# Extended Directional Complements for State (HSK 5 Grammar) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5-directional-complements-3-g045 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-5-g045 HSK levels: 5 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:47.758Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how 下来, 下去, 起来, 过来, and 过去 follow verbs and adjectives to express extended state changes, temporal progression, and recovery. Grammar [HSK 5 · Sentence components › Complement › Directional complements 3](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5#hsk-5-g045) # Extended State Meanings of Compound Directional Complements: 下来, 下去, 起来, 过来, and 过去 At HSK Level 5, the compound directional complements 下来, 下去, 起来, 过来, and 过去 extend beyond physical movement in space to express how an action or state begins, settles, continues, or shifts between normal and abnormal conditions. Subject Verb / Adjective 下来 / 下去 / 起来 / 过来 / 过去 Example sentence 进入五月以后，北方的天气渐渐暖和起来了。 Jìnrù wǔyuè yǐhòu, běifāng de tiānqì jiànjiàn nuǎnhuo qǐlái le. After entering May, the weather in the north gradually warmed up. Here 起来 follows the adjective 暖和 to show that the warm state has begun and is increasing in degree. A common mistake × 两位老朋友一见面，就聊起来大学时代的往事。 Liǎng wèi lǎo péngyou yī jiànmiàn, jiù liáo qǐlái dàxué shídài de wǎngshì. (Incorrect) As soon as the two old friends met, they started chatting about past events from their university days. Incorrect: when 起来 expresses the extended meaning of starting an action, a noun object cannot follow the whole compound. Split the complement as shown in “两位老朋友一见面，就聊起大学时代的往事来。”. Corrected example: 两位老朋友一见面，就聊起大学时代的往事来。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Extended State Meanings Do in a Sentence In earlier stages of Chinese, compound directional complements such as 下来 and 出去 describe physical movement through space. In the HSK Level 5 syllabus (outline item hsk-5-g045), five specific compound complements—下来, 下去, 起来, 过来, and 过去—are highlighted for their extended meanings expressing state (表示状态意义). Placed directly after a verb or an adjective, they act as complements inside the predicate and mark how a condition begins, continues, stabilizes, or reverses over time. Subject Verb / Adjective 下来 / 下去 / 起来 / 过来 / 过去 Because these complements describe internal shifts in state or progression across time, they frequently pair with adjectives as well as verbs. Unlike descriptive or degree complements, they attach directly to the predicate head without using the structural particle 得. ## Starting an Action or Entering a Rising State: 起来 When attached to a verb or an adjective, 起来 indicates that a new action has begun or that a quality is starting to develop and intensify. With adjectives, it shows a noticeable transition into a new state, such as weather warming up or a discussion becoming lively. With verbs, it marks the onset of an activity. 进入五月以后，北方的天气渐渐暖和起来了。 Jìnrù wǔyuè yǐhòu, běifāng de tiānqì jiànjiàn nuǎnhuo qǐlái le. After entering May, the weather in the north gradually warmed up. Here 起来 follows the adjective 暖和 to show that the warm state has begun and is increasing in degree. With an object in the ordinary onset construction, use V + 起 + object + 来, as in 聊起往事来. The following learner sentence is unsuitable for that intended neutral order. Other constructions can place the object earlier, as in 这首歌，大家终于唱起来了; do not confuse a different construction with the same word-order error. Subject Verb 起 Object 来 两位老朋友一见面，就聊起大学时代的往事来。 Liǎng wèi lǎo péngyou yī jiànmiàn, jiù liáo qǐ dàxué shídài de wǎngshì lái. As soon as the two old friends met, they started chatting about past events from their university days. This standard onset construction places 大学时代的往事 between 起 and 来. It illustrates a natural order with an expressed object, rather than every possible arrangement involving 起来. × 两位老朋友一见面，就聊起来大学时代的往事。 Liǎng wèi lǎo péngyou yī jiànmiàn, jiù liáo qǐlái dàxué shídài de wǎngshì. (Incorrect) As soon as the two old friends met, they started chatting about past events from their university days. Incorrect: when 起来 expresses the extended meaning of starting an action, a noun object cannot follow the whole compound. Split the complement as shown in “两位老朋友一见面，就聊起大学时代的往事来。”. Corrected example: 两位老朋友一见面，就聊起大学时代的往事来。 ## Settling, Fixing, and Continuing Over Time: 下来 and 下去 Both 下来 and 下去 extend the concept of downward motion into time and state, but they look in opposite temporal directions relative to a reference point. - Verb / Adjective + 下来: Indicates that a state gradually decreases in intensity, calms down, or comes to a halt (such as becoming quiet, dark, or slow). With action verbs, it can also mean fixing or preserving something so that it remains in place (such as writing down information, taking a photo, or staying). - Verb / Adjective + 下去: Indicates that an action or state that is already underway continues into the future. It often appears in contexts discussing whether an activity can or should be sustained despite difficulty. 