Quantitative complements in the Chinese language

Quantitative complements – which fall under the category of verbal complements (together with resulting complements and directional complements) – are used to quantify the action or state that the verb expresses.

These complements are divided into: complements of incidence, which specify how many times a particular action is taken; complements of length, which specifies the length of an action or a state expressed by the verb; and complements of extension, which quantifies the action derived from the verb.

The complement of incidence

The complement of incidence is used to indicate how many times a specific action is taken. The four most frequently used characters are:

次 (cì) “time”
遍 (biàn) “time”
趟 (tàng) / 回 (huí) “time”

Although all three express the meaning of “time”, these characters are used in different circumstances. 次 (cì) is normally used when an action is instantaneous and doesn’t last long; 遍 (biàn) is used when an action has a beginning and an end (from the first to the last time); 趟 (tàng) and 回 (huí) is used to indicate the number of trips that someone has made to or from a place.

With verbal complements, these are inserted to the right of the verb being referred to, as if substituting the direct object.

Here are some examples:

你去过几次中国？去过三次，我还去过两次澳门。
Nǐ qùguo jǐ cì Zhōngguó?Qùguo sān cì, wǒ hái qùguo liǎng cì Àomén.
How many times have you been to China? Three times and I’ve been to Macao two times.

你每个星期几次去卡塔尼塞塔？
Nǐ měi ge xīngqī jǐ cì qù Kǎtǎnísāitǎ?
How many times a week to you go to Caltanissetta?

《哈利波特》这本书我已经看了两遍了，但是我想再看一遍。
《Hā lì bōtè》 zhè běn shū wǒ yǐjing kànle liǎng biàn le, dànshì wǒ xiǎng zài kàn yī biàn.
I already read this Harry Potter book two times but I still want to read it another time.

上个星期我去了银行两趟。
Shàng ge xīngqī wǒ qù le yínháng liǎng tàng.
Last week I went to the bank two times.

今天我已经跑了两回超市。
Jīntiān wǒ yǐjing pǎole liǎng huí chāoshì.
Today I already ran to the supermarket two times.

A group of words, usually associated with movements or expressions of the body, are used within the complement of incident.

These words can be: 眼(yǎn) “eye/eyes”, which is associated with 瞪 (dèng) “to give a dirty look”, 瞥(piē) “take a a quick look” and 看 (kàn) “to look”; 拳 (quán) “punch”, which is associated with 打 (dǎ) “to strike”; 脚 (jiǎo) “foot”, which is associated with 踢 (tī) “to kick”; 声(shēng) “sound”, which is associated with 叫 (jiào) “to call”; 口 (kǒu) “mouth”, which is associated with 咬 (yǎo) “to bite”, 吃 (chī) “to eat” and 喝 (hē) “to drink”; 敲 (qiāo) “blow / to knock”, which is associated with 下 (xià) (this character is used with a nod of the head and quick actions) or 打 (dǎ); 阵 (zhèn) “gust / roar / burst / rumble / explosion”, which is associated with 下雨 (xiàyǔ) “to rain”, 刮风 (guāfēng) “to come” and 笑 (xiào) “to laugh”; 面 (miàn) “face”, which is associated with 见 (jiàn) “to see / to meet”.

Let’s look at a few examples:

我恨不得踢数学老师两脚，打他四拳。
Wǒ hènbude tī shùxué lǎoshī liǎng jiǎo, dǎ tā sì quán.
I can’t wait to give two kicks and four punches to the math teacher.

她问老师可不可以如厕，他看了一眼墙壁上的种，点了两下头。
Tā wèn lǎoshī kěbùkěyǐ rúcè, tā kànle yī̠ yǎn qiángbì shàng de zhǒng, diǎnle liǎng xiàtou.
She asked the teacher if she could go to the bathroom; he took a look at the clock on the wall and nodded yes two times.

请你敲两下门。
Qǐng nǐ qiāo liǎng xiàmén.
Please knock on the door twice.

Or

请你敲门两下。
Qǐng nǐ qiāo mén liǎng xià.
Please knock on the door twice.

我见过她一面。
Wǒ jiàn guo tā yī miàn.
I saw him once.

他叫了狗一声。
Tā jiàole gǒu yī shēng.
I called the dog once.

