來 (lái) - to come & to arrive

來Tone 2

lái ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 人

俊梁

來 · lái

to come;

to arrive;

future;

next;

since;

approximately;

used as a grammatical particle

to cometo arrivefuture

Usage highlights

come herecome fromcome backcome income outcome up

Synonyms

  • 到— to arrive
  • 至— to reach
  • 临— to approach

Antonyms

  • 去— to go
  • 往— to go toward
  • 离— to leave

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He will come tomorrow (他明天来).
  • This word comes from ancient Chinese (这个词来自古汉语).
  • I have been studying Chinese for two years (我学中文两年来了).
  • The next train arrives at 3 PM (下一班火车下午三点来).

Collocations

  • come here(来这里)
  • come from(来自)
  • come back(回来)
  • come in(进来)
  • come out(出来)
  • come up(上来)

Idioms

  • Come and go freely(来去自由)
  • The future is bright(未来可期)
  • Come uninvited(不请自来)
  • What goes around comes around(来而不往非礼也)
  • Sudden inspiration(神来之笔)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted wheat in oracle bone script, later borrowed for its sound to mean 'to come'.
  • In Buddhism, represents the cycle of rebirth - coming and going between different realms of existence.
  • Used in many Chinese surnames and place names throughout history.

FAQ