Verb + 出来
Reach for Verb + 出来 when an action causes something to emerge, become visible, or be figured out. Two flavors: literal motion outward (拿出来 — take out, 跑出来 — run out) and recognition or discovery (看出来 — see/tell, 听出来 — hear/tell, 想出来 — think up). The action lands on its target only when 出来 is attached — without it, you've performed the verb but nothing has come into view.
Structure
[VERB] + 出来
[VERB] chūlái
How to Think About It
出来 means 'out toward where I am.' Physically: the thing exits an enclosed space and arrives in the speaker's field. Mentally: information was hidden inside the situation, the verb pulls it out into your awareness. That's why 看出来 isn't just 'look' — it's 'looked AND now I can tell.' The verb is the effort, 出来 is the payoff.
Examples
他从口袋里拿出来一张照片。
Tā cóng kǒudài lǐ ná chūlái yì zhāng zhàopiàn.
He took a photo out of his pocket.
我一下子就听出来是他的声音。
Wǒ yíxiàzi jiù tīng chūlái shì tā de shēngyīn.
I recognized his voice immediately.
这个办法是谁想出来的？
Zhège bànfǎ shì shéi xiǎng chūlái de?
Who came up with this idea?
Common Mistake
Learners drop 出来 and use the bare verb when they mean recognition. 看 alone means 'look at' — it doesn't carry the 'figured out' meaning. You need 出来 for the perception to actually land.
我看他是中国人。
我看出来他是中国人。
Don't Confuse With
Verb + 出去
出去 is outward AWAY from the speaker; 出来 is outward TOWARD the speaker. 拿出去 = take it out (away from me); 拿出来 = take it out (here, to me).
Verb + 起来
起来 evaluates or starts an action ('看起来很贵' — looks expensive); 出来 reports recognition or emergence ('看出来很贵' — I can tell it's expensive).
Verb + 到
到 marks arrival at a target ('看到他' — I saw him). 出来 marks that the perception produced a conclusion ('看出来他在撒谎' — I could tell he was lying).
Practice
我一听就 ___ 出来是你。
Show answer
听
他从书包里拿 ___ 一本词典。
Show answer
出来
Put in order: [出来 / 我 / 看 / 没 / 他 / 难过]
Show answer
我没看出来他难过。
Translate to Chinese: 'I finally thought of a solution.'
Show answer
我终于想出来一个办法。
Write a sentence using Verb + 出来 in the 'figure out / recognize' sense.
Show answer
Example answer: 我一眼就看出来这张照片是假的。 (I could tell at a glance the photo was fake.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: