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得来 (dé lái) — to manage to get; to be able to obtain (as a resultative complement)

Definition

A resultative complement meaning 'manage to get' — only used after a verb (e.g. 买得来, 做得来) to say the action was successfully accomplished. Negated as 不来 (not 来 alone).

verb
to manage to getto be able to obtain (as a resultative complement)

Examples

  • 得来。
    Zhè běn shū wǒ mǎi dé lái.
    I managed to buy this book.
  • 得来？
    Zhè dào tí tā zuò dé lái ma?
    Can he manage to do this problem?
  • 得来。
    Tā mǎi dé lái le nà liàng chē.
    He managed to buy that car.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

得déget
来láicome

得 means get and 来 means come; something is obtained.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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