Simple directional complements: 进来/出去
A simple directional complement is 来 or 去 (or a verb like 进, 出, 上, 下, 回, 过 joined to them) placed after a verb to show movement toward or away from the speaker. 进来 means come in and 出去 means go out.
6 core pairs:
| Direction | Toward speaker | Away from speaker |
|-----------|---------------|-------------------|
| 进/出 | 进来 | 进去/出去 |
| 上/下 | 上来 | 上去/下去 |
| 回 | 回来 | 回去 |
Structure: Verb + 来/去 or Verb + 进/出/上/下/回 + 来/去
Object placement: Object goes before 来/去:
> 他走进教室来。✅ (not: 走进来教室)
来 vs 去: 来 = movement toward the speaker; 去 = movement away.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 请进来，门开着呢。 | Qǐng jìn lái, mén kāi zhe ne. | Please come in — the door is open. | 进来 = move in toward speaker; simplest form |
| 他从包里拿出一张纸来。 | Tā cóng bāo lǐ ná chū yī zhāng zhǐ lái. | He took out a piece of paper from the bag. | Object (一张纸) placed between 出 and 来 |
| 老师走进教室，同学们都站了起来。 | Lǎoshī zǒu jìn jiàoshì, tóngxuémen dōu zhàn le qǐlái. | The teacher walked into the classroom; the students all stood up. | 走进 + place; 起来 = directional complement for rising motion |
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.
进来 (jìn lái)
Moves toward the speaker into a space; 进 gives the direction and 来 gives the point of view.
Structure: V + 进来; V + 进 + place + 来
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 外面冷，快进来吧。 | Wài miàn lěng, kuài jìn lái ba. | It is cold outside, come in. |
| 有人敲门，他请客人进来。 | Yǒu rén qiāo mén, tā qǐng kè rén jìn lái. | Someone knocked and he asked the guest to come in. |
| 一只小鸟飞进来了。 | Yì zhī xiǎo niǎo fēi jìn lái le. | A little bird flew in. |
Not: 他走进来教室。 A place word goes between 进 and 来: 他走进教室来。
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语).
出去 (chū qù)
Moves out and away from the speaker.
Structure: V + 出去; V + 出 + place + 去
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他出去买东西了。 | Tā chū qù mǎi dōng xi le. | He went out to buy things. |
| 你们先出去，我马上来。 | Nǐ men xiān chū qù, wǒ mǎ shàng lái. | You go out first, I will be right there. |
| 孩子跑出去玩了。 | Hái zi pǎo chū qù wán le. | The child ran out to play. |
Not: 他走出去教室了。 A place word must sit between 出 and 去: 他走出教室去了。
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, complement (趋向补语).
出去 is also explained in: Compound Directional Complements (HSK 3).
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 Simple directional complements among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Simple directional complements
What does 简单趋向补语 (Simple directional complements) mean in Chinese?
A simple directional complement is 来 or 去 (or a verb like 进, 出, 上, 下, 回, 过 joined to them) placed after a verb to show movement toward or away from the speaker. 进来 means come in and 出去 means go out. It is an HSK 4 grammar point.
How do you use 简单趋向补语 (Simple directional complements) in a sentence?
请进来，门开着呢。 — Qǐng jìn lái, mén kāi zhe ne. — Please come in — the door is open. 进来 = move in toward speaker; simplest form.
What do you need to know before 简单趋向补语 (Simple directional complements)?
Compound Directional Complements (HSK 3). 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 简单趋向补语 (Simple directional complements) lead to?
Complex directionals (HSK 4). Each of them names 简单趋向补语 (Simple directional complements) among its own prerequisites.
How do I choose between 来 and 去?
Use 来 when the movement comes toward the speaker and 去 when it goes away. Standing inside a room, 他进来了 means he is coming in to you; standing outside, 他进去了 means he went in.
Where does the place object go?
Between the verb part and 来/去: 她跑上楼去了。 A thing that is not a place can also come after the whole complement: 他拿出来一本书。
Simple 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