HSK 6
趋向补语5
qū xiàng bǔ yǔ 5
Directional complement 5 (State meaning)
Explanation
This is the extended meaning (state meaning) of the directional complement (a component placed after a verb/adjective that indicates the direction of the action). Besides indicating a real direction of movement, the words 下来/下去/起来/过来 also express a change of state.
verb/adjective + 下来 (xià lai) / 下去 (xià qu) / 起来 (qǐ lai) / 过来 (guò lai). Examples: 安静下来 (ān jìng xià lai, to quiet down), 淡下去 (dàn xià qu, to gradually fade), 藏起来 (cáng qǐ lai, to hide away), 醒过来 (xǐng guò lai, to come to/wake up).
下来 (xià lai) indicates a shift from motion to stillness or beginning to settle (安静下来 to quiet down); 下去 (xià qu) indicates continuing or gradually decreasing (淡下去 to fade gradually); 起来 (qǐ lai) indicates the start of a state or putting away/hiding (藏起来 to hide away); 过来 (guò lai) indicates recovering to a normal state (醒过来 to come to).
下来 emphasizes "stopping/settling", 下去 emphasizes "continuing to prolong" — they are opposites; 起来 emphasizes "beginning", 过来 emphasizes "returning to normal".
Vietnamese learners often place the object (the entity being acted upon) in the wrong position; with 起来 the object goes in the middle: 藏起来 → 把礼物藏起来 rather than saying 藏起来礼物. They also often confuse 下来 with 下去, turning the meaning "stop" into "continue".
Examples
As soon as the teacher entered the classroom, the students quickly quieted down.
His interest in the work gradually faded away.
Let's hide the gift away first.
After the doctor's emergency treatment, he finally came to.
Practice
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Learn “趋向补语5” effectively
The grammar point “趋向补语5” (Directional complement 5 (State meaning)) is one of the key structures at HSK 6. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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