Compound Directional Complements

In HSK 2 you learned simple directional complements like 来 (come toward speaker) and 去 (go away from speaker). At HSK 3, these combine with other directional verbs to form compound complements: 上来 (come up), 下去 (go down), 进来 (come in), 出去 (go out), 回来 (come back), and so on.

The system is logical. The first part describes the direction of movement: 上 (up), 下 (down), 进 (in), 出 (out), 回 (back), 过 (across), 起 (up/rise). The second part — 来 or 去 — tells you whether the movement is toward or away from the speaker. So 跑出去 means "run out (away from the speaker)" and 跑出来 means "run out (toward the speaker)."

When there is an object, its position depends on whether it is a place or a thing. Place objects go between the two parts: 走进教室来 (walk into the classroom, toward the speaker). Non-place objects can also go in the middle: 拿出一本书来 (take out a book, toward the speaker), or after 来/去 if the object is short.

These complements can also be used figuratively. 想起来 means "to recall / think of" (an idea rises up). 看出来 means "to figure out / see through." Learning both the literal and figurative uses of each compound will greatly expand your expressiveness.