<p>The function of &quot;得“ in these two sentences is to indicate a <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/degree_complement" rel="nofollow noreferrer">degree complement</a>. The general structure for this kind of degree complement used with an adjective is</p>
<blockquote>
<p>adjective + 得 + X</p>
</blockquote>
<p>where X is some phrase. There are many different structures for X. When X contains a predicate, we can often translate it as &quot;so [adj] that [clause].&quot;</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我今天累得不想吃饭。<br/>
I'm so tired that I don't want to eat.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When X is a comparison, the degree complement can often be translated to &quot;as [adj] as [noun phrase].&quot; These comparisons are frequently idiomatic.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我的作业本丢了，急得我好像热锅上的蚂蚁。<br/>
I lost my workbook, making me as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof. <br/>
(literal translation: as anxious as an ant on a hot pan)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here are some other common degree complements involving comparison.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>他饿得跟什么似的。<br/>
He's as hungry as anything. <br/>
(literal translation: as hungry as something)</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>我累得跟狗一样。<br/>
I'm dog-tired. <br/>
(literal translation: as tired as a dog)</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://international-chinese.com/%E7%A8%8B%E5%BA%A6%E8%A1%A5%E8%AF%AD/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's a post</a> (in Chinese) that gives other examples of short, idiomatic degree complements.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-31T01:16:38.720Z
2023-05-31T01:23:50.003Z
2023-05-31T01:23:50.003Z
Justin Hancock
<p>Not sure about a &quot;so ... that&quot; structure.</p>
<p>急 tells us you are anxious or worried. The phrase 我好像热锅上的蚂蚁 tells us how anxious or worried you are. If I was an ant in that situation, I'd be worried! Saying, &quot;Stay cool bro!&quot; won't help!</p>
<p>So I suppose you could say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(I am) anxious (so that) I resemble an ant on a hotplate.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Six hot little feet! (I don't know about ants, but I read butterflies taste things with their feet!)</p>
<p>我的作业本丢了。<br />
I lost my homework book.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>热锅上的蚂蚁：形容心理烦躁、焦急， 坐立不安的样子。<br />
ant on a hotplate: describes the appearance  of being agitated, anxious, jittery.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>急得我好像热锅上的蚂蚁。<br />
(I) am as anxious as an ant on a hotplate.</p>
<p>我今天累得不想吃饭。<br />
I am tired today, I don't want to eat.</p>
<p>You could express the above so:</p>
<p>今天我太累了，连饭都不想吃。<br />
Today I am so tired, I don't even want to eat!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-30T22:48:48.323Z
2023-05-30T22:48:48.323Z
Pedroski
<p>的 is used to mark possession, or make an adjective/possessive phrase to describe the noun/object that follows.</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>我的</strong>作业本丢了 - I lost <strong>my</strong> notepad.</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>热锅上的</strong>蚂蚁 - Ants <strong>on the hot pot</strong>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>得 has quite a few uses, but here, it indicates &quot;the state/degree/extent&quot; of the action word (累) proceeds it.</p>
<ul>
<li>我今天<strong>累得</strong>不想吃饭 - I am <strong>too tired</strong> to eat today.</li>
</ul>
<p>Here is an excellent reference material - <a href="https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/de-grammar-summary/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/de-grammar-summary/</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-31T00:41:32.927Z
2023-05-31T00:54:21.507Z
2023-05-31T00:54:21.507Z
r13
<p>我的作业本丢了，急得 我 好像 热锅 上的 蚂蚁。
我今天累得不想吃饭。
Is 得 used here like the &quot;so... that&quot; structure? Or are we supposed to use 的 for the first sentence? How can we translate these sentences?</p>

<grammar>
Can we use 得 as "so... that"?
# Can we use 得 as "so... that"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-05-30)

我的作业本丢了，急得 我 好像 热锅 上的 蚂蚁。
我今天累得不想吃饭。
Is 得 used here like the "so... that" structure? Or are we supposed to use 的 for the first sentence? How can we translate these sentences?

**Tags:** grammar


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-05-31. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

The function of "得“ in these two sentences is to indicate a [degree complement](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/degree_complement). The general structure for this kind of degree complement used with an adjective is

> adjective + 得 + X

where X is some phrase. There are many different structures for X. When X contains a predicate, we can often translate it as "so [adj] that [clause]."

> 我今天累得不想吃饭。  
> I'm so tired that I don't want to eat.

When X is a comparison, the degree complement can often be translated to "as [adj] as [noun phrase]." These comparisons are frequently idiomatic.

> 我的作业本丢了，急得我好像热锅上的蚂蚁。  
> I lost my workbook, making me as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.   
> (literal translation: as anxious as an ant on a hot pan)

Here are some other common degree complements involving comparison.

> 他饿得跟什么似的。  
> He's as hungry as anything.   
> (literal translation: as hungry as something)

> 我累得跟狗一样。  
> I'm dog-tired.   
> (literal translation: as tired as a dog)

[Here's a post](https://international-chinese.com/%E7%A8%8B%E5%BA%A6%E8%A1%A5%E8%AF%AD/) (in Chinese) that gives other examples of short, idiomatic degree complements.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2023-05-30. Score: 1

Not sure about a "so ... that" structure.

急 tells us you are anxious or worried. The phrase 我好像热锅上的蚂蚁 tells us how anxious or worried you are. If I was an ant in that situation, I'd be worried! Saying, "Stay cool bro!" won't help!

So I suppose you could say:

> (I am) anxious (so that) I resemble an ant on a hotplate.

Six hot little feet! (I don't know about ants, but I read butterflies taste things with their feet!)

我的作业本丢了。  
I lost my homework book.

> 热锅上的蚂蚁：形容心理烦躁、焦急， 坐立不安的样子。  
> ant on a hotplate: describes the appearance of being agitated, anxious, jittery.

急得我好像热锅上的蚂蚁。  
(I) am as anxious as an ant on a hotplate.

我今天累得不想吃饭。  
I am tired today, I don't want to eat.

You could express the above so:

今天我太累了，连饭都不想吃。  
Today I am so tired, I don't even want to eat!


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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-05-31. Score: 1

的 is used to mark possession, or make an adjective/possessive phrase to describe the noun/object that follows.

* **我的**作业本丢了 - I lost **my** notepad.
* **热锅上的**蚂蚁 - Ants **on the hot pot**.

得 has quite a few uses, but here, it indicates "the state/degree/extent" of the action word (累) proceeds it.

* 我今天**累得**不想吃饭 - I am **too tired** to eat today.

Here is an excellent reference material - <https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/de-grammar-summary/>


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