Separable Verbs (離合詞 líhé cí): What They Are + How To Use Them

Separable Verbs (離合詞): What They Are and How to Use Them

Beginner-friendly explanation + tons of real sentences 離合詞（lí hé cí）

You’ll learn what “separable verbs” are, why 了 loves to jump into the middle, and how to sound natural with characters, pinyin, and examples you can steal.

Goal: split them correctly without memorizing grammar essays.

In Chinese, some two-syllable “verbs” are secretly verb + object glued together. They look like one word, but grammar treats them like a tiny phrase.
Those are 離合詞 (separable verbs).

The payoff: once you know the split, you can use 了 / 過 / 著, add numbers, add “a little bit,” and talk like a real human—using Traditional Chinese, pinyin, and copy-ready sentences.

Yak Snark

If you’ve ever said something like “我洗澡了” and felt vaguely guilty (even though people say it), welcome.
离合詞 are basically Chinese saying: “Yes, it’s one word… except when it isn’t.” Cool. Cool cool cool.

What separable verbs (離合詞) really are

A separable verb is a fixed combo like 洗澡 (wash + bath) or 睡覺 (sleep + sleep). The second character behaves like an object.
That’s why you often put grammar stuff between the two characters.

Split point: Verb + Object
Common inserts: 了 / 過 / 著
Also inserts: 一下 / 一點 / 數量詞
Often needed: 個 / 次 / 頓 / 覺 / 盤…

Sounds natural

我洗了澡就睡覺。

Wǒ xǐ le zǎo jiù shuì jiào.

I took a shower and then went to sleep.

Often awkward

我洗澡了就睡覺。

Wǒ xǐ zǎo le jiù shuì jiào.

You may hear this, but the safer “textbook-correct” pattern is putting 了 in the middle: 洗了澡.

Quick rule of thumb: if you can naturally say things like “one time / one meal / for two hours” with it, you’re probably dealing with a separable verb.

Quick wins: 8 separable verbs you’ll use daily

Tap the audio buttons to hear the Hanzi in Taiwan Mandarin (zh-TW).

洗澡

xǐ zǎo

to take a shower / bathe

我先洗個澡。

Wǒ xiān xǐ gè zǎo.

I’ll take a quick shower first.

睡覺

shuì jiào

to sleep

我昨晚睡了一覺就好多了。

Wǒ zuó wǎn shuì le yí jiào jiù hǎo duō le.

After sleeping, I felt much better.

吃飯

chī fàn

to eat a meal

我們先吃頓飯再聊。

Wǒ men xiān chī dùn fàn zài liáo.

Let’s eat first, then talk.

起床

qǐ chuáng

to get up (out of bed)

我六點起了床。

Wǒ liù diǎn qǐ le chuáng.

I got up at six.

打電話

dǎ diàn huà

to make a phone call

我剛打了電話給他。

Wǒ gāng dǎ le diàn huà gěi tā.

I just called him.

見面

jiàn miàn

to meet (in person)

我們週末見個面吧。

Wǒ men zhōu mò jiàn gè miàn ba.

Let’s meet up this weekend.

開會

kāi huì

to hold a meeting

我今天開了兩個會。

Wǒ jīn tiān kāi le liǎng gè huì.

I had two meetings today.

逛街

guàng jiē

to shop / stroll around stores

我們下午逛了逛街。

Wǒ men xià wǔ guàng le guàng jiē.

We browsed around (went shopping) this afternoon.

How to use separable verbs without face-planting

The “split” happens when you add grammar or extra info. Here are the patterns you’ll use constantly.

洗了澡

Xǐ le zǎo

Pattern: V + 了 + O (completed action)

Meaning: “took a shower.”

睡了一覺

Shuì le yí jiào

Pattern: V + 了 + 一 + 量詞 + O (one “unit”)

Meaning: “slept once / took a nap.”

吃了頓飯

Chī le dùn fàn

Pattern: V + 了 + 量詞 + O (countable event)

Meaning: “ate a meal.”

