TongTongbeta同通
Sign in
ComplementsHSK 4

Direction complement

Direction complements use a verb of movement (e.g., 上, 下, 进, 出, 回) plus 来 or 去 to indicate the direction of an action relative to the speaker. The key is to use 来 when the action moves toward the speaker, and 去 when it moves away; be careful when talking about your own movement, where the context determines which to use.

Structure

Verb + 来 / 去
来 indicates movement towards the speaker, 去 away from the speaker. Common direction verbs: 上 (up), 下 (down), 进 (in), 出 (out), 回 (back), etc.

Examples

  • A:我在楼上，你上来。
    Wǒ zài lóushàng, nǐ shànglái .
    I'm on the upper floor. Come up to me.
  • B:你在楼上等我一下。我一会儿就上去。
    Nǐ zài lóushàng děng wǒ yīxià. Wǒ yīhuìr jiù shàngqù .
    Please wait a moment on the upper floor. I'll come up in a few minutes.
  • A:出来玩吧，我们在酒吧等你。
    Chūlái wán ba, wǒmen zài jiǔbā děng nǐ.
    Come and hang out with us. We'll be waiting in the bar.
  • A:这是我家，进来吧，随便坐。
    Zhè shì wǒ jiā, jìnlái ba, suíbiàn zuò.
    This is my house. Please come inside. Feel free to take a seat.
  • A:你下班了吗？几点回来吃饭？
    Nǐ xiàbān le ma? Jǐ diǎn huílái chīfàn?
    Are you off work now? When are you coming back for dinner?