Directional Complements: Extended Stative Meanings
Directional complements 下来, 下去, 起来 and 过来 take extended, figurative meanings in HSK 6 texts. 安静下来 means calm down, 坚持下去 means keep going, and 看起来 says how something looks.
In English
Beyond literal direction, four complements carry figurative meanings. 起来 shows a start (紧张起来) or a judgement from appearance (听起来不错). 下去 means to continue an action that is under way (说下去).
下来 means to settle into a state (安静下来), to fix something on record (记下来) or to last up to now (坚持下来). 过来 means to return to a normal state (醒过来, 反应过来). The verb decides which one fits, so learn them in whole phrases.
起来 (inchoative/evidential): V+起来 = 'start to V' (紧张起来 = became nervous); 看起来/听起来 = 'seems/sounds' (evidential judgment).
下去 (continuative): V+下去 = 'keep V-ing' — continue an action already in progress, projecting forward: 说下去 = keep talking.
下来 (settle/record/persist-to-now): 安静下来 = calm down (settle into a state); 记下来/写下来 = write down (fix a result); V了…下来 = persisted through to the present (坚持下来了).
过来 (recover/normalize): 醒过来 = wake up; 反应过来 = realize/react; 缓过来 = recover — moving from an abnormal state back to normal.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 听到这个消息，大家都紧张起来了。 | Tīng dào zhè gè xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu jǐn zhāng qǐ lái le. | Upon hearing the news, everyone became nervous. | Minimal 起来 frame: inchoative, marking the start of a new state (紧张) |
| 这个故事听起来很有意思。 | Zhè gè gù shi tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu yì si. | This story sounds very interesting. | New sub-use: 听起来 (evidential 'sounds like') rather than inchoative |
| 请你把这个故事继续讲下去。 | Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhè gè gù shi jì xù jiǎng xià qù. | Please continue telling this story. | New complement 下去: continuative, projecting an ongoing action forward |
| 教室渐渐安静下来了。 | Jiào shì jiàn jiàn ān jìng xià lái le. | The classroom gradually settled down/became quiet. | New complement 下来: settling into a stabilized state |
| 请把这些重点记下来。 | Qǐng bǎ zhè xiē zhòng diǎn jì xià lái. | Please write down these key points. | Another sub-use of 下来: fixing a result in place (recording) |
| 他晕倒后，过了几分钟才醒过来。 | Tā yūn dǎo hòu, guò le jǐ fēn zhōng cái xǐng guò lái. | After he fainted, it took a few minutes for him to wake up. | New complement 过来: recovering from an abnormal state back to normal |
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.
下来 (xià lái)
Marks settling into a calm state, fixing something on record, or lasting up to now.
Structure: V/Adj + 下来
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 争吵了半天，两个人终于冷静下来了。 | Zhēng chǎo le bàn tiān, liǎng ge rén zhōng yú lěng jìng xià lái le. | After arguing for ages, the two finally calmed down. |
| 他把老师的话一句一句记了下来。 | Tā bǎ lǎo shī de huà yí jù yí jù jì le xià lái. | He wrote down the teacher's words sentence by sentence. |
| 这家老字号在战乱中保存了下来。 | Zhè jiā lǎo zì hào zài zhàn luàn zhōng bǎo cún le xià lái. | This old shop survived the war years. |
Not: 请你安静下去。 Settling into calm takes 下来; 下去 means to continue.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 3, complement (趋向补语).
下去 (xià qù)
Means to keep doing something that is already under way.
Structure: V + 下去
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这份工作太累了，我真的做不下去了。 | Zhè fèn gōng zuò tài lèi le, wǒ zhēn de zuò bu xià qù le. | This job is too tiring, I really cannot go on. |
| 只要坚持下去，就一定会有进步。 | Zhǐ yào jiān chí xià qù, jiù yí dìng huì yǒu jìn bù. | As long as you keep at it, you will surely improve. |
| 这样吵下去，问题永远解决不了。 | Zhè yàng chǎo xià qù, wèn tí yǒng yuǎn jiě jué bu liǎo. | If we keep arguing like this, the problem will never be solved. |
Not: 他不想再听下来了。 To keep listening use 下去; 下来 means settle or record.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 5, complement (趋向补语).
下去 is also explained in: Complex directionals: V+起来/下去/出来 (HSK 4) · Directional Complements: Temporal Meaning (HSK 5).
起来 (qǐ lái)
Marks the start of an action or state, or a judgement based on how something looks, sounds or feels.
Structure: V/Adj + 起来
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一听到这个笑话，大家都笑了起来。 | Yì tīng dào zhè ge xiào hua, dà jiā dōu xiào le qǐ lái. | On hearing the joke, everyone began to laugh. |
| 这道菜闻起来很香，吃起来也不错。 | Zhè dào cài wén qǐ lái hěn xiāng, chī qǐ lái yě bú cuò. | This dish smells good and tastes fine too. |
| 天气暖和起来，花都开了。 | Tiān qì nuǎn huo qǐ lái, huā dōu kāi le. | The weather has warmed up and the flowers are all out. |
Not: 她高兴下来了。 Starting a state takes 起来; 下来 is for calming or settling.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 3, complement (趋向补语); level 5, complement (趋向补语).
起来 is also explained in: Compound Directional Complements (HSK 3) · Complex directionals: V+起来/下去/出来 (HSK 4) · Directional Complements: Temporal Meaning (HSK 5).
过来 (guò lái)
Means returning to a normal state, or managing to take something in.
Structure: V + 过来
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他昏迷了两天，今天早上终于醒了过来。 | Tā hūn mí le liǎng tiān, jīn tiān zǎo shang zhōng yú xǐng le guò lái. | He was unconscious for two days and finally came round this morning. |
| 老师讲得太快，我一时没反应过来。 | Lǎo shī jiǎng de tài kuài, wǒ yì shí méi fǎn yìng guò lái. | The teacher spoke so fast that I could not take it in at once. |
| 跑完步，他靠在树上，好久才缓过来。 | Pǎo wán bù, tā kào zài shù shang, hǎo jiǔ cái huǎn guò lái. | After running he leaned on a tree and took a long time to recover. |
Not: 我没反应过去。 过来 means back to normal; 过去 points the other way.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语); level 5, complement (趋向补语).
Compared side by side: 下去 vs 下来.
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.
The same pattern at other levels
- Directional Complements — HSK 2
- Directional Complements — HSK 5
Questions about Directional Complements
What does 趋向补语的引申用法 (Directional Complements) mean in Chinese?
Directional complements 下来, 下去, 起来 and 过来 take extended, figurative meanings in HSK 6 texts. 安静下来 means calm down, 坚持下去 means keep going, and 看起来 says how something looks. It is an HSK 6 grammar point.
How do you use 趋向补语的引申用法 (Directional Complements) in a sentence?
听到这个消息，大家都紧张起来了。 — Tīng dào zhè gè xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu jǐn zhāng qǐ lái le. — Upon hearing the news, everyone became nervous. Minimal 起来 frame: inchoative, marking the start of a new state (紧张).
What do you need to know before 趋向补语的引申用法 (Directional Complements)?
Complex directionals (HSK 4), Directional Complements (HSK 5). 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 is the difference between 下来 and 下去?
Both point downwards, but figuratively 下去 means to continue from now on (说下去, keep talking) while 下来 means to settle or to last until now (安静下来, 坚持下来).
Does 看起来 mean the same as 看上去?
They overlap: both say how something looks. 看起来 is the more common one in speech: 他看起来很累。
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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