見過面

Jiàn guò miàn

Pattern: V + 過 + O (have done before)

Meaning: “have met before.”

聊了一會兒天

Liáo le yí huìr tiān

Pattern: V + 了 + 時間 + O (duration)

Meaning: “chatted for a while.”

幫了我一個忙

Bāng le wǒ yí gè máng

Pattern: V + 了 + 人 + 量詞 + O (who you did it for)

Meaning: “did me a favor.”

道個歉

Dào gè qiàn

Pattern: V + 個 + O (do it once, casually)

Meaning: “apologize (quickly).”

排了半小時隊

Pái le bàn xiǎo shí duì

Pattern: V + 了 + 時間 + O (yes, line-waiting counts)

Meaning: “queued for half an hour.”

Two ultra-practical “don’t overthink it” tips

1) If you want to add 了, put it between the two characters when possible.
2) If the action feels countable, add a measure word (個 / 次 / 頓 / 覺 / 盤…).

Easy & natural

我洗了個熱水澡。

Wǒ xǐ le yí gè rè shuǐ zǎo.

I took a hot shower.

Also natural

我吃了兩頓飯。

Wǒ chī le liǎng dùn fàn.

I ate two meals.

More separable verbs (grouped, with examples)

Every item below includes Traditional Chinese, pinyin, meaning, and a sentence that shows the split in real life.

Daily routine

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
做夢 zuò mèng	zuò mèng	to dream	我昨晚做了一個怪夢。Wǒ zuó wǎn zuò le yí gè guài mèng.	I had a weird dream last night.
洗臉 xǐ liǎn	xǐ liǎn	to wash one’s face	我起床後先洗了臉。Wǒ qǐ chuáng hòu xiān xǐ le liǎn.	After getting up, I washed my face first.
刷牙 shuā yá	shuā yá	to brush teeth	出門前我刷了牙。Chū mén qián wǒ shuā le yá.	I brushed my teeth before going out.
洗手 xǐ shǒu	xǐ shǒu	to wash hands	進門先洗了手。Jìn mén xiān xǐ le shǒu.	Wash your hands first when you come in.
洗頭 xǐ tóu	xǐ tóu	to wash hair	我今天洗了頭。Wǒ jīn tiān xǐ le tóu.	I washed my hair today.
梳頭 shū tóu	shū tóu	to comb hair	她梳了頭就出門了。Tā shū le tóu jiù chū mén le.	She combed her hair and then went out.
理髮 lǐ fà	lǐ fà	to get a haircut	我週末理了個髮。Wǒ zhōu mò lǐ le gè fà.	I got a haircut on the weekend.
刮鬍子 guā hú zi	guā hú zi	to shave (beard)	他早上刮了鬍子。Tā zǎo shàng guā le hú zi.	He shaved in the morning.
化妝 huà zhuāng	huà zhuāng	to put on makeup	她化了妝，看起來很精神。Tā huà le zhuāng, kàn qǐ lái hěn jīng shén.	She put on makeup and looks energized.
卸妝 xiè zhuāng	xiè zhuāng	to remove makeup	回家後我先卸了妝。Huí jiā hòu wǒ xiān xiè le zhuāng.	After getting home, I removed my makeup first.
換衣服 huàn yī fu	huàn yī fu	to change clothes	我換了衣服再出門。Wǒ huàn le yī fu zài chū mén.	I’ll change clothes before going out.
上廁所 shàng cè suǒ	shàng cè suǒ	to use the restroom	我去上個廁所。Wǒ qù shàng gè cè suǒ.	I’m going to the restroom.
睡午覺 shuì wǔ jiào	shuì wǔ jiào	to take a nap	我中午睡了個午覺。Wǒ zhōng wǔ shuì le gè wǔ jiào.	I took a nap at noon.
發呆 fā dāi	fā dāi	to space out	他在窗邊發了會兒呆。Tā zài chuāng biān fā le huìr dāi.	He spaced out by the window for a while.

