Direction complement 来 / 去 (toward / away)

Choose direction from a viewpoint

You stand inside a room and invite a visitor at the door to enter.
please请qǐngcome in进来jìn lái。 — to come来lái directs the movement toward the viewpoint inside the room.

Practice

You stand inside a room and invite a visitor at the door to enter. What does 请进来。 communicate?

进来 is the only correct form for every movement into any room.
来 directs the movement toward the viewpoint inside the room.

Build the form

The pattern in this lesson is Direction complement to come来lái / to go去qù (toward / away). Locate it in the original interlinear examples below.
Keep the words in their demonstrated positions; the pattern must fit the intended situation as well as the sentence form.

please请qǐngcome in进来jìn lái！

Practice

Using the lesson pattern in this demonstrated example: Invite someone in: 请 ____！(come in)

Read examples in context

(把)把bǎbook书shūbring here拿来ná lái。

In the opening example, please请qǐngcome in进来jìn lái。: to come来lái directs the movement toward the viewpoint inside the room.
Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.

Practice

You want someone to come toward you. Which do you say?

进来 (come in — toward me)
出去 (go out — away)

Practice

Match each compound to its meaning.

come in

go out

come back

进来
出去
回来

Know the boundary

Choose the speaker's or established narrative viewpoint.
to go in进去jìn qù is natural from outside when describing movement into a different space; it is not intrinsically wrong for entering a room.

Practice

去 marks movement toward the speaker.

Practice

In the opening situation: 来 directs the movement toward the viewpoint inside the room.

Use the distinction

Key idea

to come来lái directs the movement toward the viewpoint inside the room.
Choose the speaker's or established narrative viewpoint. to go in进去jìn qù is natural from outside when describing movement into a different space; it is not intrinsically wrong for entering a room.

Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Complements.

Practice

You stand inside a room and invite a visitor at the door to enter. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.