<blockquote>
<p>Is 起草 a separable verb?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, in the dictionary《现代汉语词典》, separable words (离合词) are indicated with the symbol &quot;//&quot; in their pinyin, and 起草 is indicated as qǐ//cǎo.</p>
<p>起草 is a verb+object separable word.</p>
<p>verb: 起<br />
object: 草</p>
<p>Anyway, there is an exception to the following general rule:</p>
<p><strong>GENERAL RULE</strong></p>
<p>Verb+object separable words cannot be followed by an object.</p>
<p>The following sentence is wrong:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>*昨天我们<strong>谈话</strong>了很多事情。</p>
<p>谈: verb<br />
话: object<br />
很多事情: object not allowed</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>EXCEPTION</strong></p>
<p>A few verb+object separable words as 起草 can be followed by an object. They are still verb+object separable words, and all other rules still apply, so we would still say &quot;起了草&quot;, &quot;起过草&quot;, &quot;起的草&quot;, &quot;起完草&quot;, &quot;草都没起&quot;, &quot;起一起草&quot;, &quot;起什么草&quot;, etc. But, we can <strong>also</strong> say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>他这几天在<strong>起草</strong>一个文件。<br />
昨天我们<strong>起草</strong>了一个文件。</p>
<p>一个文件: object (normally not allowed)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some other exceptions are:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>操心, 成交, 出口, 出席, 担心, 发愁, 放心, 进口, 列席, 留神, 留心, 留意, 缺席, 告別, 在意, 注意, 走私.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For more info see <a href="https://m.pinshiwen.com/yuexie/cysl/20190822226001.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">品诗文网</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T21:40:14.153Z
2022-01-02T21:40:14.153Z
Joe at wearyourchinesename.com
<p>Read this answer and you would know why a [verb + noun compound word] like 起草 can be separated into [verb and noun] and treated as such</p>
<p><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/32684/is-%e6%8a%95%e4%b8%aa%e5%a5%bd%e8%83%8e-a-proper-set-phrase-idiom-what-does-it-mean/32685#32685">Is &quot;投个好胎&quot; a proper set phrase/idiom? What does it mean?</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;投个胎&quot; break up the compound word &quot;投胎&quot; and treating 投 as a verb; 胎 as a noun. When 胎 is a noun, we can add classifier '个' (a) before it to indicate indefinite</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Similarly, the compound word 起草 (to draft) is a single word, but it is made up of a verb 起(establish) and a noun 草(rough/ draft)</p>
<p>起个草 break up the compound word &quot;起草&quot; and treating 起 as a verb; 草 as a noun.</p>
<p>When 草 is acting as a noun, we can add classifier '个' (a) before it to indicate indefinite</p>
<p>Having 了 in 起草了 indicate 起草 is treated as a single compound word. There is no inconsistency because a separable verb is still treated as a single verb when it is not separated.</p>
<p>Basically, any compound verb that is made up of a verb and a noun is separable</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T01:05:30.547Z
Honestly, this is blowing my mind.  We're taught separable verb grammar: [游了一个小时的泳](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/41226/8099) (and that 游泳了一个小时 is wrong).  But 起草 can be used with inseparable verb grammar: 起草了一篇讲话稿.  However, we can still write 我已经起了个草 where 起 and 草 are two words!  It's like 起草 is both a separable and inseparable verb.  Wow!!
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T01:31:12.320Z
泳 in 游泳 can be either a verb (to swim) or a noun (a swim), but in 游个泳, it has to be treated as a noun;  游泳了一个小时 is wrong but 游泳游了一个小时 is correct; In [ 游泳(v+v)了 ]  one of the verb is redundant, therefore we only say  [ 游(v)了 ]
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T01:42:34.587Z
We say 游了泳 but not 游泳了,  but we can say 投胎了or 投了胎 and 起草了 or 起了草. because  起草 and 投胎 are made up of verb and noun
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T02:06:39.067Z
工作 (inseparable verb) = 工作了, not  工了作;  游泳 (separable verb) = 游了泳, not 游泳了; 起草 (separable / inseparable verb) = 起草了 or 起了草
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T00:36:34.227Z
2022-01-02T01:04:18.000Z
2022-01-02T01:04:18.000Z
Tang Ho
<p>这封信你来<strong>起个</strong>草吧。&quot;You, (please) <strong>to write/initiate</strong> the preliminary (草) for this letter.&quot; Or, &quot;This time, you <strong>write/initiate</strong> the preliminary (草) letter&quot;. In both cases, there is only one verb &quot;to write/initiate&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-02T00:55:46.797Z
2022-01-02T01:20:47.507Z
2022-01-02T01:20:47.507Z
r13
<p>Pleco lists the following example sentence for <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E8%B5%B7%E8%8D%89" rel="nofollow noreferrer">起草</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>这封信你来<strong>起</strong>个<strong>草</strong>吧。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This indicates 起草 is a separable verb.  And it's possible to find examples online of 起草 being used as a separable verb, such as <a href="http://www.dushu369.com/waiguomingzhu/HTML/79079.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">我已经<strong>起</strong>了个<strong>草</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.pinshiwen.com/yuexie/cysl/20190822226001.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">我<strong>起</strong>完<strong>草</strong></a>.</p>
<p>However, looking at <a href="http://dict.youdao.com/example/%E8%B5%B7%E8%8D%89%E4%BA%86" rel="nofollow noreferrer">example sentences from YouDao</a> we find examples like:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>他<strong>起草了</strong>一份讲话的概要。<br />
他给我<strong>起草了</strong>一篇讲话稿。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It seems this placement of the 了 is inconsistent with 起草 being a separable verb.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Is 起草 a separable verb?</p>

