Difference between revisions of "Direction complement"
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| − | | ← || 下 || 下来 || <span class="spaced">The movement is down towards the speaker: "come down"</span> | + | | <span style="font-size:x-large;">←</span> || 下 || 下来 || <span class="spaced">The movement is down towards the speaker: "come down"</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | → || 下 || 下去 || <span class="spaced">The movement is down away from the speaker: "go down"</span> | + | | <span style="font-size:x-large;">→</span> || 下 || 下去 || <span class="spaced">The movement is down away from the speaker: "go down"</span> |
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Revision as of 08:05, 5 August 2011
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- Also known as: 趋向补语 (qūxiàng bǔyǔ), directional complement and complement of direction.
A direction complement is a verbal complement that's used, you guessed it, to describe the direction or progression of an action.
Coming and going
The most basic (and common) form of direction complement is formed by a verb and 来 or 去:
Verb + (来 or 去)
The most important thing to consider with direction complements is the position of the speaker. 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.
| Direction | Verb | Complement | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position of speaker | ← | 下 | 下来 | The movement is down towards the speaker: "come down" |
| → | 下 | 下去 | The movement is down away from the speaker: "go down" |
Sources and further reading
Books
Websites
- Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): Directional Complements
