Come and Go in Chinese

Grammar Point:
In Mandarin Chinese, the word “come” can be translated as 來来 lái and the word go can be translated as 去 qù. These are commonly used verbs to indicate the action of coming or going towards the speaker.

Structure

If the verb’s action is moving closer to the speaker, 來来 lái should be used. Conversely, if the verb’s action is moving away from the speaker, 去 qù should be used.

你nǐ去qù台灣Táiwān你nǐ去qù台湾Táiwān
Go to Taiwan.
(The speaker is not in Taiwan now.)

你nǐ來lái台灣Táiwān你nǐ来lái台湾Táiwān
Come to Taiwan.
(The speaker is in Taiwan now).

來/来 lái + place

你nǐ週末zhōumò要yào來lái我wǒ家jiā嗎ma？你nǐ周末zhōumò要yào来lái我wǒ家jiā吗ma？
Are you coming to my house this weekend?

李lǐ老師lǎoshī今天jīntiān沒méi來lái學校xuéxiào李lǐ老师lǎoshī今天jīntiān没méi来lái学校xuéxiào
Teacher Li didn’t come to school today.

我wǒ在zài咖啡店kāfēidiàn， 你nǐ要yào來lái嗎ma？ 我wǒ在zài咖啡店kāfēidiàn， 你nǐ要yào来lái吗ma？
I’m at the coffee shop, would you like to come?

歡迎huānyíng來lái台灣Táiwān玩wán欢迎huānyíng来lái台湾Táiwān玩wán 😇
Welcome to visit Taiwan.

他tā來lái不來bùlái我的wǒde生日shēngrì派對pàiduì？ 他tā来lái不来bùlái我的wǒde生日shēngrì派对pàiduì？
Is he coming to my birthday party or not?

去 qù + place

我wǒ要yào去qù中國Zhōngguó旅遊lǚyóu我wǒ要yào去qù中国Zhōngguó旅游lǚyóu
I’m going to travel to China.

我wǒ不要búyào去qù你們nǐmen公司gōngsī上班shàngbān我wǒ不要búyào去qù你们nǐmen公司gōngsī上班shàngbān
I don’t want to work at your company.

他tā為什麼wèishénme沒méi去qù醫院yīyuàn？ 他tā为什么wèishénme没méi去qù医院yīyuàn？
Why didn’t he go to the hospital?

FYI
I’ve noticed that many of my Western friends, especially Americans, sometimes feel hesitant about seeing a doctor in Taiwan. But let me assure you, going to the doctor here is totally affordable, even for foreigners. Without health insurance, getting an ultrasound, an X-ray, and receiving an injection won’t cost you more than $100 USD in total. And guess what? You don’t even need to make appointments months in advance and wait for ages! In Taiwan, you can simply walk into a hospital and get an appointment right away. Sure, there might be a bit of a wait, around 3 to 4 hours if you haven’t booked ahead, but hey, you’ll be able to see the doctor and get your health issues taken care of all in one day. So next time you’re feeling under the weather, don’t hesitate to visit the doctor. Trust me, it’s convenient and affordable here!

你nǐ去qù不去búqù她的tāde生日shēngrì派對pàiduì？ 你nǐ去qù不去búqù她的tāde生日shēngrì派对pàiduì？
Are you going to her birthday party or not?

你nǐ要yào去qù哪裡nǎlǐ？ 你nǐ要yào去qù哪里nǎlǐ？
Where are you going?

Practice

TouchHover over the space to see the answers.

✔️ I go to the park every day with my dog.

我wǒ跟gēn我的wǒde狗gǒu每天měitiān去qù公園gōngyuán我wǒ跟gēn我的wǒde狗gǒu每天měitiān去qù公园gōngyuán

✔️ But there are no handsome guys coming to the park.

可是kěshì都dōu沒有méiyǒu帥哥shuàigē來lái公園gōngyuán可是kěshì都dōu没有méiyǒu帅哥shuàigē来lái公园gōngyuán

✔️ Where should I go to find handsome guys?

我wǒ應該yīnggāi去qù哪裡nǎlǐ找zhǎo帥哥shuàigē？ 我wǒ应该yīnggāi去qù哪里nǎlǐ找zhǎo帅哥shuàigē？