Lesson 4: Direction Complements
Learn how direction complements combine with verbs to describe movement toward or away from the speaker, a key feature of Mandarin spatial expression.
Overview
Direction complements (趋向补语, qūxiàng bǔyǔ) show the direction of an action relative to the speaker's position. Simple direction complements use one directional word; compound complements add 来 or 去 to specify movement toward or away from the speaker. These complements are central to describing physical movement and are also used metaphorically.
Learning Objectives
- Use simple direction complements: 进, 出, 上, 下, 回, 过, 起
- Form compound direction complements by combining simple complements with 来 or 去
- Correctly position objects within compound direction complement phrases
- Understand the metaphorical extension of direction complements like 起来 and 下去
Vocabulary
| Character | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 进 | jìn | complement | inward | 走进教室 |
| 出 | chū | complement | outward | 跑出去 |
| 上 | shàng | complement | upward | 爬上来 |
| 下 | xià | complement | downward | 走下去 |
| 回 | huí | complement | back, returning | 跑回来 |
| 过 | guò | complement | passing by | 走过去 |
| 起 | qǐ | complement | upward initiation | 拿起来 |
| 来 | lái | directional | toward speaker | 过来 |
| 去 | qù | directional | away from speaker | 过去 |
| 跑进来 | pǎojìnlái | verb phrase | to run in (toward speaker) | 他跑进来了 |
| 走出去 | zǒuchūqù | verb phrase | to walk out (away from speaker) | 她走出去了 |
| 拿起来 | náqǐlái | verb phrase | to pick up | 把书拿起来 |
| 放下去 | fàngxiàqù | verb phrase | to put down (away) | 把箱子放下去 |
| 搬进来 | bānjìnlái | verb phrase | to carry inside | 把家具搬进来 |
Grammar Focus
Pattern 1: Verb + Simple Direction Complement
Structure: Verb + 进/出/上/下/回/过/起
Simple direction complements attach directly to the verb. 来 or 去 can be added to specify movement toward or away from the speaker, forming compound complements. Without 来/去, the direction is stated but the relationship to the speaker is unspecified.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请进来，门开着呢。 | Qǐng jìnlái, mén kāi zhe ne. | Please come in, the door is open. |
| 她从椅子上站起来了。 | Tā cóng yǐzi shàng zhàn qǐlái le. | She stood up from the chair. |
| 大家都跑出去看热闹了。 | Dàjiā dōu pǎo chūqù kàn rènào le. | Everyone ran outside to watch the excitement. |
Common mistake: Placing the object at the wrong position. With 进来, the object goes between the verb and 来: 走进教室来 (natural in some dialects) but the standard form is 走进教室 or 把书拿进来.
Pattern 2: Verb + Direction Complement + Object Placement
Structure: Verb + 进/出/回/过 + Object + 来/去
When the verb phrase has an object (a place or a thing), the object sits between the simple complement and 来/去. This rule is important and differs from result complement structure.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请把椅子搬进房间来。 | Qǐng bǎ yǐzi bān jìn fángjiān lái. | Please carry the chair into the room. |
| 他走出大门去了。 | Tā zǒu chū dàmén qù le. | He walked out through the main gate. |
| 孩子跑回家去了。 | Háizi pǎo huí jiā qù le. | The child ran back home. |
Common mistake: Placing the object after 来/去. 搬进来房间 is wrong. The correct order is 搬进房间来.
Pattern 3: Metaphorical Use of 起来 and 下去
Structure: Verb/Adjective + 起来 (beginning of state) or Verb + 下去 (continuation of state)
起来 after a verb or adjective indicates the beginning of an action or state. 下去 indicates the continuation of an ongoing action. These are extremely common and give the language a dynamic quality.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 天气热起来了。 | Tiānqì rè qǐlái le. | The weather has started getting hot. |
| 他们唱起歌来了。 | Tāmen chàng qǐ gē lái le. | They started singing. |
| 你要坚持下去，不能放弃。 | Nǐ yào jiānchí xiàqù, bù néng fàngqì. | You need to keep going, don't give up. |
Common mistake: Confusing 起来 (start/beginning) with 下去 (continue). 学起来 means starting to study; 学下去 means continuing to study. They are not interchangeable.
Dialogue
A: 快，把那些箱子搬进来！外面要下雨了。 Kuài, bǎ nà xiē xiāngzi bān jìnlái! Wàimiàn yào xià yǔ le. Quick, carry those boxes inside! It's going to rain outside.
B: 好，我马上来。这个箱子很重，搬得动吗？ Hǎo, wǒ mǎshàng lái. Zhège xiāngzi hěn zhòng, bān de dòng ma? OK, I'm coming right away. This box is very heavy, can we move it?
A: 两个人一起搬吧。你从这边，我从那边。 Liǎng ge rén yīqǐ bān ba. Nǐ cóng zhèbiān, wǒ cóng nàbiān. Let's move it together. You from this side, me from that side.
B: 好，准备好了吗？一、二、三，搬起来！ Hǎo, zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma? Yī, èr, sān, bān qǐlái! OK, are you ready? One, two, three, lift!
A: 很好！先放下去，我们休息一下，再把它推进去。 Hěn hǎo! Xiān fàng xiàqù, wǒmen xiūxi yīxià, zài bǎ tā tuī jìnqù. Great! Set it down first, let's rest a bit, then push it inside.
B: 外面下起雨来了，要快点。 Wàimiàn xià qǐ yǔ lái le, yào kuài diǎn. It's started raining outside, we need to hurry.
A: 来，一起把它推进仓库去！ Lái, yīqǐ bǎ tā tuī jìn cāngkù qù! Come, let's push it into the warehouse together!
Practice
Exercise 1: Complete the direction complement
Add the correct direction complement (来 or 去) based on context:
- 老师走进教室___了。(teacher entering a room where the student is)
- 他跑出门___了。(he left and is now outside)
- 请把外面的书搬进___。(bringing books toward the speaker)
Exercise 2: Object placement
Place the object in the correct position:
- 他走进 ___（教室）来了。
- 请搬出 ___（这张桌子）去。
- 孩子跑回 ___（家）去了。
Exercise 3: 起来 or 下去?
Choose the correct complement:
- 春天来了，花开___了。
- 你已经努力了这么久，要坚持___。
- 他突然笑___了，大家都很奇怪。
Cultural Note
Direction complements are so fundamental to Chinese spatial language that removing them makes sentences feel incomplete or foreign-sounding. Chinese speakers perceive space in relational terms, always anchored to a reference point (usually the speaker). This is reflected in the 来/去 distinction, which does not exist in English spatial grammar. When learning direction complements, pay attention to the speaker's position in dialogues and stories, as that determines whether 来 or 去 is appropriate.