我笑了一阵。
Wǒ xiàole yị̄zhèn.
I had a laugh.

Whenever a verb holds up the completion of an incidence and, at the same time, a direct object can be doubled, in that case the object will follow the first occurrence of the verb while the completion of the incidence will follow the repetition of the verb. If a verb also requires an expectant particle (了 (le) and 过 (guo), for example), this is placed right after the repetition of the verb.

Here are a few examples:

昨天我吃匹萨吃了两口。
Zuótiān wǒ chī pǐsà chīle liạ̌ngkǒu.
Yesterday I ate pizza twice.

我妈妈叫我叫了四声。
Wǒ māma jiào wǒ jiàole sì shēng.
My mom called me four times.

邻居敲门口敲了两下。
Línjū qiāo ménkǒu qiāole liǎng xià.
The neighbors knocked twice in the gate.

我的老师去台湾去过很多次。
Wǒ de lǎoshī qù Táiwān qùguo hěn duōcì.
My teacher went to Taiwan many times.

When the object is indefinite or we find a verb with an apparent object, like 结婚 (jiéhūn) “to marry” and 离婚 (líhūn) “to separate”, the completion of the incidence must follow the verb and not the apparent object whatever it might be.

Here are two examples:

我太太的朋友结过两次婚，也离过两次婚。今年夏天他再结一次。
Wǒ tàitai de péngyou jiéguo liǎng cì hūn, yě líguo liǎng cì hūn. Jīnnián xiàtiān tā zài jié yị̄cì.
My friend’s wife was married twice and also divorced twice. This summer she’ll get married another time.

我叫了好几声《救命》。 (Oggetto indefinito)
Wǒ jiàole hạ̌ojǐ shēng《jiùmìng》.
I called “help” several times.

The complement of duration

The complement of duration specifies the continuation of the action or state expressed by the verb.

Let’s look at a few examples:

妈，这些钱够我花只一天！
Mā, zhèxiē qián gòu wǒ huā zhǐ yī tiān!
Mamma, this money is only enough for one day!

这本小说够你看一个月。
Zhè běn xiǎoshuō gòu nǐ kàn yī gè yuè.
This novel will be enough to keep you for a month.

我妈妈的朋友的小狗病了两个星期了。
Wǒ māma de péngyou de xiǎo gǒu bìngle liǎng gè xīngqī le.
My mother’s friend’s puppy is sick for two weeks.

我妈妈的朋友的小狗病了两个星期。
Wǒ māma de péngyou de xiǎo gǒu bìngle liǎng gè xīngqī.
My mother’s friend’s puppy has been sick for two weeks.

Within a complement of length, when the particle 了 (le) takes on a perfect aspect being placed immediately to the right of the verb, specifying that the action has been completed, it indicates that the action continued for a specified period of time.

Here are a few examples:

我的朋友在游泳池游了一个小时。
Wǒ de péngyou zài yóuyǒngchí yóule yī gè xiǎoshí.
My friend swam in the pool for an hour.

妈妈在厨房里做饭做了两个小时。
Māma zài chúfáng lǐ zuòfàn zuòle liǎng gè xiǎoshí.
My mom cooked in the kitchen for two hours.

老师教我们教了中文三个小时。
Lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen jiāole Zhōngwén sān gè xiǎoshí.
The teacher taught Chinese for three hours.

The modal 了 particle can be inserted at the end of the phrase to indicate that the action has continued until indicated.

Here are a few examples:

她在这里吃两个小时了。
Tā zài zhèlǐ chī liǎng gè xiǎoshí le.
She’s been eating here for two hours.

毛文老师在家里画画儿五个小时了。
Máo Wén lǎoshī zài jiālǐ huàhuàr wǔ gè xiǎoshí le.
Professor Mao Wen has been painting at home for five hours.

爸爸在那家公司工作十年了。
Bàba zài nà jiā gōngsī gōngzuò shí nián le.
My father has been working for that company for ten years.

When, within a complement of duration, there’s both the perfect 了 and the modal 了, it means that the action has gone on until the specified period of time mentioned and also the future.

