A collocation is a word together with the partners it normally keeps. When you learn a new word, learn two or three of its partners at the same time. This helps in writing tasks, where natural phrasing is read as control of the language.
This lesson follows telling look-alike characters apart and sits in Characters, words and context.
Why do some pairings feel wrong?
Chinese verbs are choosy about their objects. You 提高 (tígāo, raise) a level or a mark, but you 养成 (yǎngchéng, develop) a habit. Swapping them gives sentences that are understandable but unnatural.
A new word is only half-learnt until you know what it pairs with. The partner words tell you the meaning and the register at the same time.
A method for any new word
- Find the word in a real sentence, from a text you are reading.
- Underline the verb or adjective beside it. That is your first partner.
- Write a three-part card: the word, two partner phrases, one sentence of your own.
- Check your sentence against the original: is the same kind of word next to it?
Worked example
The new word is 培养 (péiyǎng), “to cultivate, to nurture”. It was met in this invented sentence:
阅读可以培养我们的兴趣和耐心。
Partners found: 培养兴趣 (cultivate an interest), 培养耐心 (cultivate patience). The objects are qualities or abilities that grow slowly over time.
Card:
| Word | Partner phrases | My own sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 培养 péiyǎng | 培养兴趣, 培养习惯, 培养能力 | 妈妈从小就培养我读书的习惯。 |
The sentence in the last column keeps the same kind of object: a habit, which also grows slowly.
A mistake that looks reasonable
A writer wants to say “improve my marks” and uses the new word:
Wrong: 我想培养我的成绩。
培养 pairs with qualities that are grown, such as interests and abilities. 成绩 (marks, results) is raised or achieved, so the natural partners are 提高成绩 or 取得好成绩.
Corrected: 我想提高我的成绩。 / 我想培养学习的兴趣。
The correction is to match the type of object. Ask whether the object is something you grow or something you raise.
Self-check
These are invented practice items.
1. Choose the natural verb: （培养 / 提高）阅读能力; （培养 / 提高）考试成绩.
Show answer
培养阅读能力 (grow a reading ability) and 提高考试成绩 (raise exam results). 提高阅读能力 is also acceptable, but 提高 is the more natural partner for 成绩.
2. Which sentence is natural? A. 他取得了很大的进步。 B. 他得到了很大的进步。
Show answer
A. 进步 (progress) pairs with 取得. 得到 is used for objects you receive, and B sounds unnatural.
3. Write one sentence with 养成 and the object 习惯.
Show answer
One possible answer: 每天复习十分钟，可以养成好习惯。 Any sentence that keeps 养成 beside 习惯 and makes sense is correct.
Where to go next
Next, practise reading a new word from its surroundings in inferring meaning from sentence context. Then test your pairings in the mixed practice set. The writing revision compare view lets you compare an early and a later draft of your own sentences.
Our teachers can listen to your sentences and suggest more natural partners in online one-to-one Chinese tuition.