HSK 3 grammar · pattern
离合词
离合词 — separable verb-object words
Pattern
+ +
+ +
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Some two-syllable verbs like 见面, 帮忙, 睡觉 are really verb + object. Aspect markers, measures, or modifiers go in the middle and split the word, so you cannot add another object after the whole thing.
Examples
我们见过一次面。
Wǒmen jiàn guo yí cì miàn.
We've met once.
他帮了我一个忙。
Tā bāng le wǒ yí ge máng.
He did me a favor.
我昨天睡了八个小时觉。
Wǒ zuótiān shuì le bā ge xiǎoshí jiào.
I slept for eight hours yesterday.
我想跟你见面。
Wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ jiànmiàn.
I want to meet with you.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 离合词 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.