Chinese Directional Complements — 趋向补语 (上来, 下去, 拿出来)

A directional complement (趋向补语 qū xiàng bǔ yǔ) is a short verb placed after a main verb to show the direction of an action. The words 上 (up), 下 (down), 进 (in), 出 (out), 回 (back), 过 (over), and 起 (up) combine with 来 (toward the speaker) or 去 (away from the speaker).

Chinese verbs do not change their form for direction. Instead the language adds a second short verb after the main verb. This is one of the most distinctive and frequent features of spoken Chinese, and it appears constantly from HSK 2 onward.

Directional complements answer "in which direction?" They can be literal (上/下/进/出) or figurative (起来 = start, 出来 = reveal a result). Mastering them turns a handful of basic verbs into a huge range of everyday expressions.

The two base words are 来 (come toward the speaker) and 去 (go away from the speaker). The 来 forms are: 上来 (come up), 下来 (come down), 进来 (come in), 出来 (come out), 回来 (come back), 过来 (come over), and 起来 (get up).

The 去 forms point away from the speaker: 上去 (go up), 下去 (go down), 进去 (go in), 出去 (go out), 回去 (go back), and 过去 (go over).

Choose 来 or 去 by checking where the movement goes relative to the speaker. If it moves toward the speaker or the place where the speaker is, use 来; if it moves away, use 去. Compare 你上来 (come up here) with 你上去 (go up there).

These pair with common movement verbs such as 走 (walk), 跑 (run), 飞 (fly), 拿 (take), 送 (send), 带 (bring), and 爬 (climb).

A compound directional complement is 上/下/进/出/回/过 plus 来/去, attached after a main verb: 走进来 (walk in toward the speaker), 跑出去 (run out), 拿回来 (bring back), 送过去 (send over).

These express a full path of movement plus a direction relative to the speaker. For example 走进教室来 means "walk into the classroom toward the speaker", while 走进教室去 means "walk into the classroom away from the speaker".

The most frequent compounds are 上来/上去, 下来/下去, 进来/进去, 出来/出去, 回来/回去, and 过来/过去. Many of them carry extended figurative meanings (see below), which is why they are so common.

With a simple directional complement and a place object, the place word sits between the verb and the direction word: 回家去 (go home), 上楼来 (come upstairs).

With a compound directional complement, a place object always goes in the middle: 走进教室来 (walk into the classroom toward me), 跑回宿舍去 (run back to the dorm). Never put a place word after the whole compound.

A non-place noun object (a thing) can go either before or after the compound complement. 拿出来一本书 (take out a book) is acceptable, but 拿出一本书来 (take out a book, with the object in the middle) is more common in natural speech, especially when the object is definite or the emphasis is on the result.

When 了 marks completion, it usually sits at the very end: 拿出了一本书来 (took out a book), 她走进教室来了 (she walked into the classroom).

了 marks a completed directional action and goes after the complement or after the object: 他站起来了 (he stood up), 我把书拿过来了 (I brought the book over).

When the object is in the middle, 了 sits at the end: 她走进教室来了 (she walked into the classroom). Do not place 了 in the middle of a compound complement.

过 expresses experience and combines with the complement: 他回来过 (he has come back before), 我上去过 (I have gone up before).

The directional complement itself carries the 来/去 direction, while 了/过 marks the aspect of the whole action.

起来 (verb + 起来) has several extended meanings. It can mean to start and continue: 唱起来 (start singing), 下起雨来 (it started raining). It can mean gathering or closing: 收起来 (put away), 关起来 (shut), 加起来 (add up). It can also form a rising evaluation: 看起来 (it seems), 听起来 (it sounds), 说起来 (speaking of).

下去 (verb + 下去) means to continue: 说下去 (go on speaking), 坚持下去 (persist), 活下去 (go on living). It points forward in time rather than in space.

出来 (verb + 出来) means a result emerges or is revealed: 想出来 (think up), 看出来 (make out), 听出来 (make out by ear), 做出来 (produce), 认出来 (recognize). It often implies the result was not visible before.

下来 (verb + 下来) means something is completed and remains: 记下来 (write down), 停下来 (stop), 安静下来 (calm down), 决定下来 (settle on). It implies a result that stays.

These extended meanings are the real reason directional complements matter: they turn basic verbs into everyday expressions that learners meet constantly.

Do not pick the wrong direction. 你上来 means "come up here", while 你上去 means "go up there". Check whether the movement is toward or away from the speaker.

Do not place a place object after the whole compound. 走进教室来 is correct; 走进来教室 is wrong. Place words must sit in the middle.

Do not confuse 想起来 (remember, recall something already known) with 想出来 (think up a new idea or answer). 我想起来了 means "I remember now"; 我想出来了 means "I have come up with it".

Do not translate figurative compounds word-for-word. 听起来 (it sounds), 看起来 (it looks), and 做起来 (in practice) are figurative, not about physically listening, looking, or doing.

Watch 了 placement: 站起来了 (stood up) puts 了 at the end, not in the middle as 站了起来.