Directional Complements Made Clear: 來/去 lái/qù, 上來/下去 shànglái/xiàqù, 進去/出來 jìnqù/chūlái

In Mandarin, 來 (lái) and 去 (qù) aren’t just “come/go.” They’re a camera angle: is the movement coming toward “here,” or heading away?

This guide gives you the most useful directional complements in Traditional Chinese, with pinyin (tone marks), clear meanings, and real example sentences—so you can stop accidentally telling people to walk into the wall.

Yak Directional complements are not “advanced.” They’re just picky.

If you can say “come here” and “go there,” you can do this. The only rule is: 來 = toward me/here, 去 = away from me/here. Everything else is just decorating that idea with “up/down/in/out.”

Quick Visual Cheat Cards

Tap the audio to hear the Hanzi (Taiwan Mandarin voice if your browser has it). These show the high-utility core pieces you’ll use every day.

來

lái

come (toward here)

去

qù

go (away from here)

上來

shànglái

come up (toward here)

下去

xiàqù

go down (away)

進去

jìnqù

go in (away)

出來

chūlái

come out (toward here)

回來

huílái

come back (to here)

過去

guòqù

go over there (away)

Useful Phrases You’ll Actually Say

These are ready-to-use. Copy, paste, speak. No grammar pain—just direction.

過來一下

guòlái yíxià — come here for a sec

你過來一下，我跟你說。

Nǐ guòlái yíxià, wǒ gēn nǐ shuō.

Come here for a second, I’ll tell you.

我過去找你

wǒ guòqù zhǎo nǐ — I’ll go over to you

你在公司嗎？我過去找你。

Nǐ zài gōngsī ma? Wǒ guòqù zhǎo nǐ.

Are you at the office? I’ll come over to you.

請進來坐

qǐng jìnlái zuò — please come in and sit

外面很冷，請進來坐。

Wàimiàn hěn lěng, qǐng jìnlái zuò.

It’s cold outside—please come in and sit.

你出去一下

nǐ chūqù yíxià — step out for a moment

不好意思，你出去一下，好嗎？

Bùhǎoyìsi, nǐ chūqù yíxià, hǎo ma?

Sorry—can you step out for a second?

把書拿進去

bǎ shū ná jìnqù — take the book inside (away)

下雨了，把書拿進去。

Xiàyǔ le, bǎ shū ná jìnqù.

It’s raining—take the books inside.

把手機拿出來

bǎ shǒujī ná chūlái — take your phone out (toward here)

請把手機拿出來，我要看一下。

Qǐng bǎ shǒujī ná chūlái, wǒ yào kàn yíxià.

Please take your phone out; I want to take a look.

把箱子搬上去

bǎ xiāngzi bān shàngqù — move the box up (away)

電梯壞了，我們把箱子搬上去吧。

Diàntī huài le, wǒmen bǎ xiāngzi bān shàngqù ba.

The elevator’s broken—let’s carry the box upstairs.

小心別跳下去

xiǎoxīn bié tiào xiàqù — careful, don’t jump down

下面很深，小心別跳下去！

Xiàmiàn hěn shēn, xiǎoxīn bié tiào xiàqù!

It’s deep down there—careful, don’t jump down!

走進去看看

zǒu jìnqù kànkan — walk in and take a look

這家店看起來不錯，我們走進去看看。

Zhè jiā diàn kàn qǐlái búcuò, wǒmen zǒu jìnqù kànkan.

This shop looks good—let’s walk in and check it out.

你先回去

nǐ xiān huíqù — you go back first

太晚了，你先回去，我等一下就到。

Tài wǎn le, nǐ xiān huíqù, wǒ děng yíxià jiù dào.

It’s too late—go back first; I’ll arrive soon.

他回來了

tā huílái le — he’s back (to here)

別擔心，他回來了。

Bié dānxīn, tā huílái le.

Don’t worry—he’s back.

The “Why It Works” Bit (No Pain, Promise)

Directional complements attach to a verb to show movement direction. The key is viewpoint:

來 points the action toward the speaker / “here”. 去 points it away from the speaker / “there”. Then you stack the path: 上 (up), 下 (down), 進 (in), 出 (out), 回 (back), 過 (over).

