  The Darboux transformation (DT) formulae for the derivative nonlinear
Schr\"{o}dinger (DNLS) equation are expressed in concise forms, from which the
multi-solitons, n-periodic solutions, higher-order hybrid-pattern solitons and
some mixed solutions are obtained. These complex excitations can be constructed
thanks to more general semi-degenerate DTs. Even the non-degenerate N-fold DT
with a zero seed can generate complicated n-periodic solutions. It is proved
that the solution q[N] at the origin depends only on the summation of the
spectral parameters. We find the maximum amplitudes of several classes of the
wave solutions are determined by the summation. Many interesting phenomena are
discovered from these new solutions. For instance, the interactions between
n-periodic waves produce peaks with different amplitudes and sizes; A soliton
on a single periodic wave background shares a similar feature as a breather due
to the interference of the periodic background. In addition, the results are
extended to the reverse-space-time DNLS equation.
