完 (wán) is the first resultative complement most learners need, because "finish V-ing" comes up constantly. Attached to a verb it says the action reached its endpoint — you got all the way through it — or that a quantity was completely used up: 吃完 (finish eating), 做完 (finish doing), 说完 (finish speaking), 用完 (use up), 花完 (spend all). The most important thing to get right is that 完 is not the same as 了: 了 says an event happened, while 完 specifically says it ran to completion. This page shows how they differ, how they combine, and how to negate 完.
完 = the action reached its endpoint
Add 完 whenever you mean the action got all the way done, or the supply ran out. The result is a bounded, completed event.
| Verb + 完 | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吃完 | chī wán | finish eating |
| 做完 | zuò wán | finish doing |
| 看完 | kàn wán | finish reading/watching |
| 说完 | shuō wán | finish speaking |
| 写完 | xiě wán | finish writing |
| 用完 | yòng wán | use up |
| 花完 | huā wán | spend all (money) |
我做完作业才敢玩手机。
wǒ zuò wán zuòyè cái gǎn wán shǒujī
I only let myself play on my phone once I've finished my homework. (informal) — 做完 = got all the way through it.
这个月的钱又花完了。
zhège yuè de qián yòu huā wán le
This month's money is all spent again. (informal) — 花完 = the supply is gone.
打印机的纸用完了，我去买一包。
dǎyìnjī de zhǐ yòng wán le, wǒ qù mǎi yì bāo
The printer's out of paper, I'll go buy a pack. (neutral) — 用完 = used up.
These two readings — "run to the end of an action" and "exhaust a quantity" — are really the same core idea seen from two angles: the process reaches a point where there is nothing left to do. Which reading you get depends on the object. With an activity or a definite thing (看完这本书, 做完作业) you hear "finish"; with a consumable mass (花完钱, 用完油, 吃完饭) you hear "use up." That is why 完 feels so natural after verbs of consuming, spending, and getting-through, and slightly odd after verbs that have no natural endpoint — you finish a book (看完), but you don't *爱完 ("finish loving").
完 vs 了: completion versus occurrence
This is the distinction that matters most. 了 tells you an event occurred or a change happened; 完 tells you the action reached its end. They are not interchangeable, and because a finished action is also an event that occurred, the two very often appear together as 完了.
我吃了，可是还没吃完。
wǒ chī le, kěshì hái méi chī wán
I've eaten (some), but I haven't finished eating. (informal) — 吃了 = ate/started; 吃完 = done.
等我看完这一集，我们就出发。
děng wǒ kàn wán zhè yì jí, wǒmen jiù chūfā
Once I finish this episode, we'll head out. (informal) — 看完 marks the endpoint.
他还没说完，你先别打断。
tā hái méi shuō wán, nǐ xiān bié dǎduàn
He hasn't finished speaking, don't interrupt yet. (informal) — 说完 = reached the end of speaking.
Negation and "not yet"
Like every resultative, 完 is negated with 没, never 不 — because you're saying the endpoint wasn't reached. The everyday frame is 还没…完 ("haven't finished … yet"), and the 了 drops under 没.
那本小说我还没看完。
nà běn xiǎoshuō wǒ hái méi kàn wán
I still haven't finished that novel. (neutral) — 还没…完 for 'not yet', no 了.
话还没说完，电话就断了。
huà hái méi shuō wán, diànhuà jiù duàn le
Before I could finish speaking, the call dropped. (informal) — 没说完 = didn't reach the end.
There is also a potential version with the infix 得/不 — 吃得完 (can finish) / 吃不完 (can't finish) — which is about capacity, not about whether it happened. Don't confuse 没吃完 ("didn't finish") with 吃不完 ("can't possibly finish").
点这么多菜，我们两个人吃不完。
diǎn zhème duō cài, wǒmen liǎng ge rén chī bu wán
If we order this much food, the two of us won't be able to finish it. (informal) — 吃不完 = can't finish, a matter of capacity.
Common Mistakes
1. Using 了 alone when you mean "finished." 我吃了 does not mean "I finished eating."
❌ 我吃了，可以走了。
Says 'I've eaten' — fine if true, but it does NOT assert you finished the meal.
✅ 我吃完了，可以走了。
wǒ chī wán le, kěyǐ zǒu le
I've finished eating, we can go. (informal) — 吃完 gives the endpoint.
2. Negating 完 with 不. The endpoint's absence is 没, not 不.
❌ 我不做完作业。
Incorrect — reads like a refusal, not 'haven't finished'.
✅ 我还没做完作业。
wǒ hái méi zuò wán zuòyè
I haven't finished my homework yet. (neutral) — 没…完 for the unreached endpoint.
3. Keeping 了 after 没…完. Drop the 了 under 没.
❌ 我没看完了那本书。
Incorrect — 没 and 了 can't co-occur here.
✅ 我没看完那本书。
wǒ méi kàn wán nà běn shū
I didn't finish that book. (neutral) — no 了 after 没.
4. Splitting 完 from its verb with the object. 完 clings to the verb; the object follows the pair.
❌ 我吃饭完了。
Incorrect — 饭 can't sit between 吃 and 完.
✅ 我吃完饭了。
wǒ chī wán fàn le
I've finished eating. (informal) — 吃完 first, then 饭.
Key Takeaways
- 完 (wán) says an action reached its endpoint or a quantity was used up: 吃完, 做完, 用完, 花完.
- It is not 了: 了 = the event occurred; 完 = it ran to completion — so they often pair as 完了.
- Negate with 没 and the "not yet" frame 还没…完; the 了 disappears.
- Keep 没吃完 ("didn't finish") apart from the potential 吃不完 ("can't finish").
- 完 sticks to its verb — the object comes after 吃完, not inside it. See also the related resultative 好 (done and ready).
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- Resultative 好: Done and ReadyHSK 2 — 好 (hǎo) is the resultative that says an action was completed satisfactorily and something is ready for use — 做好 (get done/ready), 准备好 (be ready), 写好 (finish writing), 关好 (shut properly); the 'done-well' nuance 完 lacks.
- Resultative Complements 结果补语HSK 2 — A resultative complement 结果补语 welds a second verb or adjective onto the main verb to name the result it achieves — 吃完 (eat up), 听懂 (understand), 看见 (see), 洗干净 (wash clean) — negated with 没, never 不.
- Complements 补语: An OverviewHSK 2 — A complement 补语 follows the verb to specify the result, direction, degree, or possibility of an action — the slot Mandarin uses where English reaches for a second verb, an adverb, or 'can/can't'.
- The Perfective 了 (le₁): Completed ActionHSK 1 — The verb-suffix 了 (le₁) sits right after the verb and marks the action as completed or realized — 我吃了饭, 买了三本书. It is completion aspect, not past tense, so it can even point to the future: 下了课就走.