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HSK 3 Directional Complements for Continuation: Verb + 下去 and 下来
In their continuation uses, 下去 looks forward from a reference point, while 下来 looks back over a process reaching that point or a retained result. The reference point need not be the moment of speaking. Both also have other meanings, so interpret the full sentence.
这个故事很有意思，请你继续讲下去。
Uses 讲下去 because the speaker has already started telling the story and is asked to continue into the future.
× 这本书很精彩，我想读下去这本书。
For this continuation meaning, the postposed 这本书 makes the sentence awkward. Use 我想把这本书读下去 or 这本书，我想读下去. Other meanings of 下来 have their own object patterns.
Corrected example: 这本书很精彩，我想把这本书读下去。
Read the full explanation and examples
Grammatical Role and Extended Meaning
In the HSK Level 3 grammar outline, the patterns Verb + 下去 and Verb + 下来 are categorized under extended uses of directional complements that express the continuation of an action or behavior. In a complete sentence, these words sit directly after the main predicate verb as a complement. Instead of pointing to physical movement down a hill or staircase, they map the trajectory of an action across time.
Use a temporal viewpoint to compare these meanings. 下去 continues away from the chosen point; 下来 presents a process reaching that point or something retained through it. In a past story, 我当时决定继续学下去 looks forward from the past decision, not from today.
Future Continuation: Verb + 下去
Use 下去 for continuing an action from the relevant reference point. The action may already be underway or temporarily paused. In a plan, the continuation can be anticipated: 你明天开始学以后，要坚持学下去 asks for persistence after tomorrow’s start. 下去 itself is not the basic way to say “start”.
这个故事很有意思，请你继续讲下去。
Uses 讲下去 because the speaker has already started telling the story and is asked to continue into the future.
虽然汉语有点儿难，但是我会坚持学下去。
Uses 学下去 to project an already begun study habit forward in time.
Past-to-Present Continuation and Retention: Verb + 下来
Verb + 下来 views continuation in the opposite direction: an action or tradition started in the past and has continued all the way down to the present (or a specific reference time). Frequently, this also implies that through a process or trial, something has survived, persisted, or remained in place up to now. Common verbs in this pattern include 传 (to pass down), 留 (to stay or remain), and 坚持 (to persevere through an ordeal).
这首老歌从以前一直传下来，现在还有很多人会唱。
Uses 传下来 because the action originated in the past and continued up to the present moment.
经过三轮面试，最后只有五个人留下来了。
Uses 留下来 to show retention from the start of a process up to the current reference point.
Word Order and Object Placement Restrictions
For temporal continuation, a topic or 把 construction is often clear: 这本书，我想读下去 or 我想把这本书读下去. The first keeps the object as the topic; the second places it before the verb with 把. Do not mechanically split every compound directional complement around an object.
Object positions depend on the full construction and meaning. The continuation example 我想读下去这本书 is awkward; topic-first or 把 is clearer. Do not generalize that to all 下来 uses: 我记下来了他的电话号码 or 保留下来一份资料 can place an object after 下来 in a retention/result reading.
这本书太长了，我真的读不下去了。
The book is already the topic, so the object need not be repeated after 读不下去. 不 inside 读不下去 marks inability to continue, while final 了 indicates the present situation.
这本书很精彩，我想把这本书读下去。
Correct replacement for the learner error: uses 把 to place the object before the verb so 读下去 stays intact.
× 这本书很精彩，我想读下去这本书。
For this continuation meaning, the postposed 这本书 makes the sentence awkward. Use 我想把这本书读下去 or 这本书，我想读下去. Other meanings of 下来 have their own object patterns.
Corrected example: 这本书很精彩，我想把这本书读下去。
Distinguishing Continuation from Neighboring Complements
Within the broader system of Chinese complements, learners must avoid mixing up continuation complements with closely related forms:
- Continuation (Verb + 下去 / 下来) vs. Initiation (Verb + 起来 / 上): Continuation requires the action to be already in progress or established. In contrast, initiation complements mark the starting point of a new action or state (for example, starting to rain or starting to laugh).
- Continuation (Verb + 下去 / 下来) vs. Resultative Direction (Verb + 出 / 起 / 下): A single-character directional word like 下 directly after a verb often expresses a completed result, such as fixing information onto paper or creating enough room, rather than an ongoing process across time.
- Plain Continuation vs. Potential Form: Adding 得 or 不 inside the structure (such as Verb + 得/不 + 下去) shifts the grammar from stating that an action continues to evaluating whether circumstances allow it to continue. That potential pattern is a separate grammatical point, though you will often encounter it alongside basic continuation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Verb + 下去 when telling someone to begin an activity they have not started yet?
下去 expresses continuation rather than the initial start. You can plan for someone to continue after a future start: 明天开始学以后，要坚持学下去. If you are simply giving the first instruction to begin, use 开始 or an appropriate beginning-action pattern.
How do I know if 下去 or 下来 means physical downward movement or continuation in time?
Check both the verb and the situation. 沿楼梯走下去 describes downward movement, while 困难再大，我们也要走下去 uses walking as persistence. 传下来 may describe tradition continuing or an item or message being passed down. Verb type is a clue, not a complete rule.
