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” 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 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 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.
我们照了半个小时相。(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 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.
你好像生她的气了。(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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Informative article!
It’d be nice if the word lists were text instead of images though.
Oh, merci so much for this, im really loving it!
great, comprehensive article. this should be taught more thoroughly in hsk