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Directional Complements in Chinese — Live HSK 3 Speaking Lesson

他走进来了 (tā zǒu jìnlái le) — "He walked in (toward me)." That sentence uses Directional Complements, a Mandarin grammar pattern that attaches a direction word like 进 (jìn), 出 (chū), or 回 (huí) after a verb, then adds 来 (lái) for "toward me" or 去 (qù) for "away from me" to show exactly where the action is headed.

How Directional Complements Work

The structure is Verb + 上/下/进/出/回/过/起 + 来/去. The first part tells you the direction of movement — in, out, up, down, or back, depending on the word you choose. The second part, 来 or 去, tells you whether that movement is toward the speaker or away from the speaker.

In the example 他走进来了 (tā zǒu jìnlái le), 走 is the verb "to walk," 进 means "in," and 来 means the movement is toward the speaker — so "He walked in (toward me)." A simpler form appears in 请坐下 (qǐng zuòxià) — "Please sit down," where the 来/去 part is dropped and 下 alone conveys the direction.

How the Live Lesson Works

This HSK 3 speaking lesson, titled "Coming and Going," is a live voice conversation with AI teacher Mei Lin. You talk out loud in real time — no typing. Mei Lin listens, corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation, and adapts to your level. The lesson takes about 10 minutes and focuses on this one grammar pattern, so you get repeated, natural practice describing people and things moving in, out, up, down, and back — and saying whether the movement is toward you or away from you.

The first lesson is free to try.

To reinforce what you learn, you can print handwriting worksheets using the free printable Chinese worksheet generator. For more grammar practice, try another HSK 3 live lesson titled "Stating Your Purpose" or another HSK 3 live lesson titled "Doing Things for Others". You can also browse the full HSK 3 lessons hub page for more topics.

Frequently asked questions

What are Directional Complements in Chinese?

Directional Complements follow the pattern Verb + 上/下/进/出/回/过/起 + 来/去. You add a direction word like 进 (jìn) or 出 (chū) after a verb, then use 来 (lái) if the movement is toward you or 去 (qù) if it is away from you. For example, 他走进来了 (tā zǒu jìnlái le) means "He walked in (toward me)."

What do I practice in the Coming and Going live lesson?

In this 10-minute live voice lesson titled "Coming and Going," you practice describing people and things moving in, out, up, down, and back — and saying whether the movement is toward you or away from you. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you speak, so you build confidence with Directional Complements in real conversation.

Do I need to know all direction words before this lesson?

The lesson targets HSK 3 learners and focuses on the Directional Complements pattern. Mei Lin adapts to your level during the live conversation, so you can practice even if some direction words are still new. The goal is to use the Verb + 上/下/进/出/回/过/起 + 来/去 structure naturally in speech.

Can I print worksheets for the characters in this lesson?

You can use the free Chinese Worksheet Generator to print handwriting worksheets for HSK 1–3 vocabulary. Ready-made packs cover a range of HSK words, though they may not match this specific lesson exactly. Writing characters by hand reinforces what you practice in the live conversation with Mei Lin.

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