Directional Complements with Result Meanings in Chinese
上 / 出 / 起 / 下（结果义）
Simple directional complements can develop result meanings beyond literal movement. 上 may mark closure or attachment, 出 successful production or perception, 起 retrieval or establishment, and 下 retention or completion. These combinations behave like lexicalized or semi-productive result compounds, so learners must distinguish the achieved result from physical direction.
Published August 2, 2026
Reviewed August 2, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Verb + 上 / 出 / 起 / 下
Read the structure
Simple directional complements can develop result meanings beyond literal movement. 上 may mark closure or attachment, 出 successful production or perception, 起 retrieval or establishment, and 下 retention or completion. These combinations behave like lexicalized or semi-productive result compounds, so learners must distinguish the achieved result from physical direction. Keep the model Verb + 上 / 出 / 起 / 下 visible while you compare each sentence.
请关上窗户。
Please close the window.
Choose the right context
Express closure, attachment, or successful contact with 上 in a completed event. Mark production, recognition, or emergence with 出 in an established compound. Use established 起 and 下 compounds for retrieval, establishment, or retention.
他说出了自己的想法。
He expressed his own idea.
Respect the boundary
Do not place the complement before its verb. Do not insert an object inside a verb-complement unit. Do not interpret every occurrence as literal spatial motion.
请上关窗户。
(Please up close the window.)
Repair the pattern
The complement precedes its verb: The result complement 上 follows the verb 关 to form 关上. The verb-complement unit is reversed: The established result compound keeps the order verb 想 plus complement 起.
请关上窗户。
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.
请关上窗户。
Please close the window.
请
Verb
This part occupies the Verb position in the model pattern.
关
上 / 出 / 起 / 下
This part occupies the 上 / 出 / 起 / 下 position in the model pattern.
上
Verb
This part occupies the Verb position in the model pattern.
窗户
上 / 出 / 起 / 下
This part occupies the 上 / 出 / 起 / 下 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.
请关上窗户。
Please close the window.
他说出了自己的想法。
He expressed his own idea.
我突然想起了那件事。
I suddenly remembered that matter.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Express closure, attachment, or successful contact with 上 in a completed event.
- Mark production, recognition, or emergence with 出 in an established compound.
- Use established 起 and 下 compounds for retrieval, establishment, or retention.
Do not use it when
- Do not place the complement before its verb.
- Do not insert an object inside a verb-complement unit.
- Do not interpret every occurrence as literal spatial motion.
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.
请上关窗户。
请关上窗户。
The complement precedes its verb
The result complement 上 follows the verb 关 to form 关上.
我突然起想了那件事。
我突然想起了那件事。
The verb-complement unit is reversed
The established result compound keeps the order verb 想 plus complement 起.
请上关窗户。
The result complement 上 follows the verb 关 to form 关上.
我突然起想了那件事。
The established result compound keeps the order verb 想 plus complement 起.
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 上 / 出 / 起 / 下（结果义）.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 上 / 出 / 起 / 下（结果义）. 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
Directional Complements with Result Meanings Questions
Are 上, 出, 起, and 下 always directional?
No. In many verb compounds they indicate an achieved result or change rather than literal movement.
Can every verb combine with these complements?
No. Many combinations are conventional, and the verb-complement meaning must be learned with authentic examples.
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 4 item 【四37】, PDF p. 216
Places result meanings of 上, 出, 起, and 下 at Level 4 with representative compounds.
Official source现代汉语语法课程讲义
包头师范学院 · 包头师范学院 · 2024
Locator: 补语 section, 结果补语 and 趋向补语
Distinguishes result and directional complements and describes postverbal result structure.
Official sourceLaoshi Chinese Grammar Reference
Laoshi editorial team · Laoshi · 2026
Locator: Alternative meanings of directional complements, 上、下、出、起
Documents nonliteral result readings in common verb-complement compounds.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
趋向补语Simple Directional Complements
Compare literal motion direction with conventional result meanings carried by the same postverbal forms.
Continue learning
完/到/见Result Complements (完/到/见)
Place these established compounds inside the broader system of postverbal achieved results.
Compare
动词＋得/不得Potential Complement with 得 or 不得
An achieved result complement differs from the potential form that inserts 得 or 不 before it.
Compare
变化态：句末“了”Sentence-final 了 for a New Situation
A lexical result inside the predicate differs from sentence-final 了 presenting a newly relevant state.
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Continue learning
Place these established compounds inside the broader system of postverbal achieved results.