To determine if a word is separable or not, you can use this simpletrick: 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. Ultimately, the best way to learn them is through frequent practice and repetition.

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.

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

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

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

听到这个消息，她生起气来。(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:

他研究过这个问题。(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 problem 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, only 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 a separable word with momentum or quantifier complements, you can put the modifier between the two characters or repeat the verb in front.

我们照了半个小时相。(Wǒmen zhào le bàn ge xiǎoshí xiàng.)
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.

他一辈子结了三次婚。(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.

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

我跑步跑得满头是汗。(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 simply placed directly 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 quite a lively discussion.

4. Placement of objects

Directly adding an object after a separable word unfortunately isn’t 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.

你好像生她的气了。(Nǐ hǎoxiàng shēng tā de qì le.)
It seems like you are mad at her.

However, this rule does not apply to general verbs, so 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 of the most common separable words and 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 lose 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

We hope that through reading this article you’ve gained a deeper understanding of the proper use of 离合词(lí hé cí), which can be a challenging aspect of Chinese grammar. While it may create a lot of confusion at first, you can quickly get comfortable using them with consistent practice. This is a necessary step to achieving fluency, and you may be surprised just how natural your Chinese starts to sound when you start incorporating these words and phrases into your sentences.

Exercises

Choose the correct answer for each sentence.

1. Which one is correct?

A) 请你帮我介个绍她。
B) 请你帮我介绍她。
C) 请你帮我介一下绍她。

2. Which one is correct?

A）妈妈对孩子总有操不完的心。
B）妈妈总对孩子有操心。
C）妈妈操心孩子总不完。

3. Which one is correct?

A）这位女士结过三次婚。
B）这位女士结婚过三次。
C）这位女士结三次婚过。

4. Which one is correct?

A）他们想在学校表个演。
B）他们想表在学校演。
C）他们想在学校表演。

5. Which one is correct?

A) 他帮忙了我很多。
B) 他帮了我忙。
C) 他忙帮我了。

6. Which one is correct?

A）我已经请三次客了。
B）我请客了三次已经。
C）我已经请了客三次。

7. Which one is correct?

A）她每天散步都一会儿。
B）她每天都散一会儿步。
C）她都散每天步一会儿。

8. Which one is correct?

A）他跑满头是汗步。
B）他跑步满头是汗。
C）他跑步跑得满头是汗。

9. Which one is correct?

A) 这篇文章我修改了一次。
B) 这篇文章我修了一次改。
C) 我修这篇文章改了一次。

10. Which one is correct?

A）听到这个消息，妈妈生气来。
B）妈妈生气听到这个消息。
C）听到这个消息，妈妈生起气来。

Key：

1. B
2. A
3. A
4. C
5. B
6. A
7. B
8. C
9. A
10. C