Food & around the house

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
做飯 zuò fàn	zuò fàn	to cook (a meal)	我今晚做了飯，別點外送。Wǒ jīn wǎn zuò le fàn, bié diǎn wài sòng.	I cooked tonight—no delivery.
買菜 mǎi cài	mǎi cài	to buy groceries	我下班後買了菜。Wǒ xià bān hòu mǎi le cài.	I bought groceries after work.
點菜 diǎn cài	diǎn cài	to order food	你先點個菜，我去拿水。Nǐ xiān diǎn gè cài, wǒ qù ná shuǐ.	You order first; I’ll get water.
結帳 jié zhàng	jié zhàng	to pay / check out	我來結個帳。Wǒ lái jié gè zhàng.	I’ll pay the bill.
洗碗 xǐ wǎn	xǐ wǎn	to wash dishes	吃完飯我洗了碗。Chī wán fàn wǒ xǐ le wǎn.	I washed the dishes after eating.
打掃 dǎ sǎo	dǎ sǎo	to clean / tidy up	週末我們打掃了房間。Zhōu mò wǒ men dǎ sǎo le fáng jiān.	We cleaned the room on the weekend.

Work & school

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
上班 shàng bān	shàng bān	to go to work	我八點上了班。Wǒ bā diǎn shàng le bān.	I started work at 8.
下班 xià bān	xià bān	to get off work	我六點下了班。Wǒ liù diǎn xià le bān.	I got off work at 6.
加班 jiā bān	jiā bān	to work overtime	這週我加了三天班。Zhè zhōu wǒ jiā le sān tiān bān.	I worked overtime three days this week.
請假 qǐng jià	qǐng jià	to take leave	我今天請了假。Wǒ jīn tiān qǐng le jià.	I took leave today.
放假 fàng jià	fàng jià	to have a holiday / be off	公司下週放三天假。Gōng sī xià zhōu fàng sān tiān jià.	The company is off for three days next week.
上課 shàng kè	shàng kè	to attend class	我早上上了兩節課。Wǒ zǎo shàng shàng le liǎng jié kè.	I had two classes in the morning.
下課 xià kè	xià kè	to finish class	下了課我們去吃飯。Xià le kè wǒ men qù chī fàn.	After class, we went to eat.
上學 shàng xué	shàng xué	to go to school	他七點半上了學。Tā qī diǎn bàn shàng le xué.	He went to school at 7:30.
放學 fàng xué	fàng xué	to get out of school	放了學我就回家。Fàng le xué wǒ jiù huí jiā.	I went home after school.
考試 kǎo shì	kǎo shì	to take an exam	我剛考了試，腦袋空空。Wǒ gāng kǎo le shì, nǎo dài kōng kōng.	I just took an exam—my brain is empty.
做作業 zuò zuò yè	zuò zuò yè	to do homework	我做了作業才睡覺。Wǒ zuò le zuò yè cái shuì jiào.	I slept only after doing my homework.
交作業 jiāo zuò yè	jiāo zuò yè	to hand in homework	我已經交了作業。Wǒ yǐ jīng jiāo le zuò yè.	I already handed in the homework.
翹課 qiào kè	qiào kè	to skip class	他昨天翹了一堂課。Tā zuó tiān qiào le yì táng kè.	He skipped one class yesterday.
報名 bào míng	bào míng	to sign up / register	我上週報了名。Wǒ shàng zhōu bào le míng.	I registered last week.
報到 bào dào	bào dào	to check in / report	我到了就先報了到。Wǒ dào le jiù xiān bào le dào.	I checked in as soon as I arrived.
簽名 qiān míng	qiān míng	to sign (name)	請在這裡簽個名。Qǐng zài zhè lǐ qiān gè míng.	Please sign here.
蓋章 gài zhāng	gài zhāng	to stamp (a seal)	麻煩在這裡蓋個章。Má fán zài zhè lǐ gài gè zhāng.	Please stamp here.

