Directional Complements: 来/去, 上/下/进/出/回
A directional complement follows the verb to show the path of motion.
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. |
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
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.
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