Introduction
来 (lái) and 去 (qù) after a verb say whether the movement comes toward you or heads away. This second set says the shape of the movement instead: 上 (shàng) up, 下 (xià) down, 进 (jìn) in, 出 (chū) out, 过 (guò) across, 回 (huí) back.
Overview
Structure: Verb + 上 (shàng) / 下 (xià) / 进 (jìn) / 出 (chū) / 过 (guò) / 回 (huí) (+ Place)
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| V + 上 | 他走上楼了。(Tā zǒu shàng lóu le.) | He walked upstairs. |
| V + 下 | 请坐下。(Qǐng zuò xià.) | Please sit down. |
| V + 进 | 他走进教室。(Tā zǒu jìn jiàoshì.) | He walked into the classroom. |
| V + 出 | 她拿出手机。(Tā ná chū shǒujī.) | She took out her phone. |
| V + 过 | 我走过那家商店。(Wǒ zǒu guò nà jiā shāngdiàn.) | I walked past that shop. |
| V + 回 | 他跑回家了。(Tā pǎo huí jiā le.) | He ran back home. |
The place goes straight after the complement, never at the end:
- ✓ 他走进教室。(Tā zǒu jìn jiàoshì.) ❌ 他走教室进。(Tā zǒu jiàoshì jìn.)
- With 了 (le), the 了 sits between the complement and the place: 他走进了教室。(Tā zǒu jìn le jiàoshì.)
- These are the same characters as the verbs 上 (shàng)、下 (xià)、进 (jìn)、出 (chū)、过 (guò)、回 (huí). As a complement they lean on the verb in front and are said lightly.
- This 过 (guò) is movement across, not the experience 过 (guo) of "have ever done": 我走过那家商店 (Wǒ zǒu guò nà jiā shāngdiàn) vs 我去过中国 (Wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó).
Examples
他走进教室，坐下了。
Tā zǒu jìn jiàoshì, zuò xià le.
He walked into the classroom and sat down.
请拿出你的护照。
Qǐng ná chū nǐ de hùzhào.
Please take out your passport.
我们走上三楼吧。
Wǒmen zǒu shàng sān lóu ba.
Let's walk up to the third floor.
他跑回家拿东西。
Tā pǎo huí jiā ná dōngxi.
He ran home to get something.
我每天都走过这家医院。
Wǒ měi tiān dōu zǒu guò zhè jiā yīyuàn.
I walk past this hospital every day.
她从书包里拿出一本书。
Tā cóng shūbāo li ná chū yì běn shū.
She took a book out of her bag.
Usage Notes
- The pairing is not free: the complement has to make sense with the verb. 走进 (zǒu jìn)、跑出 (pǎo chū)、拿出 (ná chū)、坐下 (zuò xià) are the ones you will meet first.
- 下 (xià) with 坐 (zuò)、躺 (tǎng)、写 (xiě) often means "settle into place" rather than literally downward: 写下地址 (xiě xià dìzhǐ) — write the address down.
- An object with no place sits after the complement all the same: 拿出手机 (ná chū shǒujī)、写下名字 (xiě xià míngzi).
- Add 来 (lái) or 去 (qù) on the end when you also want the direction relative to the speaker — that is the compound complement, and it gets its own lesson.
- Negate the whole thing with 没 (méi): 他没走进教室。(Tā méi zǒu jìn jiàoshì.)