Is there a practical difference between resultative complements and potential complements?

Question

In the answer to this question, a user who is now inactive says: in most cases, resultative complements are the same as potential complements. The main difference is that you put 得 or 不 between the verb and the complement. This trick can help you eliminate many false positives.

I'm at a loss to find a resultative complement that doesn't pass their test for also being a potential complement. 看得见，烧得开，看不清楚，跑不出来...etc...

Is there really a practical difference between resultative complements and potential complements?

Answer 1

I guess you misunderstood what Yang Muye wanted to say (and I'm sure she/he could have said it better).

Yang Muye said:

But in most cases, resultative complements are the same as potential complements. The main difference is that you put 得 or 不 between the verb and the complement.

What Yang Muye is not saying

She/He is not saying that resultative complements equal to potential complements. They are different complements with different meaning. A resultative complement is never a potential complement, and viceversa.

What Yang Muye wanted to say

She/He wanted to say that the structures of resultative complements and potential complements are almost the same. To form the potential complement you just need to put 得 or 不 between the verb and the result of the resultative complement.

Answer 2

The answer was in line with the explanation provided here, which says: "Potential complements are used to express two types of ability: the ability to achieve an action; and the ability to move something in a certain direction. Most resultative (apart from 错) and directional verb complements can be turned into potential verb complements by putting 得 (affirmative) or 不 (negative) between the verb and its complement."

Other than "错", I think "在" is also fitting your interest. http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Grammar%20exercises/RVC.htm

Answer 3

There are only two potential complements: 得(able) and 不(unable)

It is always placed between a verb and its resultative complement

Example:

看(v) + 到 (resultative complement) = see (succefully)

看(v) + 得 (potential complement) + 到 (resultative complement) = able to see

看(v) + 不 (potential complement) + 到 (resultative complement) = unable to see

There can be many different resultative complements for a verb, but there are only two choices of potential complements

Example:

吃下(eat down)三個面包

吃掉(eat away)三個面包

吃完(eat and finish)三個面包

下，掉 and 完 are all resultative complements of 吃

With potential complements:

吃(得/不)下三個面包 = (Able/unable to) eat down three bread

吃(得/不)掉三個面包 = (Able/unable to) eat away three bread

吃(得/不)完三個面包 = (Able/unable to) eat and finish three bread

吃[得下]，吃[得掉]，吃[得完]， 吃[不下]，吃[不掉] and 吃[不完] are Verb + [potential complement] + [resultative complement]