上去 vs 上来: what is the difference?
Both mean going up. 上去 moves away from the speaker and 上来 moves toward the speaker, as in 你上来吧 said by someone upstairs.
| Word | Pinyin | What it does | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上去 | shàng qù | Shows movement up and away from the speaker. | Verb + 上去 / Verb + 上 + Place + 去 |
| 上来 | shàng lái | Shows movement up toward the speaker. | Verb + 上来 / Verb + 上 + Place + 来 |
上去 (shàng qù)
Shows movement up and away from the speaker.
Structure: Verb + 上去 / Verb + 上 + Place + 去
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 孩子们跑上楼去了。 | Hái zi men pǎo shàng lóu qù le. | The children ran upstairs. |
| 请把这些书搬上去。 | Qǐng bǎ zhè xiē shū bān shàng qù. | Please carry these books up. |
| 电梯来了，我们上去吧。 | Diàn tī lái le, wǒ men shàng qù ba. | The lift is here, let us go up. |
Not: 他跑上去楼了。 A place word goes between 上 and 去: 他跑上楼去了。
上来 (shàng lái)
Shows movement up toward the speaker.
Structure: Verb + 上来 / Verb + 上 + Place + 来
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我在山顶等你，你快爬上来吧！ | Wǒ zài shān dǐng děng nǐ, nǐ kuài pá shàng lái ba! | I am waiting at the top, climb up quickly! |
| 孩子从楼下跑上来了。 | Hái zi cóng lóu xià pǎo shàng lái le. | The child ran up from downstairs. |
| 她端着一碗汤走上楼来。 | Tā duān zhe yì wǎn tāng zǒu shàng lóu lái. | She came upstairs carrying a bowl of soup. |
Not: 我在楼上，你们上去吧。 The speaker is upstairs, so the movement is toward the speaker. Use 上来: 你们上来吧。
Where this comes from
The comparison is part of Directional Complements: 来/去, 上/下/进/出/回 (HSK 2) in the grammar reference, which has the full explanation, more worked examples, and what to learn before and after it.
More pairs: 次 vs 遍 · 刚 vs 刚才 · 更 vs 还 · 还 vs 已经 · 看见 vs 看到 · 可以 vs 能 · 吗 vs 吧 · 吗 vs 是不是 · 如果 vs 只要 · 往 vs 向 · 有点儿 vs 一点儿 · 又 vs 再 · all 81 pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 上去 and 上来?
Both mean going up. 上去 moves away from the speaker and 上来 moves toward the speaker, as in 你上来吧 said by someone upstairs.
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