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Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 20

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (18 questions)

Mandarin Directional Complements: 走出来, 拿出去, 站起来

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

Mandarin likes to give a movement verb a direction. (zǒu) is walk; (zǒu chūlái) is walk out, towards me. Three slots: the verb, a path word that says which way, and (lái) or (qù) for where the speaker is.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

来 or 去? Decide from where the speaker is.

  1. 我在外面，他跑出了。 (I'm outside; he ran out to me.)

    wǒ zài wài miàn ， tā pǎo chū ___ liǎo 。 (I'm outside; he ran out to me.)

  2. 我在里面，他跑出了。 (I'm inside; he ran out and left me.)

    wǒ zài lǐ miàn ， tā pǎo chū ___ liǎo 。 (I'm inside; he ran out and left me.)

  3. 我在上面，你上吧！ (I'm up here: come on up!)

    wǒ zài shàng miàn ， nǐ shàng ___ ba ！ (I'm up here: come on up!)

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

the path (which way)来 or 去 (towards or away from the speaker)What do the colours mean?
走 zǒu, walk → 走出 zǒu chū, walk out → 走出来 zǒu chūlái, walk out (towards me)
HanziPinyinEnglish
zǒu chūláiwalk out (towards me)
zǒu chūqùwalk out (away from me)
pǎo shàngláirun up (to me)
pǎo xiàqùrun down (away from me)
ná huíláibring back
zǒu guòqùwalk over (there)
zhàn qǐláistand up

The pinyin follows the dictionary form; in speech the (lái) or (qù) is usually light and toneless, as on complements.

The seven paths

the path (which way)来 or 去 (towards or away from the speaker)What do the colours mean?

These are the seven common path words. Each can go before (lái) or (qù), with one exception:

HanziPinyinEnglish
shàngup
xiàdown
jìnin
chūout
huíback
guòover, across
qǐup, off the ground

The exception is (qǐ): it takes only (lái). (zhàn qǐlái) is stand up and (ná qǐlái) is pick up, whichever way you face; (qǐqù) turns up only in some dialects.

来 (lái) or 去 (qù): where is the speaker?

the path (which way)来 or 去 (towards or away from the speaker)What do the colours mean?

The doorway does not decide; the speaker does. The same run out of the same door:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā pǎo chūlái le.He ran out (I'm outside)
。Tā pǎo chūqù le.He ran out (I'm inside)
！Nǐ shànglái ba!Come on up! (I'm upstairs)
。Tā pǎo xiàqù le.He ran down (I'm upstairs)
。Wǒ mǎshàng guòqù.I'll go over now

When you talk to someone, you can also take their side, as English "I'm coming" does: (wǒ mǎshàng guòlái), I'm coming over now, and (wǒ mǎshàng xiàlái), I'll be right down, are both everyday Mandarin. With no listener to head for, the speaker decides.

Where a place goes: before 来 (lái) or 去 (qù)

the path (which way)来 or 去 (towards or away from the speaker)What do the colours mean?

A place splits the complement: it sits after the path word and before (lái) or (qù), never after them.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā zǒu jìn jiàoshì lái le.He walked into the classroom
。Wǒmen huí jiā qù ba.Let's go home
。Tā shàng lóu qù le.He's gone upstairs
。Tā huí Zhōngguó qù le.She's gone back to China
Verb
Path
Place
来 or 去

The (lái) or (qù) can also drop: (tā zǒu jìn le jiàoshì), he walked into the classroom, is just as natural.

Where a thing goes: three choices

the path (which way)来 or 去 (towards or away from the speaker)What do the colours mean?

A thing being moved has more freedom than a place:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā ná chū yì běn shū lái.He took out a book
。Tā ná chūlái yì běn shū.He took out a book
。Tā bǎ shū ná chūlái le.He took the book out

A new thing (, a book) can sit before (lái) or after the whole verb. A thing you already know (the book) usually moves to the front with (bǎ), which keeps the complement in one piece: the 把 construction.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。a place goes before (lái)
。。a place goes before (qù)
。。 (qǐ) takes only (lái)

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Narrate leaving the house: ，… (wǒ zǒu chūqù, zuò shàng chē…).
  3. Then read figurative directional complements, where (qǐlái) means start and (xiàqù) means carry on.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

来 or 去? Decide from where the speaker is.

  1. 我在外面，他跑出了。 (I'm outside; he ran out to me.)

    wǒ zài wài miàn ， tā pǎo chū ___ liǎo 。 (I'm outside; he ran out to me.)

  2. 我在里面，他跑出了。 (I'm inside; he ran out and left me.)

    wǒ zài lǐ miàn ， tā pǎo chū ___ liǎo 。 (I'm inside; he ran out and left me.)

  3. 我在上面，你上吧！ (I'm up here: come on up!)

    wǒ zài shàng miàn ， nǐ shàng ___ ba ！ (I'm up here: come on up!)

  4. 我在上面，他跑下了。 (I'm up here; he ran down, away from me.)

    wǒ zài shàng miàn ， tā pǎo xià ___ liǎo 。 (I'm up here; he ran down, away from me.)

  5. 他站起了。 (He stood up.)

    tā zhàn qǐ ___ liǎo 。 (He stood up.)

Build the word

0/3

Build the verb from its pieces.

  1. walk out (towards me)

    Type pinyin or characters - tone marks optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. run back (away from me)

    Type pinyin or characters - tone marks optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. stand up

    Type pinyin or characters - tone marks optional

    Your word is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. tā zǒu jìn lái jiào shì le 。

  2. lǎo shī jìn lái le ， dà jiā dōu zhàn qǐ qù le 。

  3. wǒ men pǎo huí qù jiā ba 。

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. He took a book out (of his bag).

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. Let's go back home.

    Your sentence is empty.

Matching

0/5

Match each verb to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a compound directional complement in Mandarin?
A verb followed by a path word and then (lái) or (qù): (zǒu chūlái), walk out; (pǎo shàngqù), run up; (ná huílái), bring back. The path says which way the action goes, and or says whether it heads towards the speaker or away.
When do you use (lái) and when (qù)?
(lái) for movement towards the speaker, (qù) for movement away. Inside a room you say (jìnlái), come in; outside it, (jìnqù), go in. Talking to someone, you can also take their side, as English 'come' does: (wǒ mǎshàng guòlái), I'm coming over now.
Where does the place go with or ?
Between the path word and (lái) or (qù): (tā zǒu jìn jiàoshì lái le), he walked into the classroom; (wǒmen huí jiā qù ba), let's go home. is wrong: a place never follows the or of a complement.
Where does the object go with ?
A new thing can sit before or after the whole verb: (tā ná chū yì běn shū lái) or (tā ná chūlái yì běn shū), he took out a book. A thing you already know usually goes in front with (bǎ): (tā bǎ shū ná chūlái le).
Why is there no (qǐqù)?
In standard Mandarin (qǐ), rising up, takes only (lái): (zhàn qǐlái), stand up; (ná qǐlái), pick up. survives only in some dialects, so say whichever way you are facing.