<word><verbs><separable-verbs>
Is 起草 a separable verb?
# Is 起草 a separable verb?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-01-02)

Pleco lists the following example sentence for [起草](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E8%B5%B7%E8%8D%89):

> 这封信你来**起**个**草**吧。

This indicates 起草 is a separable verb. And it's possible to find examples online of 起草 being used as a separable verb, such as [我已经**起**了个**草**](http://www.dushu369.com/waiguomingzhu/HTML/79079.html) and [我**起**完**草**](https://www.pinshiwen.com/yuexie/cysl/20190822226001.html).

However, looking at [example sentences from YouDao](http://dict.youdao.com/example/%E8%B5%B7%E8%8D%89%E4%BA%86) we find examples like:

> 他**起草了**一份讲话的概要。  
> 他给我**起草了**一篇讲话稿。

It seems this placement of the 了 is inconsistent with 起草 being a separable verb.

**Question**: Is 起草 a separable verb?

**Tags:** word, verbs, separable-verbs

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-01-02. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> Is 起草 a separable verb?

Yes, in the dictionary《现代汉语词典》, separable words (离合词) are indicated with the symbol "//" in their pinyin, and 起草 is indicated as qǐ//cǎo.

起草 is a verb+object separable word.

verb: 起  
object: 草

Anyway, there is an exception to the following general rule:

**GENERAL RULE**

Verb+object separable words cannot be followed by an object.

The following sentence is wrong:

> \*昨天我们**谈话**了很多事情。
>
> 谈: verb  
> 话: object  
> 很多事情: object not allowed

**EXCEPTION**

A few verb+object separable words as 起草 can be followed by an object. They are still verb+object separable words, and all other rules still apply, so we would still say "起了草", "起过草", "起的草", "起完草", "草都没起", "起一起草", "起什么草", etc. But, we can **also** say:

> 他这几天在**起草**一个文件。  
> 昨天我们**起草**了一个文件。
>
> 一个文件: object (normally not allowed)

Some other exceptions are:

> 操心, 成交, 出口, 出席, 担心, 发愁, 放心, 进口, 列席, 留神, 留心, 留意, 缺席, 告別, 在意, 注意, 走私.

For more info see [品诗文网](https://m.pinshiwen.com/yuexie/cysl/20190822226001.html)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-01-02. Score: 2

Read this answer and you would know why a [verb + noun compound word] like 起草 can be separated into [verb and noun] and treated as such

[Is "投个好胎" a proper set phrase/idiom? What does it mean?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/32684/is-%e6%8a%95%e4%b8%aa%e5%a5%bd%e8%83%8e-a-proper-set-phrase-idiom-what-does-it-mean/32685#32685)

> "投个胎" break up the compound word "投胎" and treating 投 as a verb; 胎 as a noun. When 胎 is a noun, we can add classifier '个' (a) before it to indicate indefinite

Similarly, the compound word 起草 (to draft) is a single word, but it is made up of a verb 起(establish) and a noun 草(rough/ draft)

起个草 break up the compound word "起草" and treating 起 as a verb; 草 as a noun.

When 草 is acting as a noun, we can add classifier '个' (a) before it to indicate indefinite

Having 了 in 起草了 indicate 起草 is treated as a single compound word. There is no inconsistency because a separable verb is still treated as a single verb when it is not separated.

Basically, any compound verb that is made up of a verb and a noun is separable

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Honestly, this is blowing my mind.  We're taught separable verb grammar: [游了一个小时的泳](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/41226/8099) (and that 游泳了一个小时 is wrong).  But 起草 can be used with inseparable verb grammar: 起草了一篇讲话稿.  However, we can still write 我已经起了个草 where 起 and 草 are two words!  It's like 起草 is both a separable and inseparable verb.  Wow!!  
> **username_2**: 泳 in 游泳 can be either a verb (to swim) or a noun (a swim), but in 游个泳, it has to be treated as a noun;  游泳了一个小时 is wrong but 游泳游了一个小时 is correct; In [ 游泳(v+v)了 ]  one of the verb is redundant, therefore we only say  [ 游(v)了 ]  
> **username_2**: We say 游了泳 but not 游泳了,  but we can say 投胎了or 投了胎 and 起草了 or 起了草. because  起草 and 投胎 are made up of verb and noun  
> **username_2**: 工作 (inseparable verb) = 工作了, not  工了作;  游泳 (separable verb) = 游了泳, not 游泳了; 起草 (separable / inseparable verb) = 起草了 or 起了草  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-01-02. Score: 1

这封信你来**起个**草吧。"You, (please) **to write/initiate** the preliminary (草) for this letter." Or, "This time, you **write/initiate** the preliminary (草) letter". In both cases, there is only one verb "to write/initiate".


---

