# 下个不停



## Thime

大家好! 
I've ran into the phrase 雨一直下个不停. I know it means something like: _"it's still raining_", but I don't understand what is the function of 个 in the sentence.
I've heard people say that 个 idicates an adverbial of manner construction, and people who disagree.
Can someone explain me what's the real function of  个 here? 

先谢谢你们!
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


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## humvee

Thime, 个 here is a quantifier, there are three usages of 个, in your case it it used to reinforce the meaning. Simply put, it could be paraphrased as "heavily".


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## xiaolijie

humvee said:


> Simply put, it could be paraphrased as "heavily".


Actually, it should be "non-stop".


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## stellari

According to my dictionary, 个 can be used inbetween the verb and the adverb to indicate an emphasis. However, I notice that it is mostly used when the verb is monosyllabic and the adverb is bisyllabic (especially when there is a 不). For me, it is kind of like a very limited form of 得, but used in situations when 得 won't fit. In most cases, if you take 个 off, the speech may still be comprehensible but would sound unnatural (although not so much for this particular sentence).


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## zhg

I agree, it's just another way of saying 雨一直不停得下. It keeps raining.


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## Skatinginbc

I think 个 here is a structural particle (結構助詞 like 得 in 吃得飽) whose  function is to mark the complement (補語) by placing 个 in between the verb  and the complement (用在動詞與補語中間).  Most dictionaries state that it is  used to intensify the mood (以加強語氣).  I however disagree.  Not only do I  think that such statement could mislead people into treating 个 as a  modal particle 語氣助詞, but I also fail to see a difference in intensity of  action between 雨下个不停 and 雨不停地下, 让他哭个痛快 and 让他痛快地哭.  I _do _see a shift of focus, though; for instance: *让他*哭个*痛快* (痛快 is a complement for 他) vs. *让他*痛快地*哭* (痛快 is an adverb modifying the verb). 

The differences in meaning are subtle between 吃个飽 and 吃得飽, 起个早 and 起得早, 喝个够 and 喝得够, 下个不停 and 下得不停, etc.  In some dialects, people even say 吃得个飽, 起得个早, 关汉卿《窦娥冤》做得个怕硬欺软, and so on.


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## SuperXW

Anyway, the fixed expression is: [action] + 个 + [status of the action]. This expression emphasizes the status.

e.g.
下个不停 rain, non-stop
哭个痛快 cry, thoroughly
输个精光 lose, completely empty
打个稀烂 break, totally mashed


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## Ghabi

What confuses me is that sometimes we can add 一 or 它 before 个, and sometimes we can't. For example, 喝个痛快/喝一个痛快/喝它个痛快 all sound fine to me, but we can't say *下一/它個不停, can we?


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## Skatinginbc

痛快 can easily be nominalized (e.g., 換得一場痛快); 痛快, 精光, and 稀爛 describe a state or situation, whereas 不停 describes an on-going action or process.  So we have: 變成一身精光, 變成一團稀爛 vs. *變成一日不停; 输得一身精光, 打得一團稀爛 vs. *下得一日不停; 输一个精光, 打一个稀爛 vs. *下一個不停.    

它 is a different story.  Its function is emphatic.  Some people may say 雨下它个不停 or even 雨下他妈个不停, 喝他妈个痛快.  Obviously, 它个 is slangy, and 他妈个 is simply rude.


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## BODYholic

Thime said:


> 大家好!
> I've ran into the phrase 雨一直下个不停. I know it means something like: _"it's still raining_", but I don't understand what is the function of 个 in the sentence.





humvee said:


> Thime, 个 here is a quantifier, there are three usages of 个, in your case it it used to reinforce the meaning. Simply put, it could be paraphrased as "heavily".



I tend to agree with humvee. 

"个" here is rightfully "一个" (see #08) and it is a measure word for "不停(的)雨". Interestingly, in this case, the quantifier here doesn't really serve the purpose of counting. But rather it carries the meaning of 一整个 (wholly, fully or completely). It's an exaggerating way to describe the rain. I guess it's the same when we say it in English, "When is the _*bloody*_ rain gonna stop?". "Bloody" merely serves as an intensifier, so does "一个".


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## Skatinginbc

If 下個不停 = 下個不停的雨 (which is structurally parallel to 睡個好覺), then 個 "表示一次, 如:我跟她见了个面" (http://www.zdic.net/z/15/xs/4E2A.htm).  Is 個 in 帶個好(= 帶一聲好) or 比個高低 (= 比一下高低) an intensifier or simply a quantifier indicating "once" or "an incident/occasion of"?  I think it is a quantifier, not an intensifier. 

The fact that not all 個s in "verb + 個 + complement" structures can be substituted with 一個 (e.g., 雨下個不停 vs. *雨下一個不停) strongly suggests that the 個 in 下個不停 does not have the same function as the one in 喝一個痛快 (structurally parallel to 吃一頓飽).  Is 一頓 an intensifier?  I think it is simply a quantifier, so is 一個.


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## stellari

BODYholic said:


> I guess it's the same when we say it in English, "When is the _*bloody*_ rain gonna stop?". "Bloody" merely serves as an intensifier, so does "一个".



I find the comparison with 'bloody' somewhat inappropriate. In the English sentence, 'bloody' is purely optional and as a matter of fact it is better without it (although not due to grammatical reason). However, the 个 is not really optional here (For this particular sentence 雨一直下个不停, it may be legitimate to omit 个, but I find the sentence without 个 -- 雨一直下不停 a little too poetic and expect another verse that rhymes with it).  Consider another extreme example 喝个痛快, here the 个 is definitely not optional, and I cannot find another word to replace it while retaining the exact meaning. 

However, there is indeed one situation where I find 个 may serve as an intensifier: when 得 and 个 are used at the same time, e.g. 落得个快活. Here omitting 个 does not really change the meaning.


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## Skatinginbc

stellari said:


> For this particular sentence 雨一直下个不停, it may be legitimate to omit 个


下个不停 (動詞 + 个 + 補語) vs. 下不停 (動詞 + 不 + 補語, e.g., 吃不完, 講不聽, 看不清).
我看个不清就挨罵 = 我一看不清就挨罵 or 我稍微看不清就挨罵.  个 here is a quantifier (= 稍微, 一, an incident of).  Note that 看不清 describes a momentary state, unlike 下不停, which describes a prolonged action.  And so 雨下个不停 ≠ 雨一下不停 nor *雨稍微下不停.  个 here is not a quantifier but a structural particle.    


stellari said:


> 落得个快活. Here  omitting 个 does not really change the meaning.


落得快活 means 樂得快活, for instance, 《水浒传》那厮两个落得快活, also 《红楼梦》自己却也落得(= 樂得)逍遥自在 (http://www.zdic.net/c/d/1d/44830.htm).  In contrast, 落得 in 落得个快活 means 得到某种结果(e.g., 落得个虚名, 落得一场空); 个快活 (structurally parallel to 个虚名,一场空) means "a state (个) of joyfulness (快活)".  Nominalization by using  个 to denote a state that contradicts what is expected (e.g., 虽然挂了彩还是落得个快活) can elude a violation of the rule that 落得, if meaning 得到某种结果, shall go with a complement of a negative consequence (e.g., 落得两手空空, 落得無家可歸).


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## Thime

Thank you very much for all your answers, I found them interesting and  useful! Although I notice that there are still differing views on  个  function. 



SuperXW said:


> Anyway,  the fixed expression is: [action] + 个 + [status of the action]. This  expression emphasizes the status.


This is well clarifying!


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## wishedu

I  also think 个 here is a structural particle   (结构助词）


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