Here are some examples:

妈妈在家乐福工作了六年了。
Māma zàijiā lè fú gōngzuòle liù nián le.
My mom has been working at Carrefour for six years (indicating that she will still be working there).

我今天学了十个小时了。
Wǒ jīntiān xuéle shí gè xiǎoshí le.
Today I’m studying for ten hours (I’ll keep studying).

As we’ve seen, the eventual object in the phrase shows up to the right of the verb that is then repeated; the complement of duration follows the repetition of the verb.

我看这本小说看一个小时了。
Wǒ kàn zhè běn xiǎoshuō kàn yī gè xiǎoshí le.
I’m reading this novel for an hour.

Nevertheless, there are another two ways to build a phrase with a complement of duration when there’s also an object.

The first is very simple: the verb is followed by the object and then by the complement of duration according to the sequence Verb – Object – Complement of duration.

Here’s an example:

我等了你半天了。
Wǒ děngle nǐ bàntiān le.
I’m waiting for you for half a day (I’ll keep waiting).

The second method is just as simple: the verb is followed by the completion of duration, then the determination 的 (de) and lastly the object. In this way, the complement of duration almost becomes decisive.

Here are two examples:

我吃了一个小时的匹萨。
Wǒ chīle yī gè xiǎoshí de pǐsà.
I ate pizza for an hour.

我的朋友等二十分钟的公共汽车以后，才回家了。
Wǒ de péngyou děng èrshí fēnzhōng de gōnggòng qìchē yǐhòu, cái huíjiā le.
My friend came home only after waiting for the bus for twenty minutes.

The question “for how long / how long” is made 多久 (duō jiǔ) or 多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān).

Let’s see a few examples:

你开汽车开了多久了？
Nǐ kāi qìchē kāile duō jiǔ le?
For how long have you been driving?

你学了多长时间的中文了？
Nǐ xuéle duō cháng shíjiān de Zhōngwén le?
For how long are you learning Chinese?

爸爸回家了多久了？
Bàba huíjiāle duō jiǔ le?
How long has dad been home?

你在中国住了多长时间？
Nǐ zài Zhōngguó zhùle duō cháng shíjiān?
How long have you been lining in China?

他的中国朋友在意大利待了多久？
Tā de Zhōngguó péngyou zài Yìdàlì dàile duō jiǔ?
How long did his friend stop in Italy?

妈妈认识爸爸认识了多长时间了？
Māma rènshi bàba rènshile duō cháng shíjiān le?
For how long does mom know dad?

The complement of extension

The complement of extension “measures” the action described by the principal verb. If we find a predicative adjective, the complement of extension specifies a difference.

Here are a few examples:

老师的儿子长了二十个厘米。
Lǎoshī de érzi chángle èrshí ge límǐ.
The teacher’s son grew twenty centimeters.

韩国女人的裙子短十个厘米。
Hánguó nǚrén de qúnzi duǎn shí gè límǐ.
The Koreans’ skirts are ten centimeters shorter.

(In this phrase a difference is specified because there isn’t a verb but a predicative adjective 短).

我昨天看的书比今天看的多两百页。
Wǒ zuótiān kàn de shū bǐ jīntiān kàn de duō liǎngbǎi yè.
The book I read yesterday has two hundred pages more than the one I read today.

我今天吃的苹果比昨天吃的大一倍。
Wǒ jīntiān chī de píngguǒ bǐ zuótiān chī de dàyī bèi.
The apple that I ate today is twice the size of the one which I ate yesterday.

Indefinite extensions are specified through the forms 一点点 (yī diạ̌ndiǎn), 一点儿 (yī diǎnr), 一点 (yī diǎn), 一些 (yī xiē), all translated as “a little’”.

Here are a few examples:

我要买一件大一点的衣服。
Wǒ yào mǎi yī jiàn dà yī diǎn de yīfu.
I want to buy a suit that’s a little bigger.

以前他不喜欢学习，现在他喜欢一些了。
Yǐqián tā bù xǐhuan xuéxí, xiànzài tā xǐhuan yī xiē le.
Before I didn’t like to study, now I like it a little.

今天天气热一点儿了。
Jīntiān tiānqì rè yī diǎnr le.
Today it’s a little hotter.

Photo Credits: Photo by kianhui86 on Pixabay