When a verb that expresses a directional meaning is placed after another verb, either directly attached or separated by some other element, it is often referred to as a directional complement. According to Liú (1998), eleven simple directional verbs in Chinese can be used as directional complements; they are listed in (1). A sentence is given for illustration in (2).
| 1. | 來 | 去 | 上 |
|
| lái ‘come’ | qù ‘go’ | shàng ‘ascend-up’ |
|
| 下 | 進 | 出 |
|
| xià ‘descend-down’ | jìn ‘enter-in’ | chū ‘exit-out’ |
|
| 回 | 過 | 起 |
|
| huí ‘return-back’ | guò ‘pass-over’ | qǐ ‘rise-up’ |
|
| 開 | 到 |
|
|
| kāi ‘open-away’ | dào ‘arrive-to’ |
|
| 2. | 一個男孩子向我跑來。(vc… |