Simple Directional Complements in Chinese
趋向补语
A simple directional complement attaches directly after a motion or action verb to show the direction of movement. 来 presents movement toward the speaker's viewpoint and 去 presents movement away. Other common suffixes such as 上, 下, 进, 出, 回, and 开 describe the path taken.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Motion / action verb + 来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开...
Read the structure
A simple directional complement attaches directly after a motion or action verb to show the direction of movement. 来 presents movement toward the speaker's viewpoint and 去 presents movement away. Other common suffixes such as 上, 下, 进, 出, 回, and 开 describe the path taken. Keep the model Motion / action verb + 来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开... visible while you compare each sentence.
你看，他向这边走来了。
Look, he is walking this way.
Choose the right context
Show movement toward the speaker: 你看，他向这边走来了。 Show movement away from the speaker: 你给他带去吧。 Show an outward path after an action verb: 妈妈从包里拿出一封信。
请把这本书带去教室。
Please take this book to the classroom.
Respect the boundary
Do not put the directional suffix before the motion or action verb that it completes. Do not separate the verb from its directional suffix with an unrelated noun phrase. Use a result complement when the focus is an achieved outcome rather than spatial direction.
他向这边来走了。
(He toward this way came walk.)
Repair the pattern
The directional suffix 来 is placed before the motion verb: As a directional complement, 来 follows the motion verb directly: 走来. Reversing it to 来走 does not form the directional verb. The directional suffix 出 is placed before the action verb: 出 is the directional complement of 拿 and must follow it directly as 拿出; 出拿 reverses the required order.
他向这边走来了。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
你看，他向这边走来了。
Look, he is walking this way.
你
Motion / action verb
This part occupies the Motion / action verb position in the model pattern.
看
来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开...
This part occupies the 来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开... position in the model pattern.
，
Motion / action verb
This part occupies the Motion / action verb position in the model pattern.
他
来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开...
This part occupies the 来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开... position in the model pattern.
向
Motion / action verb
This part occupies the Motion / action verb position in the model pattern.
这边
来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开...
This part occupies the 来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开... position in the model pattern.
走
Motion / action verb
This part occupies the Motion / action verb position in the model pattern.
来
来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开...
This part occupies the 来 / 去 / 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 开... position in the model pattern.
了
Motion / action verb
This part occupies the Motion / action verb position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
你看，他向这边走来了。
Look, he is walking this way.
请把这本书带去教室。
Please take this book to the classroom.
妈妈从包里拿出一封信。
Mom took a letter out of the bag.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Show movement toward the speaker: 你看，他向这边走来了。
- Show movement away from the speaker: 你给他带去吧。
- Show an outward path after an action verb: 妈妈从包里拿出一封信。
Do not use it when
- Do not put the directional suffix before the motion or action verb that it completes.
- Do not separate the verb from its directional suffix with an unrelated noun phrase.
- Use a result complement when the focus is an achieved outcome rather than spatial direction.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
他向这边来走了。
他向这边走来了。
The directional suffix 来 is placed before the motion verb
As a directional complement, 来 follows the motion verb directly: 走来. Reversing it to 来走 does not form the directional verb.
妈妈从包里出拿了一封信。
妈妈从包里拿出了一封信。
The directional suffix 出 is placed before the action verb
出 is the directional complement of 拿 and must follow it directly as 拿出; 出拿 reverses the required order.
他向这边来走了。
As a directional complement, 来 follows the motion verb directly: 走来. Reversing it to 来走 does not form the directional verb.
妈妈从包里出拿了一封信。
出 is the directional complement of 拿 and must follow it directly as 拿出; 出拿 reverses the required order.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 趋向补语.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 趋向补语. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Simple Directional Complements Questions
What is the difference between 来 and 去 in a directional complement?
来 presents movement toward the speaker or viewpoint. 去 presents movement away from it.
Where does a simple directional complement go?
It follows its verb directly: 走来, 带去, 拿出, or 打开. Do not reverse the verb and suffix.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 2 grammar inventory, item 50 (A.2.4.2): simple directional complements
Supports placement in HSK 2; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 19, sections 19.1-19.4, pages 118-122
Defines directional verbs as a motion or action verb followed by a directional suffix and explains the directional meanings of 来, 去, and common path suffixes.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
动词＋起来（开始）起来 as the Onset of an Action
Compare this lesson with 起来 marking the onset of an action or state; both belong to directional movement and change over time, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
动词＋下去（继续）下去 as Continued Action
Compare this lesson with 下去 marking continuation from the current point; both belong to directional movement and change over time, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
越发越发: Increasingly After a Change
Compare this lesson with 越发 marking a state that grows stronger; both belong to directional movement and change over time, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Continue learning
完/到/见Result Complements (完/到/见)
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
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Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.