# Verb + 下去 (xiàqù) vs 下来 (xiàlái): HSK 3 Continuation Complements | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-directional-complements-2-g060 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-g060 HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:01.720Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to use the extended directional complements 下去 and 下来 after a verb to express the continuation of an action in HSK 3 Chinese grammar. Grammar [HSK 3 · Sentence components › Complement › Directional complements 2](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g060) # 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. Action Verb 下去 Example sentence 这个故事很有意思，请你继续讲下去。 zhè ge gùshi hěn yǒuyìsi , qǐng nǐ jìxù jiǎng xiàqù . This story is very interesting; please keep on telling it. Uses 讲下去 because the speaker has already started telling the story and is asked to continue into the future. A common mistake × 这本书很精彩，我想读下去这本书。 zhè běn shū hěn jīngcǎi , wǒ xiǎng dú xiàqù zhè běn shū . Intended: This book is wonderful; I want to keep on reading this book. 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 Action 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。 zhè ge gùshi hěn yǒuyìsi , qǐng nǐ jìxù jiǎng xiàqù . This story is very interesting; please keep on telling it. 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。 suīrán Hànyǔ yǒudiǎnr nán , dànshì wǒ huì jiānchí xué xiàqù . Although Chinese is a bit difficult, I will keep on studying it. Uses 学下去 to project an already begun study habit forward in time. ## Past-to-Present Continuation and Retention: Verb + 下来 Action 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。 zhè shǒu lǎo gē cóng yǐqián yīzhí chuán xiàlái , xiànzài hái yǒu hěn duō rén huì chàng . This old song has been passed down from the past, and many people can still sing it now. 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。 jīngguò sān lún miànshì , zuìhòu zhǐyǒu wǔ ge rén liú xiàlái le . After three rounds of interviews, only five people remained in the end. 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. Noun Object ，… Action Verb 下去 / 下来 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。 Zhè běn shū tài cháng le, wǒ zhēnde dú bu xiàqu le. This book is too long; I really can’t keep reading it. 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。 zhè běn shū hěn jīngcǎi , wǒ xiǎng bǎ zhè běn shū dú xiàqù . This book is wonderful; I want to keep on reading it. 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。 zhè běn shū hěn jīngcǎi , wǒ xiǎng dú xiàqù zhè běn shū . Intended: This book is wonderful; I want to keep on reading this book. 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. For the continuation senses, ask where the reference point is: 下去 looks beyond it, while 下来 looks over the process reaching it. Then check the verb and situation for retention, stabilization or physical direction rather than applying a past/now/future label mechanically. ## 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. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 393](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=393) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)