Chinese Grammar: Using 住 after a verb

You guys probably already knew that the word 住 means “to live” in Chinese. It’s useful because it’s the fundamental way to ask "where do you live?" : "你 住 在 哪？" However, do you know that if you use 住 after the verb, it has an entirely different meaning? Wondering how to use this pattern? Let us show you!

Rules

This is a handy pattern in spoken Chinese. In fact, you'll frequently hear the Chinese using it to express a specific situation or to stay/keep a particular state. You can use 住 after a verb also to describe a lever or a state of something/somebody. Generally, it has two usages if we depend on the sense it conveys.

To indicate a sense of firmness. In this case, you can consider it as “firmly/tightly” in English as a complement to express the result.

To demonstrate the ability to complete a certain action it describes. You can translate it “be able to” in English as a potential complement.

Structure

Verb + 住

Examples Indicating the firmness:

车 堵住 了。
The cars are blocking the road.

血 已经 止 住 了。
The blood stopped.

站住 ， 我 还有 话 对 你 说。
Stop, I still have something to tell you.

Examples Indicating the ability:

你 能 记住 我 家的 地址 吗？
Can you remember my address?

你 可以 抓住 我 的 手。
You can hold my hand.

看 住 我 的 狗 不要 让 它 到处 跑。
Please look after my dog and don’t let it run free.

There is another pattern to stress a certain state that you can stay or keep. It’s the situation to express the ability of something. You can use 住 with 得 as a potential complement.

Structure

Verb + 得 + 住

Examples

这些 书 不 重 ， 我 拿 得 住 。
These books are not heavy, I can hold them.

这个 人 靠得住 ， 你 可以 相信 他。
This person is reliable, you can trust him.

还有 十分 钟 ， 你 还 撑 得 住 吗？
10 minutes left, can you still bear it?

You can use 不 to negate this pattern, indicating that you have no abilities to do something.

Structure

Verb + 不 + 住

Examples

太 累 了 ， 我 坚持 不住 了。
I’m so tired, and I can’t insist on it.

我 忍不住 笑 了。
I could not help laughing.

他 记不住 是 怎么 回到 这里 的。
He couldn’t remember how he came back here.

Instead of using 住 to express the ability, you can also use 了 in the same pattern, and it means the same.

For example: 我 能 吃 得了 这些 苹果 。 I can eat up these apples.