That’s why 拿出來 feels like “take it out toward me,” and 拿出去 feels like “take it out away.” Same “out,” different camera angle.

Table of Words

Everything below includes Traditional Chinese, pinyin, meaning, and a real sentence. If you can read the arrows in your head, you’re winning.

Core Direction: come/go/over/back

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
來	lái	come (toward here)	你現在來嗎？ Nǐ xiànzài lái ma?	Are you coming now?
去	qù	go (away from here)	我先去一下。 Wǒ xiān qù yíxià.	I’ll go for a moment.
過來	guòlái	come over (to here)	有空過來坐坐。 Yǒu kòng guòlái zuòzuò.	Come by when you have time.
過去	guòqù	go over (away)	你先過去，我等一下到。 Nǐ xiān guòqù, wǒ děng yíxià dào.	You go over first; I’ll arrive soon.
回來	huílái	come back (to here)	你什麼時候回來？ Nǐ shénme shíhòu huílái?	When are you coming back?
回去	huíqù	go back (away)	天黑了，我們回去吧。 Tiān hēi le, wǒmen huíqù ba.	It’s dark—let’s go back.
走開	zǒukāi	go away / move aside	不好意思，借過一下，我要走開。 Bùhǎoyìsi, jièguò yíxià, wǒ yào zǒukāi.	Excuse me—let me pass; I need to move aside.
回來一下	huílái yíxià	come back for a sec	等一下！你回來一下！ Děng yíxià! Nǐ huílái yíxià!	Wait! Come back for a second!

Up & Down: 上來/上去/下來/下去/起來

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
上來	shànglái	come up (toward here)	你上來一下，我在門口。 Nǐ shànglái yíxià, wǒ zài ménkǒu.	Come upstairs for a second—I’m at the door.
上去	shàngqù	go up (away)	我先上去，你等我。 Wǒ xiān shàngqù, nǐ děng wǒ.	I’ll go upstairs first—wait for me.
下來	xiàlái	come down (toward here)	下來吃飯！ Xiàlái chīfàn!	Come down and eat!
下去	xiàqù	go down (away)	你先下去，我馬上下來。 Nǐ xiān xiàqù, wǒ mǎshàng xiàlái.	You go down first; I’ll come down right away.
起來	qǐlái	get up / rise up (often “up” + start)	快起來，我們要出門了。 Kuài qǐlái, wǒmen yào chūmén le.	Get up—we’re going out.
站起來	zhàn qǐlái	stand up	請站起來一下，謝謝。 Qǐng zhàn qǐlái yíxià, xièxie.	Please stand up for a moment, thanks.
坐下來	zuò xiàlái	sit down	太累了，我想坐下來休息。 Tài lèi le, wǒ xiǎng zuò xiàlái xiūxí.	I’m exhausted—I want to sit down and rest.
拿上來	ná shànglái	bring up (to here)	把水拿上來，我在樓上。 Bǎ shuǐ ná shànglái, wǒ zài lóushàng.	Bring the water upstairs; I’m upstairs.
拿下去	ná xiàqù	take down (away)	這些垃圾你拿下去丟。 Zhèxiē lèsè nǐ ná xiàqù diū.	Take this trash downstairs and throw it out.

In & Out: 進來/進去/出來/出去

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
進來	jìnlái	come in (toward here)	門沒鎖，直接進來。 Mén méi suǒ, zhíjiē jìnlái.	The door isn’t locked—come in.
進去	jìnqù	go in (away)	你先進去，我在外面等。 Nǐ xiān jìnqù, wǒ zài wàimiàn děng.	You go in first; I’ll wait outside.
出來	chūlái	come out (toward here)	快出來！大家在等你。 Kuài chūlái! Dàjiā zài děng nǐ.	Come out! Everyone’s waiting for you.
出去	chūqù	go out (away)	我出去買咖啡，很快回來。 Wǒ chūqù mǎi kāfēi, hěn kuài huílái.	I’m going out to buy coffee; I’ll be back soon.
請進來	qǐng jìnlái	please come in	請進來，慢慢說。 Qǐng jìnlái, mànman shuō.	Please come in and speak slowly.
趕出去	gǎn chūqù	kick/drive out (away)	別吵了，不然我把你趕出去。 Bié chǎo le, bùrán wǒ bǎ nǐ gǎn chūqù.	Stop arguing, or I’ll kick you out.
推進去	tuī jìnqù	push in (away)	門有點卡，用力推進去。 Mén yǒudiǎn kǎ, yònglì tuī jìnqù.	The door is stuck—push it in harder.
拉出來	lā chūlái	pull out (toward here)	把椅子拉出來一點。 Bǎ yǐzi lā chūlái yìdiǎn.	Pull the chair out a bit.

