Direction complement

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 complement examples

	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"
	←	上	上来	The movement is up towards the speaker: "come up"
	→	上	上去	The movement is up and away from the speaker: "go up"
	←	出	出来	The movement is out and towards the speaker: "come out"
	→	出	出去	The movement is out and away from the speaker: "go out"
	←	进	进来	The movement is in and towards the speaker: "come in"
	→	进	进去	The movement is in and away from the speaker: "go in"

Usage examples

You can use these simple compounds in a huge variety of situations. Here are some examples:

• 我在楼上，请上来。
• 妈妈对儿子说：“爬树很危险，你下来！”
• 你在楼上，我上去。
• 你在楼下，我下去。

• 我在外面，请出来。
• 我在里面，请进来。
• 他们在外面，咱们出去跟他们见面。
• 你先进去吧。

With other verbs

来 and 去 can form direction compounds with many other verbs. Some more examples:

• 别想念我，我明天回来。
• 他明天回去，我会想念他。

• 我有件事想跟你讨论，请过来。
• 我看到路边发生了事故，所以过去了。

Sources and further reading

Websites

• Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): Directional Complements