<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta name="generator" content= "HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" /> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>A <em>direction complement</em> is a <a href="complement" class= "uri" title="wikilink">complement</a> that's used, you guessed it, to describe the direction of the action of a verb.</p> <h2 id="simple-direction-complement">Simple Direction Complement</h2> <p>The most basic (and common) form of direction complement is formed by a verb and 来 or 去:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Verb + 来 / 去</p> </div> <p>The most important thing to consider with direction complements is <strong>the position of the speaker</strong>. If the action moves towards the speaker or comes closer in any way, use 来. If the action moves away from the speaker or becomes more distant in any way, use 去.</p> <table class="table big-text table-striped table-bordered"> <tr> <th style="width:15%"> <p>Verb</p> </th> <th style="width:25%"> <p>+ Complement</p> </th> <th style="width:60%"> <p>Explanation</p> </th> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>下</p> </td> <td> <p>下来<span class="pinyin">xiàlái</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is down towards the speaker: "come down"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>下</p> </td> <td> <p>下去<span class="pinyin">xiàqù</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is down away from the speaker: "go down"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>上</p> </td> <td> <p>上来<span class="pinyin">shànglái</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is up towards the speaker: "come up"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>上</p> </td> <td> <p>上去<span class="pinyin">shàngqù</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is up and away from the speaker: "go up"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>出</p> </td> <td> <p>出来<span class="pinyin">chūlái</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is out and towards the speaker: "come out"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>出</p> </td> <td> <p>出去<span class="pinyin">chūqù</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is out and away from the speaker: "go out"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>进</p> </td> <td> <p>进来<span class="pinyin">jìnlái</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is in and towards the speaker: "come in"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>进</p> </td> <td> <p>进去<span class="pinyin">jìnqù</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is in and away from the speaker: "go in"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>回</p> </td> <td> <p>回来<span class="pinyin">huílái</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is towards the speaker: "come back"</span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>回</p> </td> <td> <p>回去<span class="pinyin">huíqù</span></p> </td> <td> <p><span class="spaced">The movement is away from the speaker: "go back"</span></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p>You might be wondering how the directional distinction between 来 and 去 works when you're talking about yourself moving. You can't move away from or towards yourself, so should it be 来 or 去? The answer is to look at the context of the movement you're talking about. Are you telling someone you'll see them tomorrow? As in English, in Chinese you'd say something like "I'll come and see you tomorrow."</p> <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3> <p>You can use these simple compounds in a huge variety of situations. Here are some examples:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>我 在 楼上，请 你 十 分钟 以后 <em>上来</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài lóushàng, qǐng nǐ shí fēnzhōng yǐhòu <em>shànglái</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm on the upper floor. Please come up in ten minutes.</span></li> <li>你 在 楼上 等 我 一下 。我 一会儿 就 <em>上去</em> 找 你。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zài lóushàng děng wǒ yīxià. Wǒ yīhuǐ'er jiù <em>shàngqù</em> zhǎo nǐ.</span><span class="trans">Please wait a moment on the upper floor. I'm coming up to you in a few seconds.</span></li> </ul> </div> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>在 树上 玩 很 危险 ，你 快<em>下来</em> ! <span class="pinyin">Zài shù shàng wán hěn wéixiǎn, nǐ kuài <em>xiàlái</em>!</span><span class= "trans">It's too dangerous to play in the tree! Come down!</span></li> <li>楼下 有 咖啡厅 ，我们 <em>下去</em> 聊 吧 。 <span class="pinyin">Lóuxià yǒu kāfēitīng, wǒmen <em>xiàqù</em> liáo bā.</span><span class= "trans">There is a cafe downstairs. Let's go downstair and talk.</span></li> </ul> </div> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li><em>出来</em> 玩 吧 ，我们 在 KTV 等 你 。<span class= "pinyin"><em>Chūlái</em> wán bā, wǒmen zài KTV děng nǐ.</span><span class="trans">Come over and hang out with us. We'll be waiting in the KTV.</span></li> <li>外面 太 热 了 ，不要 <em>出去</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wàimiàn tài rè le, bù yào <em>chūqù</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's too hot outside. Don't go outside.</span></li> </ul> </div> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>我们 在 里面 开会 ，大家 都 <em>进来</em> 吧。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zài lǐmiàn kāihuì, dàjiā dōu <em>jìnlái</em> ba.</span><span class= "trans">We are going to have a meeting inside. Please come in here.</span></li> <li>他 在 办公室 里 等 你 ，你 快<em>进去</em> 吧。<span class="pinyin">Tā zài bàngōngshì lǐ děng nǐ, nǐ kuài <em>jìnqù</em> ba.</span><span class="trans">He is waiting for you in his office. You can go in now.</span></li> </ul> </div> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 什么时候 <em>回来</em> ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ shénme shíhou <em>huílái</em>?</span><span class="trans">When are you coming back?</span></li> <li>他 明天 一个人<em>回去</em>。<span class="pinyin">Tā míngtiān yīgèrén <em>huíqù</em>.</span><span class="trans">He is going back alone tomorrow.</span></li> </ul> </div> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 <em>过来</em> 让 我 看 一下 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>guòlái</em> ràng wǒ kàn yīxià.</span><span class="trans">Come here and let me take a look.</span></li> <li>那儿 很 危险 ，不要 <em>过去</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Nàr hěn wēixián, bùdào <em>guòqù</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's dangerous there. Don't go over there.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h3 id="adding-a-place-with-到">Adding a place with 到</h3> <p>Direction complements are very useful for talking about arriving at destinations. The structure for this is:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>到 + Place + 来 / 去</p> </div> <p>Notice that you separate the verb from its direction complement. The location goes in between the two.</p> <p>A few examples:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>我 妹妹 <em>到</em> 上海 <em>来</em> 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ mèimei <em>dào</em> Shànghǎi <em>lái</em> le.</span><span class="trans">My sister arrived in Shanghai.</span></li> <li>你 想 <em>到</em> 我家 <em>来</em> 吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ xiǎng <em>dào</em> wǒ jiā <em>lái</em> ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you want to come to my house?</span></li> <li>我 就 在 会议室 等 他 ，你 让 他 马上 <em>到</em> 会议室 <em>来</em> 。<span class= "pinyin">Wǒ jiù zài huìyìshì děng tā, nǐ ràng tā mǎshàng <em>dào</em> huìyìshì <em>lái</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm waiting for him in the meeting room. Tell him to come here right now.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="compound-direction-complements">Compound Direction Complements</h2> <p>Direction complements can be more complex than just 来 or 去. You can form compound direction complements in the following way:</p> <table class="table big-text table-striped table-bordered"> <tr> <th style="width:15%"></th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>上</p> </th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>下</p> </th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>进</p> </th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>出</p> </th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>回</p> </th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>过</p> </th> <th style="width:10%"> <p>起</p> </th> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>来</p> </td> <td> <p>上来</p> </td> <td> <p>下来</p> </td> <td> <p>进来</p> </td> <td> <p>出来</p> </td> <td> <p>回来</p> </td> <td> <p>过来</p> </td> <td> <p>起来</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p>去</p> </td> <td> <p>上去</p> </td> <td> <p>下去</p> </td> <td> <p>进去</p> </td> <td> <p>出去</p> </td> <td> <p>回去</p> </td> <td> <p>过去</p> </td> <td></td> </tr> </table> <p> 很多学习者习惯说"回来中国"，"回去美国"，都是错的。正确的说法是"回中国来""回美国去"，因为"回"才是动词，"来""去"是补语。口语里如果语境比较明确，经常省略"来""去"，只说"回中国""回美国"。</p> <p>These compounds can then be used in the same way as 来 and 去. Attach them to verbs to give detail about the direction of the action.