2

Problem: I need to find and compile a list of separable verbs / 离合词. Searching the internet I have managed to collect a list of 65 verbs which of course is not enough.

Some examples of separable verbs / 离合词 are:

睡觉，决口，罢工，保险，报名，投资，安心，洗澡

Question: Do you know a resource that provides a list of such verbs?

Improve this question
6
  • 3
    I don't think it helps much even when you have this list on hand, because it is very hard to memorize the list. Do you also need a list of all nouns, a list of all verbs, etc.? No, you don't need those lists. My suggestion is that you look up a new verb and most dictionaries will tell you if it is separable verb or not. You can also pay attention to how other people use verbs. E.g. you know 睡觉 already, and if you hear someone says 睡一觉, then you know 睡觉 is a separable verb. You will collect those verbs over time.
    – 孤影萍踪
    Jul 15, 2014 at 16:59
  • Actually, the verbs you listed are not pure verbs, they are phrases consisting of verb + noun. I would say most of this kind of phrases are separable, meaning you can put additional stuff in between. For pure verbs, I don't think we can add any stuff in between, like 参加, 运动, 演出, 歌唱, 朗诵, 抄写, 支付, 羡慕, and a lot others.
    – 孤影萍踪
    Jul 15, 2014 at 17:06
  • 1
    I think this is a valid question if you're looking to programmatically processing for the language, however, if you're learning the language yourself, you should take @孤影萍踪's advice.
    – NS.X.
    Jul 20, 2014 at 20:37
  • 2
    There is the following reference book published 1995 with entries for 1738 separable verbs, 现代汉语离合词用法词典（字数：６８８千）
    – user6065
    Oct 23, 2015 at 17:21
  • 1
    This is not for learning but for automatic text processing tasks. Specialized dictionaries save a lot of manual work.
    – minerals
    Oct 27, 2015 at 20:09

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
4

I agree with the earlier answer, but I had the same question!

So if it can help, I found an interesting information at Chinese Grammar Wiki's list of separable verbs and especially at “Separable Verbs” – A Misleading and Unnecessary Concept.

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    Being a native speaker, I never really paid attention to separable verbs (at least not before I learned German), but the second link was very interesting!
    – user5714
    Oct 23, 2015 at 22:27
  • 2
    The second link is indeed interesting and true - separable verb is a noticeable pattern only when comparing Chinese with another language. It's merely statistical results for idiomatic verb-object usages instead of an intrinsic property of the language.
    – NS.X.
    Oct 24, 2015 at 17:06
2

According to Modern Chinese Dictionary(5th), there are 3400 separable words in chinese. You sure you want to get a list of them? See the definition from Chinese wiki reference: http://baike.baidu.com/view/165257

Improve this answer
1

separate verb? In modern Chinese grammar they are called 动宾短语(a phrase with structure of verb + objective). It's a huge group and I don't believe anyone can give you a complete list.

吃饭

睡觉

走路

洗脸

刷牙

喝水

打球

泡妞

修车

骑马

射箭

any more you want? I can give you even a longer list

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.