出
to go out; exit; come out
chū
What does 出 mean?
出 (chū) means 'to go out / come out / exit' — the directional opposite of 进 (jìn, 'enter'). On its own it can be a full verb (太阳出来了 'the sun has come out'), but it most commonly appears as a directional complement attached to other verbs to mark outward motion: 走出 ('walk out'), 跑出 ('run out'), 拿出 ('take out'), 说出 ('speak out / utter'). Adding 来 or 去 specifies direction relative to the speaker: 出来 ('come out — toward me') vs 出去 ('go out — away from me').
出 also appears in countless high-frequency compounds: 出门 ('go out the door / leave home')
Character breakdown
to go out; exit; emerge; produce
Memory hook: The character 出 looks like one mountain (山) stacked on top of another — climb up and OUT, away from where you started.
Example sentences
我出去一下。
Wǒ chūqù yíxià.
I'm going out for a bit.
spoken
请你出来。
Qǐng nǐ chūlái.
Please come out.
spoken
他每天七点出门。
Tā měi tiān qī diǎn chūmén.
He leaves the house at seven every day.
neutral
我们坐出租车去吧。
Wǒmen zuò chūzūchē qù ba.
Let's go by taxi.
spoken
太阳出来了。
Tàiyáng chūlái le.
The sun has come out.
neutral
Common phrases with 出
Synonyms
Don't confuse 出 with
FAQ
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