Social & communication

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
聊天 liáo tiān	liáo tiān	to chat	我跟朋友聊了半小時天。Wǒ gēn péng yǒu liáo le bàn xiǎo shí tiān.	I chatted with a friend for half an hour.
發短信 fā duǎn xìn	fā duǎn xìn	to text / send an SMS	我給他發了短信。Wǒ gěi tā fā le duǎn xìn.	I texted him.
留言 liú yán	liú yán	to leave a message/comment	我在貼文下面留了言。Wǒ zài tiē wén xià miàn liú le yán.	I left a comment under the post.
打招呼 dǎ zhāo hu	dǎ zhāo hu	to greet / say hi	我們見面先打了招呼。Wǒ men jiàn miàn xiān dǎ le zhāo hu.	We greeted each other when we met.
握手 wò shǒu	wò shǒu	to shake hands	他跟我握了手。Tā gēn wǒ wò le shǒu.	He shook my hand.
道歉 dào qiàn	dào qiàn	to apologize	他已經道了歉。Tā yǐ jīng dào le qiàn.	He already apologized.
吵架 chǎo jià	chǎo jià	to argue	他們昨天吵了一架。Tā men zuó tiān chǎo le yí jià.	They had an argument yesterday.
約會 yuē huì	yuē huì	to go on a date	我們週五約個會吧。Wǒ men zhōu wǔ yuē gè huì ba.	Let’s go on a date Friday.
求婚 qiú hūn	qiú hūn	to propose (marriage)	他在海邊求了婚。Tā zài hǎi biān qiú le hūn.	He proposed by the sea.
結婚 jié hūn	jié hūn	to get married	他們去年結了婚。Tā men qù nián jié le hūn.	They got married last year.
離婚 lí hūn	lí hūn	to divorce	他們兩年前離了婚。Tā men liǎng nián qián lí le hūn.	They divorced two years ago.
談戀愛 tán liàn ài	tán liàn ài	to date / be in a relationship	他們談了戀愛就很低調。Tā men tán le liàn ài jiù hěn dī diào.	After they started dating, they kept it low-key.
幫忙 bāng máng	bāng máng	to help	你能幫個忙嗎？Nǐ néng bāng gè máng ma?	Can you help me out?
請客 qǐng kè	qǐng kè	to treat (pay for others)	他請了客，我們就別搶付錢。Tā qǐng le kè, wǒ men jiù bié qiǎng fù qián.	He treated us, so don’t fight to pay.
送禮 sòng lǐ	sòng lǐ	to give a gift	我送了禮就走。Wǒ sòng le lǐ jiù zǒu.	I gave the gift and left.
借錢 jiè qián	jiè qián	to borrow money	他又借了錢。Tā yòu jiè le qián.	He borrowed money again.
還錢 huán qián	huán qián	to pay back money	他終於還了錢。Tā zhōng yú huán le qián.	He finally paid back the money.
敬酒 jìng jiǔ	jìng jiǔ	to toast (offer a drink)	他敬了酒，大家都笑了。Tā jìng le jiǔ, dà jiā dōu xiào le.	He made a toast and everyone laughed.
拜年 bài nián	bài nián	to pay New Year visits	過年我們去拜了年。Guò nián wǒ men qù bài le nián.	We paid New Year visits during the holiday.
鼓掌 gǔ zhǎng	gǔ zhǎng	to applaud	大家鼓了掌。Dà jiā gǔ le zhǎng.	Everyone applauded.
鞠躬 jū gōng	jū gōng	to bow	他鞠了躬表示感謝。Tā jū le gōng biǎo shì gǎn xiè.	He bowed to show thanks.

