Verb + 来/去/出/进
Stick a direction word right after a verb to say where the action is heading. 来 (toward me), 去 (away from me), 出 (out), 进 (in) — and there are more (上, 下, 回, 过, 起). They're called directional complements. They turn a generic motion verb into a specific path: 走 ('walk') becomes 走进 ('walk in') or 跑 ('run') becomes 跑出 ('run out').
Structure
[VERB] + 来/去/出/进 ([OBJECT/PLACE])
[VERB] lái / qù / chū / jìn
How to Think About It
The verb describes how you move; the directional word describes where the movement goes relative to the speaker. 来 and 去 are speaker-anchored: 来 = toward where I am; 去 = away from where I am. 出 (out) and 进 (in) are container-anchored: out of or into some space. When both kinds matter, you stack them: 走出来 (walk out toward me), 跑进去 (run in, away from me).
Examples
球飞了出去。
Qiú fēi le chūqù.
The ball flew out.
大家都站起来了。
Dàjiā dōu zhàn qǐlái le.
Everyone stood up.
请进来坐。
Qǐng jìnlái zuò.
Please come in and sit.
Common Mistake
Learners pick 来 or 去 based on English instead of the speaker's location. If the speaker is inside the room and someone enters, it's 进来 (in toward me). If the speaker is outside the room and someone enters, it's 进去 (in away from me). English 'come in / go in' doesn't map cleanly.
（speaker is at home）请进去。
（speaker is at home）请进来。
Don't Confuse With
Verb + 起来
起来 is also a directional complement (up), but it picks up tons of extended meanings — 'start doing' (笑起来 = start laughing), 'judging by' (看起来 = looks like). Worth its own page.
Verb + 到 + Place
到 marks arrival at a specific place: 走到学校 = 'walk to school'. 来/去 set direction relative to the speaker but don't require a place name.
Verb + 出来 / Verb + 进去
Two-syllable directional complements stack speaker-direction onto path-direction. 走出来 = walk out (toward me); 走出去 = walk out (away from me). The simple 出 is more compact and common in writing.
Practice
Fill in the blank (speaker is inside): 他走___教室。 (He walked into the classroom.)
Show answer
进
Fill in the blank: 鸟飞___了。 (The bird flew away.)
Show answer
走
Arrange: 出 / 跑 / 房间 / 他 / 了 (He ran out of the room.)
Show answer
他跑出了房间。
Translate to Chinese (speaker is at the door): Please come in.
Show answer
请进来。
Use a verb with a directional complement to describe a movement.
Show answer
天太冷了，猫跑进屋里来取暖。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear Verb + 来/去/出/进 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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