Direction Complements – Extension 1

This article focuses on the use of direction complements in figurative language, such as in English phrases like ‘clean up’, ‘calm down’, ‘figure out’, etc. If you’re unfamiliar with directional complements, I recommend reading the following links first.

📖 Basic Direction Complement
📖 Compound direction complements

V + 上 shàng or shang

上 shàngshang has 7 common extension usages as a directional complement.

1. “Get closer to”

狗gǒu追zhuī上shàng了le小偷xiǎotōu狗gǒu追zhuī上shang了le小偷xiǎotōu
The dog catches up with the thief.

小心xiǎoxīn跟gēn上shàng(我)wǒ小心xiǎoxīn跟gēn上shang(我)wǒ
Follow me and be careful!

2. From open to close

閉bì上shàng眼睛yǎnjīng闭bì上shang眼睛yǎnjing
Close your eyes.　

關guān上shàng門mén关guān上shang门mén
Close the door.

闔hé上shàng書shū阖gé上shang书shū
Close the book.

I know you are going to complain that why the simple word ‘close’ has three different Chinese characters, but English also has words like ‘to see,’ ‘to watch,’ ‘to read,’ and ‘to look,’ while Chinese uses only one character, which is 看 kàn. So stop complaining!

3. Make sth exist somewhere

寫xiě上shàng你的nǐde名字míngzi写xiě上shang你的nǐde名字míngzi
Write down your name.

我wǒ在zài牆qiáng上shàng掛guà上shàng了le小狗xiǎogǒu的de照片zhàopiàn我wǒ在zài墙qiáng上shang挂guà上shang了le小狗xiǎogǒu的de照片zhàopiàn
I hung a picture of the puppy on the wall.

她tā打算dǎsuàn在zài台北Táiběi住zhù上shàng幾jǐ天tiān她tā打算dǎsuàn在zài台北Táiběi住zhù上shang几jǐ天tiān
She plans to stay in Taipei for a few days.

4. Achieve a difficult goal

他tā終於zhōngyú當dāng上shàng醫師yīshī了le他tā终于zhōngyú当dāng上shang医师yīshī了le
He finally become a doctor.

我wǒ考kǎo上shàng耶魯yélǔ大學dàxué了le我wǒ考kǎo上shang耶鲁yélǔ大学dàxué了le
I got into Yale University.

你nǐ一定yídìng能néng申請shēnqǐng上shàng理想lǐxiǎng的de工作gōngzuò你nǐ一定yídìng能néng申请shēnqǐng上shang理想lǐxiǎng的de工作gōngzuò
You will be able to apply to your ideal job.

5. “Up to; as many as”

你的nǐde收入shōurù比bǐ我的wǒde多duō上shàng1000 美金měijīn吧ba你的nǐde收入shōurù比bǐ我的wǒde多duō上sh ng1000 美金měijīn吧ba
Your income is $1000 more than mine, right?

他tā比bǐ我wǒ高gāo上shàng4、5 公分gōngfēn他tā比bǐ我wǒ高gāo上shang4、5 公分gōngfēn
He is 4 or 5 cm taller than me.

我的wǒde中文zhōngwén比bǐ你nǐ好hǎo上shàng100 倍bèi我的wǒde中文zhōngwén比bǐ你nǐ好hǎo上shang100 倍bèi
My Chinese is one hundred times better than yours.

6. Wearing; put on

穿chuān上shàng衣服yìfú穿chuān上shang衣服yìfu
Put on the clothes.

戴dài上shàng項鍊xiàngliàn戴dài上shang项链xiàngliàn
Put on the necklace.

繫jì上shàng領帶lǐngdài系jì上shang领带lǐngdài
Tie up the tie.

7. Add

算suàn上shàng我wǒ吧ba！ 算suàn上shang我wǒ吧ba！
Count me in!

加jiā上shàng一點yìdiǎn糖táng加jiā上shang一点儿yìdiǎnr糖táng
Add some sugar.

V + 下 xià

The directional complement 下 xià has 3 common extension usages.

1. Capacity for holding or containing

這個zhège袋子dàizi裝zhuāng得de下xià五wǔ本běn書shū嗎ma？ 这个zhège袋子dàizi装zhuāng得de下xià五wǔ本běn书shū吗ma？
Can this bag hold five books?

你nǐ吃chī得de下xià這zhè全部quánbù的de飯fàn嗎ma？ 你nǐ吃chī得de下xià这zhè全部quánbù的de饭fàn吗ma？
Can you eat the whole meal?

我的wǒde心xīn容róng不bú下xià你nǐ我的wǒde心xīn容róng不bú下xià你nǐ
I’ve got no room for you.

2. Fix or set something somewhere

我wǒ對duì她tā留liú下xià了le深刻shēnkè的de印象yìnxiàng我wǒ对duì她tā留liú下xià了le深刻shēnkè的de印象yìnxiàng
I was strongly impressed by her.

你nǐ需要xūyào記jì下xià我wǒ說shuō的de話huà你nǐ需要xūyào记jì下xià我wǒ说shuō的de话huà
You need to remember what I said.
(set my words in your memory)

請qǐng把bǎ這zhè些xiē單字dānzì背bèi下xià來lái请qǐng把bǎ这zhè些xiē单字dānzì背bèi下xià来lái
Please memorize these words.

3. Take off

拿ná下xià眼鏡yǎnjìng拿ná下xià眼镜yǎnjìng
Take off the glasses.

脫tuō下xià鞋子xiézi脱tuō下xià鞋子xiézi
Take off the shoes.

摘zhāi下xià耳環ěrhuán摘zhāi下xià耳环ěrhuán
Take off the earrings.

📚 The differences between V上 and V下：

Make sth exist somewhere

請qǐng寫xiě上shàng你的nǐde名字míngzi请qǐng写xiě上shang你的nǐde名字míngzi
Write down your name, please. (“Exist” usually means it will keep for a long time.)
For these situations we would use 上 shàng : On a contract, on a test paper, on a form

Fix or set something somewhere

請qǐng寫xiě下xià你的nǐde名字míngzi请qǐng写xiě下xià你的nǐde名字míngzi
Write down your name, please. (It’s simply asking you to set your name, so someone can see or check.)
For the following situations we prefer to use下 xià: On a piece of paper (leaving a message), on the whiteboard

V + 起 qǐ

1. An action leads something to happen

因為yīnwèi他tā說shuō的de話huà， 我wǒ燃rán起qǐ了le憤怒fènnù因为yīnwèi他tā说shuō的de话huà， 我wǒ燃rán起qǐ了le愤怒fènnù
Because of what he said, I became angry.

表演biǎoyǎn結束jiéshù後hòu台下táixià響xiǎng起qǐ掌聲zhǎngshēng表演biǎoyǎn结束jiéshù后hòu台下táixià响xiǎng起qǐ掌声zhǎngshēng
Applause broke out in the hall after the show.

2. Remember (想起xiǎngqǐ)

他tā終於zhōngyú想起xiǎngqǐ了le我的wǒde名字míngzi他tā终于zhōngyú想起xiǎngqǐ了le我的wǒde名字míngzi
He finally remembered my name.

他tā想xiǎng不bù起qǐ自己zìjǐ為什麼wèishénme要yào學xué中文zhōngwén他tā想xiǎng不bù起qǐ自己zìjǐ为什么wèishénme要yào学xué中文zhōngwén
He couldn’t remember why he wanted to learn Chinese.

• Extension Direction Complements 2 (HSK 5)

• Extension Direction Complements 3 (HSK 6)