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出来 (chū lái) — to come out; to emerge; to appear; to be produced or identified (as a result of an action)

Definition

出来 is a direction complement meaning 'out' or 'outward' — it follows a verb (e.g. 走出来, 想出来) to show something comes out, appears, or results from an action. Use the plain verb 出 on its own when the direction is already clear.

verb
to come outto emergeto appearto be produced or identified (as a result of an action)

Examples

  • 出来。
    Tài yáng chū lái le.
    The sun has come out.
  • 出来。
    Wǒ tīng chū lái le nǐ de shēng yīn.
    I recognized your voice.
  • 出来。
    Tā xiǎng chū lái le yí gè hǎo míng zì.
    He thought of a good name.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

出chūmove out
来láidirection toward speaker

出 means move out, and 来 points the motion toward the speaker.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

Grammar

Appears in
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