Using "lai" to connect two verb phrases

The word 来 (lái) can be used to connect two verb phrases, relating the actions to each other. It can be translated as "in order to" or "so that" and it can help in explaining reasoning.

Structure

Connecting two verb phrases is very straightforward. All you need to do is place 来 in between them. This has the meaning of doing the first verb to achieve the second verb and is often used with words expressing a way or a method, e.g. 通过 (tōngguò), 用 (yòng).

通过 / 用 + Agent + 来 + [Verb Phrase]

Examples

• 用 这 种 方法 来 赚钱 ，真 丢人 。Yòng zhè zhǒng fāngfǎ lái zhuànqián, zhēn diūrén.It's shameful to earn money in this way.
• 很 多 年轻 人 用 手机 APP 来 点 外卖 。Hěn duō niánqīng rén yòng shǒujī APP lái diǎn wàimài.A lot of young people like to use APP on the cell phone to order food .
• 父母 不 应该 经常 用 钱 来 奖励 孩子 。Fùmǔ bù yīnggāi jīngcháng yòng qián lái jiǎnglì háizi.Parents shouldn't often use money to reward their children.
• 用 这个 APP 来 学 汉字 更 容易 。Yòng zhège APP lái xué Hànzì gèng róngyì.It's easier to use this application to study Chinese characters.
• 你 可以 通过 微信 号 来 查 他 的 手机 号 。Nǐ kěyǐ tōngguò Wēixìn hào lái chá tā de shǒujī hào.You can find his cell phone number through his WeChat.
• 很 多 人 都 是 通过 这个 网站 来 找 工作 的 。Hěn duō rén dōu shì tōngguò zhège wǎngzhàn lái zhǎo gōngzuò de.A lot of people hunt for a job through this website.
• 我们 可以 通过 打折 来 吸引 顾客 。Wǒmen kěyǐ tōngguò dǎzhé lái xīyǐn gùkè.We can use a sale as a method to attract customers.
• 他们 是 通过这个 平台 来 推广 产品 的 。Tāmen shì tōngguò zhège píngtái lái tuīguǎng chǎnpǐn de.They promote their product through this platform.
• 警察 可以 通过 你的 手机 来 定位 。Jǐngchá kěyǐ tōngguò nǐ de shǒujī lái dìngwèi.The police can find your location through your cell phone.
• 我们 希望 通过 谈判 来 解决 问题 。Wǒmen xīwàng tōngguò tánpàn lái jiějué wèntí.We hope that we can work out our issues through negotiation.

See also

• Expressing purpose with "weile"
• Facilitating an Outcome with "yibian"
• Expressing Purpose with "hao"
• Expressing "through" with "tongguo"

Sources and further reading

• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 268) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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