Level 3 Lesson 20.2 – 下大雨了，我们都跑上了车。

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Grammar: Complements of Direction in Chinese，趋向补语 "上" "下" "过".

In this HSK 3 video lesson we'll review 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction) in Chinese and we'll also learn three more verbs that can be used as 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction).

  • 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction)
  • 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction) "上" "下"
  • 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction) "过"

 

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GRAMMAR

Summary. 趋向补语

Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction

See also Summary of 补语 (Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements).
See also 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction): 去(qù ▸ to go over) and 来(lái ▸ to come over).

(1) 趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs)

Verbs that suggest "direction of motion" are 趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs).

Before we have learned these 趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs):

  • lái 来 to come (towards)
  • qù 去 to go (away from)
  • jìn 进 to enter
  • chū 出 to exit
  • huí 回 to return
  • dào 到 to arrive

(2) 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction)

A 趋向动词 can be used as 趋向补语, following this structure:

VERB + Directional Verb = VERB + Complement of Direction

VERB1 verb2
Verb Directional Verb used as Complement of Direction of VERB1
suggests manner or nature of the motion

(by walking, climbing, running, or driving? returning, or leaving?...)

 suggests the direction or path of this motion

(coming towards, or going away? entering or exiting? ascending or descending?…)

趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs) 来, 去, 进, 出, 回, 到 can all be used as 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction):

Verb Complement of Direction Verb-Complement Phrase
chū
出
to exit		 lái
来
to come (towards)		 chū lai
出来
to exit "coming out of"
jìn
进
to enter		 qù
去
to go (away from)		 jìn qu
进去
to enter "going into"
zǒu
走
to walk		 jìn
进
to enter		 zǒu jin
走进
to walk "into"
ná
拿
to take		 chū
出
to exit		 ná chu
拿出
to take "out"
jiē
接
to pick-up		 huí
回
to return		 jiē hui
接回
to pick-up "back"
sòng
送
to send		 dào
到
to arrive		 sòng dao
送到
to send "arriving to"

 

Grammar 1. 趋向补语 "上" "下"

Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ "shàng" "xià"▸ Complements of Direction "上" "下"

See also 方位词 (Fāngwèi Míngcí ▸ Locality Nouns): 上 下 里 外 前面 后面.

上 and 下 can be 方位名词 (Fāngwèi Míngcí ▸ Locality Nouns) and also 趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs):

上

下
方位名词
Locality Nouns		 surface; the area above the area underneath
趋向动词
Directional Verbs		 to move upwards; to ascend to move downwards; to descend

趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs) 上, 下 can be used as 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction):

Verb Complement of Direction Verb-Complement Phrase
pá
爬
to climb		 shàng
上
to move upwards		 pá shang
爬上
to climb "upwards"
pá
爬
to climb		 xià
下
to move downwards		 pá xia
爬下
to climb "downwards"
fàng
放
to place; to put		 shàng
上
to move upwards		 fàng shang
放上
to put "up(to)"
fàng
放
to place; to put		 xià
下
to move downwards		 fàng xia
放下
to put "down"

Let's see some example sentences:

(1) 跑上 / 跑下

  • Xià dàyǔ le, wǒmen dōu pǎo shang le chē.
    下大雨了，我们都跑上了车。
    (It is) raining heavy, we all ran “ascending”(/onto) (the) vehicle.
  • Chē dào zhàn le, wǒ pǎo xia le chē.
    车到站了，我跑下了车。
    (The) vehicle (has) arrived (the) station, I ran-“descending”(/down) (from) (the) vehicle.

(2) 走上 / 走下

  • Shuō wán zàijiàn, Gāo Shūshu zǒu shang le fēijī.
    说完再见，高叔叔走上了飞机
    (After) finishing-saying goodbye, Uncle Gao walked “ascending”(/onto) (the) plane.
  • Zǒu xia fēijī yǐhòu, tā qù le yí xià xǐshǒujiān.
    走下飞机以后，他去了一下洗手间。
    (In the) time (that is) after walking “descending”(/down) (from) (the) plane, he went to (the) restroom “really quick”.

(3) 放上 / 放下

  • Fàncài fàng shang zhuō le.
    饭菜放上桌了。
    (The) food (has been) put “ascending”(/onto) (the) table (already).
  • Bǎ qián fàng xia!
    把钱放下！
    (-) “Disposing of” (the) money (-) put “descending”(/down)! [Put down the money! / Drop the money!]

 

Grammar 2. 趋向补语 "过"

Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ "guò"▸ Complements of Direction "过"

See also Dynamic / Aspect Particle 过.

过 can be 动态助词 (Dòngtài Zhùcí ▸ Dynamic Particle; Aspect Particle ) and also 趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs):

过
动态助词
Dynamic Particle; Aspect Particle		 suggesting that the action or event is something that has ever happened before
趋向动词
Directional Verbs		 (1) to move from one place to another; to pass by, to pass through, or to go by a place
(2) to move from one time point to another time point; to go through/pass a time (period/point)

趋向动词 (Qūxiàng Dòngcí ▸ Directional Verbs) 过 can be used as 趋向补语 (Qūxiàng Bǔyǔ ▸ Complements of Direction):

Verb Complement of Direction Verb-Complement Phrase
zǒu
走
to walk		 guò
过
to pass		 zǒu guo
走过
to walk “passing”
fēi
飞
to fly		 guò
过
to pass		 fēi guo
飞过
to fly "passing"
yóu
游
to swim		 guò
过
to pass		 yóu guo
游过
to swim "passing"

Let's see some example sentences:

  • Tā cóng wǒ pángbiān zǒu guo.
    他从我旁边走过。
    He walked passing from (the) side (of) me.
  • Xiǎo niǎo fēi guo nà zuò shān, kàn bu jiàn le.
    小鸟飞过那座山，看不见了。
    (The) little bid flew passing that “zuo” (of) mountain, (and) is-not-able-to (been) seen (already).
  • Nǐ xiāng bu xiāngxìn, wǒ yóu guo zhè tiáo xiǎo hé zhǐ yào jǐ fēnzhōng.
    你相不相信，我游过这条小河只要几分钟。
    (Do) you believe (it or) not, me swimming passing this “tiao” (of) small river only needs a-few minutes.
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2 Comments

  • Level 2 lesson 11 grammar 4 says
    “While using Complement of Direction in Chinese, be careful that no Object should be used after the Verb-Complement Phrase.”
    So for other directional complements such as 上 and 下 this is not the case?
    As mentioned at 4:54 in this video?

    • Thank you for bringing this up and asking for clarification, and we apologize for any confusion.

      When a “Verb + Complement of Direction” is used, and there is also an Object, there can be three different positions where the Object can go.

      At the beginner stage of Level 2, we tend to simplify the grammar rules and focus on a few basic structures.

      As you progress to Level 3 and learn more verbs, you will encounter more variations and exceptions in the use of Complements of Direction.

      We apologize for any inaccuracies in our language usage and have updated the Level 2 Lesson 11 grammar rule to read, “While using these Complements of Direction in Chinese, be careful that no Object should be used after the Verb-Complement Phrase.”

      Thank you for your patience and understanding as we strive to improve the quality of our content. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.