Verb + 过来
HSK 5- Complements
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Verb过来
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
Complement 过来 indicates the direction of an action toward the speaker, or a state returning to normal.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
The resultative complement 过来 has two main meanings:
- Indicating direction: Describes movement from a distant point toward the speaker. For example, if you are at home and call a friend to come over, you would say
你过来吧(come over here). - Indicating result: Describes a change from a bad or abnormal state back to a good, normal, or conscious state. For example:
醒过来(wake up/come to),恢复过来(recover),改过来(correct back to the right way).
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 你快点儿过来吧！繁: 你快點兒過來吧！Nǐ kuài diǎnr guòlái ba!
Come over here quickly!
- 他把那本书递过来了。繁: 他把那本書遞過來了。Tā bǎ nà běn shū dì guòlái le.
He handed that book over to me.
- 他终于醒过来了。繁: 他終於醒過來了。Tā zhōngyú xǐng guòlái le.
He finally woke up.
- 这个错误你得改过来。繁: 這個錯誤你得改過來。Zhège cuòwù nǐ děi gǎi guòlái.
You have to correct this mistake.
- 休息几天他就恢复过来了。繁: 休息幾天他就恢復過來了。Xiūxi jǐ tiān tā jiù huīfù guòlái le.
After resting for a few days, he recovered.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:他向我走过去了。Correct:他向我走过来了。
过来 indicates action directed toward the speaker, while 过去 indicates action directed away. Since it means "toward me" (我), 过来 must be used.
- Wrong:他昏倒了，还没醒过去。Correct:他昏倒了，还没醒过来。
To express returning to a conscious state, use 醒过来 (wake up), not 醒过去 (wake away).