Leisure & getting around

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
散步 sàn bù	sàn bù	to take a walk	我們晚飯後散了步。Wǒ men wǎn fàn hòu sàn le bù.	We took a walk after dinner.
爬山 pá shān	pá shān	to hike / climb a mountain	週末我爬了山，腿超酸。Zhōu mò wǒ pá le shān, tuǐ chāo suān.	I hiked on the weekend—my legs are so sore.
游泳 yóu yǒng	yóu yǒng	to swim	我昨天下午游了泳。Wǒ zuó tiān xià wǔ yóu le yǒng.	I swam yesterday afternoon.
跑步 pǎo bù	pǎo bù	to run / jog	我早上跑了步。Wǒ zǎo shàng pǎo le bù.	I went for a run this morning.
跳舞 tiào wǔ	tiào wǔ	to dance	他們跳了舞到很晚。Tā men tiào le wǔ dào hěn wǎn.	They danced until late.
唱歌 chàng gē	chàng gē	to sing	我們唱了兩首歌。Wǒ men chàng le liǎng shǒu gē.	We sang two songs.
打球 dǎ qiú	dǎ qiú	to play ball (sports)	我們打了球才回家。Wǒ men dǎ le qiú cái huí jiā.	We went home after playing.
踢球 tī qiú	tī qiú	to play soccer / kick a ball	小孩在公園踢了球。Xiǎo hái zài gōng yuán tī le qiú.	The kid played soccer in the park.
下棋 xià qí	xià qí	to play chess (or board games)	爺爺跟我下了一盤棋。Yé ye gēn wǒ xià le yì pán qí.	Grandpa played a game with me.
打牌 dǎ pái	dǎ pái	to play cards	他們打了兩圈牌。Tā men dǎ le liǎng quān pái.	They played two rounds of cards.
拍照 pāi zhào	pāi zhào	to take photos	我們在這裡拍了照。Wǒ men zài zhè lǐ pāi le zhào.	We took a photo here.
照相 zhào xiàng	zhào xiàng	to take a picture (more “camera-ish”)	需要幫你們照個相嗎？Xū yào bāng nǐ men zhào gè xiàng ma?	Want me to take a picture for you?
開車 kāi chē	kāi chē	to drive	我開了兩小時車。Wǒ kāi le liǎng xiǎo shí chē.	I drove for two hours.
搭車 dā chē	dā chē	to take a ride / take transport	我搭了車去捷運站。Wǒ dā le chē qù jié yùn zhàn.	I took a ride to the MRT station.
坐飛機 zuò fēi jī	zuò fēi jī	to fly (take a plane)	我坐了飛機來台北。Wǒ zuò le fēi jī lái Táiběi.	I flew to Taipei.
上車 shàng chē	shàng chē	to get on a vehicle	大家上了車就出發。Dà jiā shàng le chē jiù chū fā.	Everyone got in and we left.
下車 xià chē	xià chē	to get off a vehicle	到站我們就下了車。Dào zhàn wǒ men jiù xià le chē.	We got off at the stop.