Common Verb + Direction Combos (the real-life stuff)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
走過來	zǒu guòlái	walk over (to here)	你走過來，我給你看。 Nǐ zǒu guòlái, wǒ gěi nǐ kàn.	Walk over here; I’ll show you.
走過去	zǒu guòqù	walk over (away)	我們走過去那邊坐。 Wǒmen zǒu guòqù nàbiān zuò.	Let’s walk over there and sit.
跑過來	pǎo guòlái	run over (to here)	快跑過來！車要來了。 Kuài pǎo guòlái! Chē yào lái le.	Run over here! A car is coming.
跑過去	pǎo guòqù	run over (away)	他一聽到消息就跑過去。 Tā yì tīngdào xiāoxī jiù pǎo guòqù.	As soon as he heard, he ran over there.
走進去	zǒu jìnqù	walk in (away)	別怕，走進去就看到他了。 Bié pà, zǒu jìnqù jiù kàndào tā le.	Don’t worry—walk in and you’ll see him.
走出來	zǒu chūlái	walk out (toward here)	他從房間走出來了。 Tā cóng fángjiān zǒu chūlái le.	He walked out of the room.
走出去	zǒu chūqù	walk out (away)	太吵了，我走出去透透氣。 Tài chǎo le, wǒ zǒu chūqù tòutòu qì.	It’s too noisy—I’m going outside for some air.
走上來	zǒu shànglái	walk up (to here)	他笑著走上來跟我打招呼。 Tā xiàozhe zǒu shànglái gēn wǒ dǎzhāohū.	He walked up smiling and greeted me.
走下去	zǒu xiàqù	walk down / continue walking (away)	往前走下去就到了。 Wǎng qián zǒu xiàqù jiù dào le.	Keep walking forward and you’ll arrive.
拿出來	ná chūlái	take out (toward here)	把鑰匙拿出來，你要開門。 Bǎ yàoshi ná chūlái, nǐ yào kāimén.	Take your keys out—you need to open the door.
拿出去	ná chūqù	take out (away)	這個太重了，我幫你拿出去。 Zhège tài zhòng le, wǒ bāng nǐ ná chūqù.	This is too heavy—I’ll help you take it out.
拿進去	ná jìnqù	take in (away)	別放外面，把包包拿進去。 Bié fàng wàimiàn, bǎ bāobāo ná jìnqù.	Don’t leave it outside—take the bag inside.
拿回來	ná huílái	bring back (to here)	你記得把雨傘拿回來。 Nǐ jìde bǎ yǔsǎn ná huílái.	Remember to bring the umbrella back.
拿回去	ná huíqù	take back (away)	這不是你的，請拿回去。 Zhè bú shì nǐ de, qǐng ná huíqù.	This isn’t yours—please take it back.
放進去	fàng jìnqù	put in (away)	請把冰淇淋放進去冷凍。 Qǐng bǎ bīngqílín fàng jìnqù lěngdòng.	Please put the ice cream in the freezer.
放下來	fàng xiàlái	put down (to here)	先把行李放下來，慢慢整理。 Xiān bǎ xínglǐ fàng xiàlái, mànman zhěnglǐ.	Put the luggage down first; sort it out slowly.
放上去	fàng shàngqù	put up/on (away)	把碗放上去架子上。 Bǎ wǎn fàng shàngqù jiàzi shàng.	Put the bowls up on the rack.
放出來	fàng chūlái	take out and set out (toward here)	把椅子放出來，客人要坐。 Bǎ yǐzi fàng chūlái, kèrén yào zuò.	Bring the chairs out; guests need to sit.
搬上去	bān shàngqù	carry/move up (away)	這台電風扇很重，我們一起搬上去。 Zhè tái diànfēngshàn hěn zhòng, wǒmen yìqǐ bān shàngqù.	This fan is heavy—let’s move it upstairs together.
搬下來	bān xiàlái	carry/move down (to here)	你把箱子搬下來，我來開車。 Nǐ bǎ xiāngzi bān xiàlái, wǒ lái kāichē.	Carry the boxes down; I’ll drive.
送過去	sòng guòqù	deliver/send over (away)	我把文件送過去給他。 Wǒ bǎ wénjiàn sòng guòqù gěi tā.	I’ll send the documents over to him.
帶過來	dài guòlái	bring over (to here)	明天開會，記得把筆電帶過來。 Míngtiān kāihuì, jìde bǎ bǐdiàn dài guòlái.	Meeting tomorrow—remember to bring your laptop.
帶回來	dài huílái	bring back (to here)	你回家時把藥帶回來。 Nǐ huíjiā shí bǎ yào dài huílái.	When you go home, bring the medicine back.
帶回去	dài huíqù	take back (away)	這份資料你帶回去看。 Zhè fèn zīliào nǐ dài huíqù kàn.	Take these materials back and read them.
開進去	kāi jìnqù	drive in (away)	請慢慢開進去，裡面很窄。 Qǐng mànman kāi jìnqù, lǐmiàn hěn zhǎi.	Drive in slowly; it’s narrow inside.
開出來	kāi chūlái	drive out (toward here)	你把車開出來，我來停。 Nǐ bǎ chē kāi chūlái, wǒ lái tíng.	Drive the car out; I’ll park it.
開回去	kāi huíqù	drive back (away)	太晚了，我先開回去。 Tài wǎn le, wǒ xiān kāi huíqù.	It’s late—I’ll drive back first.
爬上來	pá shànglái	climb up (to here)	小貓爬上來了，別嚇它。 Xiǎomāo pá shànglái le, bié xià tā.	The kitten climbed up—don’t scare it.
跳下去	tiào xiàqù	jump down (away)	那裡很危險，不要跳下去。 Nàlǐ hěn wēixiǎn, búyào tiào xiàqù.	That’s dangerous—don’t jump down.
飛過來	fēi guòlái	fly over (to here)	他下週飛過來台北出差。 Tā xiàzhōu fēi guòlái Táiběi chūchāi.	He’s flying over to Taipei next week for a work trip.
退回去	tuì huíqù	move back / return (away)	這件不合適，我要退回去。 Zhè jiàn bù héshì, wǒ yào tuì huíqù.	This doesn’t fit—I want to return it.
叫過來	jiào guòlái	call over (to here)	你把他叫過來，我問他。 Nǐ bǎ tā jiào guòlái, wǒ wèn tā.	Call him over; I want to ask him.
叫回來	jiào huílái	call back (to here)	太晚了，把孩子叫回來。 Tài wǎn le, bǎ háizi jiào huílái.	It’s late—call the kid back.

