Basic Rules of Hanyu Pinyin – Verbs
- (Monosyllabic) action verbs are linked with the suffixes zhe, le, guo. For example:
- kànzhe (reading/looking),
- kànle (read [once at a past moment/time]),
- kànguò (have/had read [at least once])
Le at the end of a sentence is separated from the sentence. For example:
- Huǒchē dào le (Completed action: The train came/has come).
- Action Verbs and their Objects are separated. For example:
- kàn xìn (read a letter),
- chī yú (eat fish),
- kāi wánxiào (make a joke)
But the action verb and object are linked when they together express one concept. For example:
- chīfàn (eat/make a living),
- shuìjiào (sleep),
- kànshū (read),
- dǎqiú (play [ball game]),
- jūgōng (bow),
- kētóu (kowtow)
The syllables of Verb+Object type compound words are written separately when another element is inserted between the syllables. For example:
- jūgōng (bow) à jūle yī ge gōng (bowed once)
- An Action Verb and its complement are linked if both are monosyllabic. Otherwise they are separated. For example:
- gǎohuài (ruin it),
- zǒu jìnlái (walk in),
- xiūlǐ hǎo (fix/repair [and make] it [mended])
