The 得 Complement: 110 Instance in the Bible

The same verses, in full

Easiest first: ranked by how much of each verse sits at or below HSK 2, the point’s own level. Colours are tones. Nothing here was written for the page — every line is in the text.

• 因为yīn wèi他们tā men忿怒fèn nù的de大dà日rì到了dào le，谁shuí能néng站zhàn得de住zhù呢ne？」

  for the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

  Revelation 6:17 · 85% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 摩西mó xī说shuō：「你nǐ说shuō得de好hǎo！我wǒ必bì不再bú zài见jiàn你nǐ的de面miàn了le。」

  Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”

  Exodus 10:29 · 79% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 那nà民mín是shì亚衲族yà nà zú的de人rén，又yòu大dà又yòu高gāo，是shì你nǐ所知suǒ zhī道dào的de；也yě曾céng听见tīng jiàn有人yǒu rén指zhǐ着zhe他们tā men说shuō：『谁shuí能néng在zài亚衲族yà nà zú人rén面前miàn qián站立zhàn lì得de住zhù呢ne？』

  a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard say, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?”

  Deuteronomy 9:2 · 79% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 没有méi yǒu那么nà me凶猛xiōng měng的de人rén敢gǎn惹rě它tā。 这样zhè yàng，谁shuí能néng在zài我wǒ面前miàn qián站立zhàn lì得de住zhù呢ne？

  None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?

  Job 41:10 · 78% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 惟独wéi dú你nǐ是shì可畏kě wèi的de！ 你nǐ怒气nù qì一发yì fā，谁shuí能néng在zài你nǐ面前miàn qián站zhàn得de住zhù呢ne？

  You, even you, are to be feared. Who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

  Psalms 76:7 · 76% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

• 你们nǐ men向来xiàng lái跑pǎo得de好hǎo，有yǒu谁shuí拦阻lán zǔ你们nǐ men，叫jiào你们nǐ men不顺bú shùn从cóng真理zhēn lǐ呢ne？

  You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth?

  Galatians 5:7 · 73% of this verse’s words are at or below the point’s own HSK level

What the Bible does with it

说得好, speaks well. 跑得快, runs fast. The 得 complement is how modern Chinese says how an action turns out, and it is drilled early because English speakers keep reaching for an adverb instead. In the Chinese Bible it is essentially absent.

The Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified) uses 得 1,040 times. 930 of those occurrences are the same words doing something else.

The reading is what separates the two, and the segmenter does separate them here: 得 is read dé — to obtain, to gain, to be able to — nearly everywhere, and that verb is one of the commonest in the whole translation. 得救, to be saved; 得着, to obtain; 得见, to get to see. The particle reading survives in a handful of places, and every one of them was read.

The 110 confirmed instance is shown below with its verse, out of 110 clauses the rule found and 1,040 occurrences of 得 in the book. Where a modern text would use 得, this translation reaches for a resultative compound instead — the result is welded onto the verb rather than introduced after it.

Questions

Is 得 the same word as 的 and 地?

Three different characters, all reduced to de when they are particles, which is why they are confused constantly. 的 attaches a modifier to a noun, 地 to a verb, 得 introduces what follows the verb.

How often does it occur in the Chinese Bible?

110 clauses in the Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified), out of 1,040 occurrences of the words that mark it.

Which book of the Bible uses it most?

Deuteronomy, with 9 — followed by 1 Corinthians (8), Exodus (6), Jeremiah (6).

How do you know the count is right?

The rule is: 得 read de — the particle reading, as against the verb dé 'to obtain'. The reading is the whole rule. 30 of its 110 matches were drawn at random and checked one by one; 93% were right. Recall is not measured, so the figure is what this rule finds, not everything the translation contains.

Related reference pages

• 的 — the attributive particle
• 地 — the adverbial particle the data cannot count
• 很 + adjective — and what the Bible uses instead