# 得 - 高得可以骑自行车了



## macrotis

Hi all,

What's the function of 得 in this sentence please?

我差不多高得可以骑自行车了。 (Picture: A child is trying to get on a bike)


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## fitter.happier

You're probably already familiar with 得 used after a verb. Sentences like 你做饭做得很好 are very common, but 得 is also used with adjectives.

I think the meaning here is: _I'm (more or less) tall enough to ride a bike._

了 at the end suggests that the child wasn't able to ride it before.


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## zzhcharles

fitter.happier said:


> You're probably already familiar with 得 used after a verb. Sentences like 你做饭做得很好 are very common, but 得 is also used with adjectives.
> 
> I think the meaning here is: _I'm (more or less) tall enough to ride a bike._
> 
> 了 at the end suggests that the child wasn't able to ride it before.



This is a correct understanding.


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## kong.zhong

I think the meaning here is: _I'm (more or less) tall enough to ride a bike._

了 at the end suggests that the child wasn't able to ride it before.[/QUOTE]

are correct. But 得 is a auxiliary word. but not adjective.

Example:1. 我冷得受不了了。2.爱得不够深。


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## macrotis

fitter.happier said:


> but 得 is also used with adjectives



So, what does it do to an adjective? Modifies its meaning, changes it to something else?


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## Ghabi

It means "to the extend of ...", so it's like "I'm so tall to the extend of almost being able to ride a bicycle/I'm so tall as to be almost able to .../I'm so tall that I can almost .../My height is such that I can almost ..." etc.

For example, 好得難以置信!-->(something is) so good that one can't believe it's true-->unbelievably good!

 Hope that gives you an idea!


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## macrotis

Ghabi said:


> It means "to the extend of ...", so it's like "I'm so tall to the extend of almost being able to ride a bicycle/I'm so tall as to be almost able to .../I'm so tall that I can almost .../My height is such that I can almost ..." etc.
> 
> For example, 好得難以置信!-->(something is) so good that one can't believe it's true-->unbelievably good!
> 
> Hope that gives you an idea!



It's much more than an idea! Thank you very much.


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## macrotis

Hi all, this is about 得 again, but this time it comes after a noun.

What does 得 mean here, please? (from the etymology of 笑)
"竹 bamboos 夭 rocked by the wind; 竹得风 , 如人之笑也。从 竹, 从夭, 会意。"
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Hi macrotis, I'll have to merge this thread with the previous one, since they share the same title.
xlj
Moderator


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## xiaolijie

macrotis said:


> Hi all, this is about 得 again, but this time it comes after a noun.
> 
> What does 得 mean here, please? (from the etymology of 笑)
> "竹 bamboos 夭 rocked by the wind; 竹得风 , 如人之笑也。从 竹, 从夭, 会意。"


This 得, pronounced "dé", is a verb. It means _to get, to achieve_, etc.


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## moia

我差不多高得可以骑自行车了 sounds off to my ears but I can't figure out why. I would say 我差不多够高可以骑自行车了. Actually I wanted to put in 到 to replace 得 at first, but something about it just didn't seem right.


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## eni8ma

macrotis said:


> "竹 bamboos 夭 rocked by the wind; 竹得风 , 如人之笑也。从 竹, 从夭, 会意。"


In my Chinese grammar book, there are four pages devoted to 得.
One of the usages is _complement of manner_, e.g.
- 他 说话 得 快。
- He speaks fast/quickly. (he speaks quick-_like_)

To me, the phrase 竹得风 might mean "bamboo is like the wind (wind-like)", thus
- 竹得风 , 如人之笑也。
- Bamboo is like the wind, like (the sound of ? _infered_) people's laughter.


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## eni8ma

Another usage for 得 is _complement of consequential state_.  Various English words are used, depending on what is needed to make it into a sensible sentence.

- 他 走 得 脚 都 (or 也) 软 了。
- He walked till his legs were weak.

- 我 困 得 眼睛 都 (or 也) 睁 不 开 了。
- I was so sleepy that my eyes refused to open.




macrotis said:


> 我差不多高得可以骑自行车了。 (Picture: A child is trying to get on a bike)



- 我  差不多  高  得  可以  骑自  行车 了。
- I am almost tall till/that can ride a bicycle.
- I am almost tall enough to ride a bicycle.

Whether this particular sentence could be better expressed in a different way, I will leave to the Chinese speakers


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## xiaolijie

eni8ma said:


> In my Chinese grammar book, there are four pages devoted to 得.
> 
> To me, the phrase 竹得风 might mean "bamboo is like the wind (wind-like)", thus
> - 竹得风 , 如人之笑也。
> - Bamboo is like the wind, like (the sound of ? _infered_) people's laughter.


