Meaning of 完了
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be finished
- to be done for
- ruined
- gone to the dogs
- oh no
How to use 完了
完了 has two common uses. It can mean something is finished, often after a verb or at the end of a clause, as in 吃完了 (chī wán le, finished eating). It is also a common exclamation like "oh no" or "I'm done for" when something goes wrong, for example 完了，我忘带钥匙了。(Wánle, wǒ wàng dài yàoshi le.) Oh no, I forgot my keys.
完 (wán) means to finish, and 了 (le) marks that something has already happened. Put them together and the thing is finished, so when you say 完了 about yourself, it means you are done for.
Common mistake: Learners often read 了 here as liǎo, but in 完了 it is the light, neutral-tone le. Do not mix it up with 为了 (wèile) or 除了 (chúle). They also end in 了 but mean "for" and "besides", not "finished".
完了 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
完 wán · to finish · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
了 le · completed action marker · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 完了.
| 完全 | wánquán | complete; whole; totally; entirely |
| 完成 | wánchéng | to complete; to accomplish |
| 为了 | wèile | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 除了 | chúle | apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 |
| 完美 | wánměi | perfect |
| 完整 | wánzhěng | complete; intact |
| 极了 | jí le | extremely; exceedingly |
| 完善 | wánshàn | (of systems, facilities etc) comprehensive; well-developed |
| 了解 | liǎojiě | to understand; to know about; to learn about; to find out |
| 了不起 | liǎobuqǐ | amazing; terrific |
| 受不了 | shòubuliǎo | unbearable; unable to endure |
| 不得了 | bùdéliǎo | desperately serious; disastrous |
Questions about 完了
What does 完了 mean?
完了 (wánle) means "to be finished; to be done for" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 完了?
完了 is made of 2 characters: 完 (7 strokes), 了 (2 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 完了 an HSK word?
Yes. 完了 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 完了 rude or too strong to say?
No, it is everyday and casual. As an exclamation it sounds dramatic but friendly, like "I'm doomed" in English. Saying it to describe a person, as in 他完了, can sound harsh, so use that carefully.
What is the difference between 完了 and 完成?
完成 (wánchéng) means to complete a task, and it is more formal, as in 完成工作 (finish the work). 完了 is casual and often comes after another verb, like 做完了 (done doing it). It can also be an emotional reaction, which 完成 never is.