</p> <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Verb + [Compound Direction Complement]</p> </div> <h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 <em>坐 下来</em> 吧 。 <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zuò xiàlái</em> ba.</span><span class="trans">Please sit down.</span></li> <li>他们 还没 <em>走 出来</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Tāmen hái méi <em>zǒu chūlái</em>.</span><span class="trans">They haven't walked out yet.</span></li> <li>你 可以 <em>站 起来</em> 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ <em>zhàn qǐlái</em> ma?</span><span class="trans">Could you please stand up?</span></li> <li>我们 想 自己 <em>走 下去</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen xiǎng zìjǐ <em>zǒu xiàqù</em>.</span><span class="trans">We'd like to walk down from here by ourselves.</span></li> <li>不要 让 它 <em>跑</em> <em>出去</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Bùyào ràng tā <em>pǎo chūqù</em>.</span><span class="trans">Don't let it run out.</span></li> <li>从 我 家 <em>走</em> <em>过来</em> 要 半 个 小时 。<span class= "pinyin">Cóng wǒ jiā <em>zǒu guòlái</em> yào bàn gè xiǎoshí.</span> <span class="trans">It took me half an hour to walk here from my place.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="direction-complements-with-objects">Direction Complements with Objects</h2> <p>Direction complements are not only used to describe the movement of people. Moving objects can also be described with direction complements. Again, the direction of the movement relative to the speaker (or at least to the context of the conversation) is what's most important when deciding what complement to use.</p> <p>These verbs that commonly appear in this construction include 拿, 送 and 带.</p> <p>Some examples:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>可以 带 <em>一些 朋友</em> 来 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Kěyǐ dài le <em>yīxiē péngyou</em> lái ma?</span><span class="trans">Can I bring some friends?</span></li> <li>你 快点 送 <em>孩子</em> 去 吧 ，别 迟到 了 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kuàidiǎn sòng <em>háizi</em> qù ba, bié chídào le.</span><span class="trans">Hurry up, take the child there. Don't be late.</span></li> <li>师傅 ，再 送 <em>两 桶 水</em> 来 。<span class="pinyin">Shīfu, zài sòng <em>liǎng tǒng shuǐ</em> lái.</span><span class="trans">Shifu, please deliver two more buckets of water.</span></li> <li>他们 从 老家 带 了 <em>一些 特产</em> 回来 。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen cóng lǎojiā dài le <em>yīxiē tèchǎn</em> huílái.</span><span class= "trans">They brought some local goods back from hometown.</span></li> <li>这儿 的 冬天 太 冷 了，我 需要 你 带 <em>一些 厚衣服</em> 过来 。<span class= "pinyin">Zhèr de dōngtiān tài lěng le, wǒ xūyào nǐ dài <em>yīxiē hòu yīfu</em> guòlái.</span><span class="trans">It's too cold here in winter. I need you to bring me some thick clothes.</span></li> <li>你 要 不 要 拿 <em>一点 吃的</em> 过去 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ yào bù yào ná <em>yīdiǎn chīde</em> guòqù?</span><span class="trans">Would you like to take some food there?</span></li> <li>你们 可以 帮 我 拿 <em>一些 书</em> 进去 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen kěyǐ bāng wǒ ná <em>yīxiē shū</em> jìnqù ma?</span><span class= "trans">Could you please help me take some books inside?</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="direction-complements-with-把">Direction Complements with 把</h2> <p>Direction complements work very well in <a href="Ba_sentence" title="wikilink">把 sentences</a>, as they can be used to describe the disposal of an object (what happened to it in the end). Because of this, it's very common to see direction complements and 把 appearing together.</p> <h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Subj. + 把 + Obj. + Verb + [Direction Complement]</p> </div> <h3 id="examples-2">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li><em>把</em> 书 拿 <em>出来</em> 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Bǎ</em> shū ná <em>chūlái</em>.</span><span class="trans">Please take out your book.</span></li> <li><em>把</em> 外套 脱 <em>下来</em> 吧 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Bǎ</em> wàitào tuō <em>xiàlái</em> ba.</span><span class="trans">Take off your coat.</span></li> <li>你 <em>把</em> 他们 的 礼物 带 <em>过去</em> 了 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>bǎ</em> tāmen de lǐwù dài <em>guòqù</em> le ma?</span><span class="trans">Did you take their presents there?</span></li> <li>快递 还没 <em>把</em> 我 的 东西 送 <em>来</em> 。