Variants & Mini-Rules (so you stop second-guessing)

Pair / Pattern	What’s the difference?	Example (ZH + Pinyin)
…來 vs …去	來 points toward the speaker/location (here). 去 points away (there). Think “camera angle.”	拿過來。/ 拿過去。 Ná guòlái. / Ná guòqù.
出來 vs 出去	Both mean “out,” but 出來 comes toward “here,” 出去 goes away from “here.”	從房間走出來。/ 從房間走出去。 Cóng fángjiān zǒu chūlái. / Cóng fángjiān zǒu chūqù.
進來 vs 進去	Same idea: “in” toward you (進來) vs “in” away from you (進去).	你進來。/ 你進去。 Nǐ jìnlái. / Nǐ jìnqù.
上來 vs 上去	“Up” toward here (上來) vs “up” away from here (上去). Useful for stairs, elevators, even “leveling up.”	你上來找我。/ 我上去找你。 Nǐ shànglái zhǎo wǒ. / Wǒ shàngqù zhǎo nǐ.
把 + 物品 + V + 方向	If there’s an object, 把 is the easy, common way to place it before the verb + directional complement.	把杯子拿出去。/ 把杯子拿出來。 Bǎ bēizi ná chūqù. / Bǎ bēizi ná chūlái.

Yak The fastest “來/去” hack

Imagine you’re filming a scene. If the action moves toward your camera, it’s …來. If it moves away, it’s …去. Yes, this is a shameless cheat. No, you don’t need permission.