HSK 6 grammar · complement
趋向补语（引申义）
起来／下去／出来 — extended (figurative) directional complements
Pattern
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to begin or: on reflection
+
to keep on
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to detect or figure out
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Directional complements like 起来, 下去, 出来 often carry figurative, non-motion meanings. 起来 can mark the start of an action or state (笑起来, 暖和起来), 下去 continuation (坚持下去), and 出来 detecting or producing (听出来).
Examples
大家都笑了起来。
Dàjiā dōu xiào le qǐlái.
Everyone burst out laughing.
无论多难，也要坚持下去。
Wúlùn duō nán, yě yào jiānchí xiàqù.
No matter how hard, you must keep going.
我一下子就听出来是他的声音。
Wǒ yíxiàzi jiù tīng chūlái shì tā de shēngyīn.
I recognized his voice right away.
天气渐渐暖和起来了。
Tiānqì jiànjiàn nuǎnhuo qǐlái le.
The weather is gradually warming up.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 趋向补语（引申义） is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.