<span class= "pinyin">Kuàidì háiméi <em>bǎ</em> wǒ de dōngxi sòng <em>lái</em>.</span><span class="trans">The delivery man hasn't delivered my things yet.</span></li> <li>帮 我 <em>把</em> 这个 箱子 搬 <em>过去</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Bāng wǒ <em>bǎ</em> zhège xiāngzi bān <em>guòqù</em>.</span><span class= "trans">Please help me to move this suitcase over there.</span></li> </ul> </div> <dl> <dd><em>See also: <a href="Ba_sentence" title="wikilink">把 sentences</a></em></dd> </dl> <h2 id="compared-with-potential-complement">Compared with Potential Complement</h2> <div class="liju"> <table> <caption>Direction and Potential Complements</caption> <thead> <tr class="header"> <th> <p>Directional Complement</p> </th> <th> <p>Aff. Potential Complement</p> </th> <th> <p>Neg. Potential Complement</p> </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr class="odd"> <td> <p>起 来</p> </td> <td> <p>起 <em>得</em> 来</p> </td> <td> <p>起 <em>不</em> 来</p> </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <td> <p>回 去</p> </td> <td> <p>回 <em>得</em> 去</p> </td> <td> <p>回 <em>不</em> 去</p> </td> </tr> <tr class="odd"> <td> <p>站 起来</p> </td> <td> <p>站 <em>得</em> 起来</p> </td> <td> <p>站 <em>不</em> 起来</p> </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <td> <p>爬 上来</p> </td> <td> <p>爬 <em>得</em> 上来</p> </td> <td> <p>爬 <em>不</em> 上来</p> </td> </tr> <tr class="odd"> <td> <p>开 进来</p> </td> <td> <p>开 <em>得</em> 进了</p> </td> <td> <p>开 <em>不</em> 进来</p> </td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <td> <p>拿 出来</p> </td> <td> <p>拿<em>得</em> 出来</p> </td> <td> <p>拿 <em>不</em> 出来</p> </td> </tr> <tr class="odd"> <td></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <h2 id="additional-meanings">Additional Meanings</h2> <p>A lot of direction complements, particularly compound direction complements, have additional idiomatic meanings beyond literally describing the direction of an action. The most common of these are:</p> <ul> <li><a href="Result_complement_"-qilai"" title= "wikilink">起来</a></li> <li><a href="Resultative_Complement_"chu(lai)"" title= "wikilink">出来</a></li> <li><a href="Result_complement_"xiaqu"" title= "wikilink">下去</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li><a href="Result_complement" title="wikilink">Result complement</a></li> <li><a href="Potential_complement" title="wikilink">Potential complement</a></li> <li><a href="Degree_complement" title="wikilink">Degree complement</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2> <h3 id="books">Books</h3> <ul> <li><a href= "A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)" title="wikilink">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)</a> (pp. 302-17) <a href= "http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed)" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)</a> (pp. 165) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)</a> (pp. 185-9) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276709"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1</a> (pp. 267-8) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276792"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Mandarin_Chinese:_A_Functional_Reference_Grammar" title="wikilink">Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar</a> (pp. 58-65) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520066103?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0520066103"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC2)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)</a> (pp. 40-1, 197-8) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8B%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册）</a> (pp. 313-4)<a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li> <li><a href= "40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8A%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）</a> (pp. 238-9, 255)<a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="websites">Websites</h3> <ul> <li>Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): <a href= "http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/directional/grammar/direction.htm"> Directional Complements</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="videos">Videos</h3> <p>Yoyo Chinese: <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbY2bNpYd6g">Introduction to complement of direction</a></p> <p><a href="Category:Complements" class="uri" title= "wikilink">Category:Complements</a> <a href="Category:Table" class= "uri" title="wikilink">Category:Table</a></p> </body> </html>