Errands, health & tech

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
看病 kàn bìng	kàn bìng	to see a doctor	我今天去看了病。Wǒ jīn tiān qù kàn le bìng.	I went to see a doctor today.
掛號 guà hào	guà hào	to register (clinic)	我先掛了號再排隊。Wǒ xiān guà le hào zài pái duì.	I registered first, then queued up.
打針 dǎ zhēn	dǎ zhēn	to get an injection	我剛打了針。Wǒ gāng dǎ le zhēn.	I just got a shot.
吃藥 chī yào	chī yào	to take medicine	你吃了藥沒？Nǐ chī le yào méi?	Did you take your medicine?
排隊 pái duì	pái duì	to line up / queue	我排了半小時隊才買到。Wǒ pái le bàn xiǎo shí duì cái mǎi dào.	I queued for half an hour before I could buy it.
買票 mǎi piào	mǎi piào	to buy a ticket	我已經買了票。Wǒ yǐ jīng mǎi le piào.	I already bought the ticket.
訂票 dìng piào	dìng piào	to book tickets	我先訂了票。Wǒ xiān dìng le piào.	I booked the tickets first.
退票 tuì piào	tuì piào	to refund a ticket	行程變了，我退了票。Xíng chéng biàn le, wǒ tuì le piào.	Plans changed, so I refunded the ticket.
訂房 dìng fáng	dìng fáng	to book a room	我在網路上訂了房。Wǒ zài wǎng lù shàng dìng le fáng.	I booked a room online.
換錢 huàn qián	huàn qián	to exchange money	出國前我換了錢。Chū guó qián wǒ huàn le qián.	I exchanged money before going abroad.
付錢 fù qián	fù qián	to pay	我用卡付了錢。Wǒ yòng kǎ fù le qián.	I paid by card.
找錢 zhǎo qián	zhǎo qián	to give change	店員找了錢給我。Diàn yuán zhǎo le qián gěi wǒ.	The clerk gave me change.
上網 shàng wǎng	shàng wǎng	to go online	我上了網就回你。Wǒ shàng le wǎng jiù huí nǐ.	I’ll reply as soon as I’m online.
充電 chōng diàn	chōng diàn	to charge (a device)	我先充個電。Wǒ xiān chōng gè diàn.	I’ll charge it first.
打字 dǎ zì	dǎ zì	to type	我打了字又刪掉了。Wǒ dǎ le zì yòu shān diào le.	I typed it, then deleted it.
遛狗 liù gǒu	liù gǒu	to walk a dog	我剛遛了狗。Wǒ gāng liù le gǒu.	I just walked the dog.
搬家 bān jiā	bān jiā	to move (house)	我們上個月搬了家。Wǒ men shàng gè yuè bān le jiā.	We moved last month.
退貨 tuì huò	tuì huò	to return goods	不合適我就退個貨。Bù hé shì wǒ jiù tuì gè huò.	If it doesn’t fit, I’ll return it.
換貨 huàn huò	huàn huò	to exchange goods	尺寸不對，我換了貨。Chǐ cùn bù duì, wǒ huàn le huò.	The size was wrong, so I exchanged it.

Common measure words & handy add-ons

If separable verbs had a love language, it would be measure words. Here are the most useful ones.

Use with…	Common measure word	Meaning (EN)	Use it like (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
洗澡 / 見面 / 道歉 xǐ zǎo / jiàn miàn / dào qiàn	個 (gè)	a quick “one time” unit	我去洗個澡。Wǒ qù xǐ gè zǎo.	I’m going to take a quick shower.
吃飯 chī fàn	頓 (dùn)	a meal-counting unit	我今天只吃了一頓飯。Wǒ jīn tiān zhǐ chī le yí dùn fàn.	I only ate one meal today.
睡覺 shuì jiào	覺 (jiào)	one “sleep session”	我想睡一覺。Wǒ xiǎng shuì yí jiào.	I want to sleep (take a nap).
吵架 chǎo jià	架 (jià)	one argument/fight	他們又吵了一架。Tā men yòu chǎo le yí jià.	They argued again.
下棋 xià qí	盤 (pán)	one game (board/chess)	我們下了一盤棋。Wǒ men xià le yì pán qí.	We played one game.
排隊 / 聊天 / 開車 pái duì / liáo tiān / kāi chē	一會兒 (yí huìr) / 時間詞	duration	我聊了一會兒天就走。Wǒ liáo le yí huìr tiān jiù zǒu.	I chatted for a bit and then left.

Yak Snark

If you remember just one thing: put 了 in the middle and add a measure word when it feels “countable.”
Congratulations. You now know more about 離合詞 than your past self who bravely said “我洗澡了” and hoped nobody noticed.

Yak Snark

What separable verbs (離合詞) really are

Quick wins: 8 separable verbs you’ll use daily

How to use separable verbs without face-planting

Two ultra-practical “don’t overthink it” tips

More separable verbs (grouped, with examples)

Daily routine

Food & around the house

Work & school

Social & communication

Leisure & getting around

Errands, health & tech

Common measure words & handy add-ons

Yak Snark

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