No, I don't think so. As in my earlier post, the 得 in this instance is a verb (you can look for this function in your grammar book actually!), so the sentence means: _when the bamboos get (blown by) the wind, the noises (caused by this) sound like laughters._


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## eni8ma

xiaolijie said:


> No, I don't think so. As in my earlier post, the 得 in this instance is a verb (you can look for this function in your grammar book actually!), so the sentence means: _when the bamboos get (blown by) the wind, the noises (caused by this) sound like laughters._


Yes, I should have consulted my dictionary as well. 得 as a verb is not indexed in my grammar book, as it is vocab, not grammar.
Looking up reverso, one of the meanings (when used as a verb) is "catch", so ...

 - 竹得风 , 如人之笑也。
- Bamboo catches the wind, (sounding like) like people's laughter.


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## macrotis

How did you infer it's about the sound of laughter, please? Couldn't it be the bending or swaying to and fro of bamboos because of wind, as a person does when laughing?

Do bamboos sound like laughter when the wind blows?


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## moia

macrotis said:


> How did you infer it's about the sound of laughter, please? Couldn't it be the bending or swaying to and fro of bamboos because of wind, as a person does when laughing?
> 
> Do bamboos sound like laughter when the wind blows?


Just so you know the original in full is “竹得風,其體夭屈,如人之笑也"


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## macrotis

moia said:


> Just so you know the original in full is “竹得風,其體夭屈,如人之笑也"



Thank you. I didn't know the original, I was thinking of "rocked by the wind."


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## eni8ma

macrotis said:


> How did you infer it's about the sound of laughter, please? Couldn't it be the bending or swaying to and fro of bamboos because of wind, as a person does when laughing?
> 
> Do bamboos sound like laughter when the wind blows?


It was just the first idea that came to me - poetry is like that  The fuller text shows that you were right, that it is the shape not the sound 

- 竹 得 風, 其體 夭 屈, 如 人 之 笑 也。
- Bamboo catches the wind, its body gently (prematurely?) bent, as when people laugh.


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## xiaolijie

eni8ma said:


> - 竹 得 風, 其體 夭 屈, 如 人 之 笑 也。
> - Bamboo catches the wind, its body gently (prematurely?) bent, as when people laugh.


夭 屈 is one word, meaning curved or bent. There's no need for "premature" here 
(I think 夭 by itself may have something to do with premature death, but not in the 夭 屈 combination.)


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## kong.zhong

another meaning of 夭 is 茂盛，秀丽 expect premature。But that's normally used in the Ancient Chinese.


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## MèngDié

kong.zhong said:


> another meaning of 夭 is 茂盛，秀丽， But that's normally used in the Ancient Chinese.



For example, 桃之夭夭, 灼灼其华.  《诗经·周南·桃夭》


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## eni8ma

xiaolijie said:


> 夭屈 is one word, meaning curved or bent. There's no need for "premature" here
> (I think 夭 by itself may have something to do with premature death, but not in the 夭 屈 combination.)





kong.zhong said:


> another meaning of 夭 is 茂盛，秀丽 expect  premature。But that's normally used in the Ancient Chinese.


So, from those comments, 夭 seems to be associating qualities of youth with the item.
When describing things that share those qualities, it means supple, tender, lush, fresh, and  when associated with something that should happen when we are older, such as death, it means "premature".
夭屈 - gently bending
夭秀丽 - fresh, tender beauty
夭死亡 - premature death


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## SuperXW

eni8ma said:


> So, from those comments, 夭 seems to be associating qualities of youth with the item.
> When describing things that share those qualities, it means supple, tender, lush, fresh, and when associated with something that should happen when we are older, such as death, it means "premature".
> 夭屈 - gently bending
> 夭秀丽 - fresh, tender beauty
> 夭死亡 - premature death


Hmmm...this doesn't seem quite right...
As others have explained. 夭 is an ancient adjective which itself can mean 茂盛秀丽. It's not an adverb so I don't feel it can modify any verbs and adjectives. I've never heard or read of 夭秀丽, 夭死亡, and I tend to believe 夭屈 is a fixed verb meaning "bend".
夭 does have the meaning of "young, premature", but the fixed expressions are 夭秀 夭折 but not 夭秀丽 夭死亡. I don't think we can add modern words randomly to 夭.

This online dictionary shows good explanations for both of its contemporary meanings and ancient usages. Just click the different tags: 基本解释, 详细解释, 康熙字典……
http://www.zdic.net/zd/zi/ZdicE5ZdicA4ZdicAD.htm

By the way, I think we are completely off-topic now...


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