出 (chū) — to go out; to exit; to emerge

HSK 2 | verb/directional complement | movement outward; also used as a directional complement

出 (chū)

出 describes movement from inside to outside, or the emergence of something. It appears both as a standalone verb and as a directional complement attached to action verbs (e.g., 走出, 拿出, 说出). As a complement it indicates that the action results in something coming out or being produced.

Meanings

  1. [verb] To go out; to exit; to come out. Movement from an enclosed space to the outside.
  2. [directional complement] Out; forth. Appended to a verb to show that the action produces or extracts something outward.

Example Sentences

请从这里出去。 Qǐng cóng zhèlǐ chū qù. Please exit from here.

他走出了教室。 Tā zǒuchū le jiàoshì. He walked out of the classroom.

我拿出钱包付了款。 Wǒ náchū qiánbāo fù le kuǎn. I took out my wallet and paid.

太阳出来了! Tàiyáng chūlái le! The sun has come out!

Collocations

Collocation Meaning
出去 (chū qù) to go out
出来 (chū lái) to come out
出发 (chūfā) to set off; to depart
出现 (chūxiàn) to appear; to emerge
出口 (chūkǒu) exit; export

Memory Hook

出 looks like a foot stepping up and out of a container. The two humps represent stepping up and over the rim — coming out from inside. Movement outward is always 出.