Directional Complements: 来/去, 上/下/进/出/回
A directional complement follows a verb to show the path of the motion. 来 and 去 mark movement toward or away from the speaker, and 上, 下, 进, 出 and 回 name the direction, as in 走进来.
Simple: Verb + 来/去 — 来 = toward the speaker (or the person being addressed); 去 = away from that reference point.
- 你快进来！= Come in quickly!
- 他出去了，你等一下。= He went out — wait a moment.
Path words 上/下/进/出/回 add a specific direction (up/down/in/out/back) and combine with 来/去 into one word: 进来/进去、出来/出去、回来/回去、上来/上去、下来/下去.
Adding a motion verb: Verb + Path + 来/去 — 走进来 (walked in), 走出去 (walked out), 走回来 (walked back).
Adding a place object: the place word goes between the path and 来/去 — 他走进商店去了 (he walked into the shop).
Common mistake: don't reverse 来/去 — always check who is being addressed and where they are before choosing.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你快进来！ | Nǐ kuài jìn lái! | Come in quickly! | Minimal frame: bare compound directional verb 进来 (toward speaker). |
| 他出去了，你等一下。 | Tā chū qù le, nǐ děng yī xià. | He went out — wait a moment. | Contrast: 出去 (away from speaker) vs 进来 (toward speaker). |
| 她走进来，坐在我旁边。 | Tā zǒu jìn lái, zuò zài wǒ páng biān. | She walked in and sat down beside me. | Adds a motion verb before the path: 走 + 进来. |
| 我们走回家去吧。 | Wǒ men zǒu huí jiā qù ba. | Let's walk back home. | Adds a place object between path and 去: 走 + 回 + 家 + 去. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
来 (lái)
Shows the movement comes toward the speaker.
Structure: Verb + 来 / Verb + 上/下/进/出/回 + 来
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请你坐下来，我们慢慢说。 | Qǐng nǐ zuò xià lái, wǒ men màn màn shuō. | Please sit down, and we will talk slowly. |
| 老师走进教室来了。 | Lǎo shī zǒu jìn jiào shì lái le. | The teacher has come into the classroom. |
| 他从楼上跑下来。 | Tā cóng lóu shàng pǎo xià lái. | He ran down from upstairs. |
Not: 他跑回来家了。 A place word goes between 回 and 来: 他跑回家来了.
去 (qù)
Shows the movement goes away from the speaker.
Structure: Verb + 去 / Verb + 上/下/进/出/回 + 去
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他回家去了。 | Tā huí jiā qù le. | He has gone home. |
| 请把这些书拿上去。 | Qǐng bǎ zhè xiē shū ná shàng qù. | Please take these books up. |
| 小鸟飞出去了。 | Xiǎo niǎo fēi chū qù le. | The bird flew out. |
Not: 我回去学校了。 The place word goes before 去: 我回学校去了.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语).
上 (shàng)
Shows movement upward or onto something.
Structure: Verb + 上 (+ place)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我们走上楼，敲了敲门。 | Wǒ men zǒu shàng lóu, qiāo le qiāo mén. | We walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. |
| 她跑上台去了。 | Tā pǎo shàng tái qù le. | She ran up onto the stage. |
| 我们快点儿坐上车吧。 | Wǒ men kuài diǎn zuò shàng chē ba. | Let us hurry and get on the bus. |
Not: 我走楼上。 上 follows the verb: 走上楼.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, nouns (方位名词); level 3, complement (结果补语).
上 is also explained in: Direction Words as Localizers (HSK 1) · Result Complements: V+到/住/走 (HSK 3).
下 (xià)
Shows the movement goes downward or to a lower place.
Structure: Verb + 下 (+ place / 来 / 去)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他走下楼来了。 | Tā zǒu xià lóu lái le. | He came down the stairs. |
| 请坐下。 | Qǐng zuò xià. | Please sit down. |
| 太阳慢慢落下去了。 | Tài yáng màn màn là xià qù le. | The sun slowly went down. |
Not: 我下走楼。 The verb comes first: 走下楼.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, nouns (方位名词); level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 3, fixed patterns; level 3, complement (趋向补语).
出 (chū)
Shows movement out of a place.
Structure: Verb + 出 (+ place / 来 / 去)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他走出教室去了。 | Tā zǒu chū jiào shì qù le. | He walked out of the classroom. |
| 请把你的书拿出来。 | Qǐng bǎ nǐ de shū ná chū lái. | Please take your book out. |
| 她从包里拿出一把伞。 | Tā cóng bāo lǐ ná chū yì bǎ sǎn. | She took an umbrella out of her bag. |
Not: 他出走教室。 出 follows the verb: 走出教室.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语).
回 (huí)
Shows movement back to where one came from.
Structure: Verb + 回 (+ place / 来 / 去)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他把书送回图书馆。 | Tā bǎ shū sòng huí tú shū guǎn. | He took the book back to the library. |
| 她跑回家去了。 | Tā pǎo huí jiā qù le. | She ran back home. |
| 请你把钱放回去。 | Qǐng nǐ bǎ qián fàng huí qù. | Please put the money back. |
Not: 他回走家。 回 follows the verb: 走回家.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 3, measure words (动量词).
Compared side by side: 上去 vs 上来.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Directional Complements among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
The same pattern at other levels
- Directional Complements — HSK 5
- Directional Complements — HSK 6
Questions about Directional Complements
What does 趋向补语 (Directional Complements) mean in Chinese?
A directional complement follows a verb to show the path of the motion. 来 and 去 mark movement toward or away from the speaker, and 上, 下, 进, 出 and 回 name the direction, as in 走进来. It is an HSK 2 grammar point.
How do you use 趋向补语 (Directional Complements) in a sentence?
你快进来！ — Nǐ kuài jìn lái! — Come in quickly!. Minimal frame: bare compound directional verb 进来 (toward speaker).
What do you need to know before 趋向补语 (Directional Complements)?
Direction Words as Localizers (HSK 1). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 趋向补语 (Directional Complements) lead to?
Compound Directional Complements (HSK 3). Each of them names 趋向补语 (Directional Complements) among its own prerequisites.
Where does the place word go with 来 and 去?
It goes between the direction word and 来/去. Say 他跑进教室去了, not 他跑进去教室了。
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.
Directional Complements is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level