夜深了，热闹的街道慢慢安静下来。 Yè shēn le, rènao de jiēdào mànmàn ānjìng xiàlái. As the night grew late, the lively street slowly quieted down. 下来 follows the adjective 安静 to indicate a transition from noisy activity to a settled, quiet state. 他把会议上的重要决定都记了下来。 Tā bǎ huìyì shàng de zhòngyào juédìng dōu jì le xiàlái. He wrote down all the important decisions from the meeting. 下来 follows the verb 记 to show that the information has been fixed and preserved in written form. 这个问题太敏感，大家都不好意思继续说下去。 Zhège wèntí tài mǐngǎn, dàjiā dōu bù hǎoyìsi jìxù shuō xiàqù. This question is too sensitive; everyone feels too embarrassed to keep talking about it. 下去 follows the verb 说 to indicate the continuation of an ongoing action into the future. Notice the clear contrast with adjectives: 慢下来 means something has become slower than before and is settling; it need not have been fast in absolute terms, whereas 起来 would signal the start of a new state, and 下去 would mean continuing onward from the present point. When 下来 is used with a transitive verb to mean recording or fixing an object, the object is frequently fronted with 把, or placed between 下 and 来. Subject Verb 下 Object 来 ## Returning to Normal vs. Losing Normal State: 过来 and 过去 For the pair 醒过来 and 晕过去, a useful mnemonic is movement toward or away from ordinary consciousness. This explains the following contrast, not every extended use of 过来 or 过去. Learn each combination in context: 挺过去, for example, can mean getting through a difficulty successfully. - Verb + 过来: Expresses shifting from an abnormal, unconscious, or mistaken state back to a normal, awake, or correct state (for example, waking up after fainting, realizing the truth, or correcting an error). - Verb + 过去: Expresses passing from a normal, conscious state into an unconscious, asleep, or terminated state (for example, fainting, falling fast asleep, or passing away), or letting an event slip by. 经过医生的抢救，那位受伤的司机终于醒了过来。 Jīngguò yīshēng de qiǎngjiù, nà wèi shòushāng de sījī zhōngyú xǐng le guòlái. After emergency treatment by the doctors, the injured driver finally regained consciousness. 过来 follows 醒 to show a return from unconsciousness back to a normal, awake state. 由于连续几天没休息，他在岗位上晕了过去。 Yóuyú liánxù jǐ tiān méi xiūxi, tā zài gǎngwèi shàng yūn le guòqù. Because he had not rested for several days in a row, he passed out at his post. 过去 follows 晕 to show a shift away from normal consciousness into an unconscious state. ## Position of 了 and Contrasts with Other Complements The position of 了 depends on the construction and intended meaning. With a transition, both 醒了过来 and 醒过来了 can occur. Adjectival state changes also permit forms such as 安静了下来 and 安静下来了. Learn the whole phrase; do not assume that an adjective always forces 了 to follow the complete directional complement. Distinguishing Complement Types: Do not confuse these extended directional complements with complements that require 得. Degree complements and state/manner complements use 得 after the verb or adjective to describe the extent or consequence of a state, and potential complements insert 得 or 不 inside a complement to show whether a result can be achieved. In contrast, Verb/Adjective + 下来/下去/起来/过来/过去 attaches directly without 得 to show how the state itself starts, settles, continues, or flips. ## Frequently asked questions **Can every adjective combine equally with 起来, 下来, and 下去?** No. Choose conventional combinations for the intended meaning. 起来 often marks onset, while 下来 often expresses a settling or decreasing state. 下去 can simply continue an existing quality, as in 一直幸福下去; it does not require a comparison or continual increase. Words such as 越来越 add their own meaning rather than being obligatory partners. **How do I choose between 说起来 and 说下去?** Use 说起来 (or split as 说起…来) when someone begins to talk about a topic that was not previously being discussed. Use 说下去 when the person is already speaking and continues talking further from that point. **Why does waking up use 过来 while fainting uses 过去?** For these two combinations, coming toward a normal conscious state is a useful way to remember 醒过来, while moving away from consciousness helps recall 晕过去. It is a mnemonic for this contrast, not a universal claim that 过来 is positive and 过去 is negative; other verb-complement combinations have their own meanings. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 399](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=399) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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