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Pleco lists the following example sentence for 起草:
这封信你来起个草吧。
This indicates 起草 is a separable verb. And it's possible to find examples online of 起草 being used as a separable verb, such as 我已经起了个草 and 我起完草.
However, looking at example sentences from YouDao we find examples like:
他起草了一份讲话的概要。
他给我起草了一篇讲话稿。
It seems this placement of the 了 is inconsistent with 起草 being a separable verb.
Question: Is 起草 a separable verb?
Is 起草 a separable verb?
Yes, in the dictionary《现代汉语词典》, separable words (离合词) are indicated with the symbol "//" in their pinyin, and 起草 is indicated as qǐ//cǎo.
起草 is a verb+object separable word.
verb: 起
object: 草
Anyway, there is an exception to the following general rule:
GENERAL RULE
Verb+object separable words cannot be followed by an object.
The following sentence is wrong:
*昨天我们谈话了很多事情。
谈: verb
话: object
很多事情: object not allowed
EXCEPTION
A few verb+object separable words as 起草 can be followed by an object. They are still verb+object separable words, and all other rules still apply, so we would still say "起了草", "起过草", "起的草", "起完草", "草都没起", "起一起草", "起什么草", etc. But, we can also say:
他这几天在起草一个文件。
昨天我们起草了一个文件。一个文件: object (normally not allowed)
Some other exceptions are:
操心, 成交, 出口, 出席, 担心, 发愁, 放心, 进口, 列席, 留神, 留心, 留意, 缺席, 告別, 在意, 注意, 走私.
For more info see 品诗文网
Read this answer and you would know why a [verb + noun compound word] like 起草 can be separated into [verb and noun] and treated as such
Is "投个好胎" a proper set phrase/idiom? What does it mean?
"投个胎" break up the compound word "投胎" and treating 投 as a verb; 胎 as a noun. When 胎 is a noun, we can add classifier '个' (a) before it to indicate indefinite
Similarly, the compound word 起草 (to draft) is a single word, but it is made up of a verb 起(establish) and a noun 草(rough/ draft)
起个草 break up the compound word "起草" and treating 起 as a verb; 草 as a noun.
When 草 is acting as a noun, we can add classifier '个' (a) before it to indicate indefinite
Having 了 in 起草了 indicate 起草 is treated as a single compound word. There is no inconsistency because a separable verb is still treated as a single verb when it is not separated.
Basically, any compound verb that is made up of a verb and a noun is separable
这封信你来起个草吧。"You, (please) to write/initiate the preliminary (草) for this letter." Or, "This time, you write/initiate the preliminary (草) letter". In both cases, there is only one verb "to write/initiate".
