▎得, de, (Ptc), Complement Marker, so...that... (3)

 

Function This pattern introduces an extent resulting from a state of affairs, ‘so...that...’, in which ‘that’ corresponds to 得, which brings in a complement.

1 我常常累得起不來，腿也痛得走不了路。

Wǒ chángcháng lèi de qǐbùlái, tuǐ yě tòng de zǒubùliǎo lù.

I am often so tired that I cannot get up and my legs are hurt so much that I cannot walk.

2 天氣冷得很多人不想去上班。

Tiānqì lěng de hěn duō rén bù xiǎng qù shàngbān.

The weather was so cold that many people did not want to go to work.

3 夜市裡到處都是人，熱鬧得像過年。

Yèshì lǐ dàochù dōu shì rén, rènào de xiàng guònián.

The night market is full of people. It is as bustling as Lunar New Year.

 

Structures

Negation：

1 林教授的演講，複雜得我聽不懂。

Lín jiàoshòu de yǎnjiǎng, fùzá de wǒ tīngbùdǒng.

Porfessor Lin’s speech was so complicated that I was not able to understand.

2 他去夜市買了很多東西，多得拿不了。

Tā qù yèshì mǎile hěn duō dōngxi, duō de nábùliǎo.

He bought a lot of stuff at the night market, so much that he could not carry it all.

3 他腿痛得跑不完一百公尺。

Tā tuǐ tòng de pǎobùwán yìbǎi gōngchǐ.

His leg hurt so badly that he couldn’t finish running 100 meters.

Questions：

1 你是不是累得走不了了？

Nǐ shìbúshì lèi de zǒubùliǎo le?

Are you too tired to walk? (or Are you so tired that you can’t walk?)

2 這個房子是不是小得住不了五個人？

Zhè ge fángzi shìbúshì xiǎo de zhùbùliǎo wǔ ge rén?

Is this house too small for five people to live in?

3 那家麵包店賣的蛋糕是不是甜得你吃不下？

Nà jiā miànbāo diàn mài de dàngāo shìbúshì tián de nǐ chībúxià?

The cakes from that bakery are so sweet that you can’t even eat them?

 

Usage This pattern is quite compatible with hyperbole or exaggerations, e.g.,

1 她精神差得好像三天沒睡覺。

Tā jīngshén chà de hǎoxiàng sān tiān méi shuìjiào.

She has so little energy that she looks as though she hasn’t slept for three days.

2 我餓得吃得了一百個小籠包。

Wǒ è de chīdeliǎo yìbǎi ge xiǎolóngbāo.

I am so hungry that I could eat 100 steamed dumplings.

3 這個地方好玩得我不想離開。

Zhè ge dìfāng hǎowán de wǒ bù xiǎng líkāi.

This place is so much fun that I don’t want to leave.