Meaning of 过来
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to come over
- to manage
- to handle
- to be able to take care of
- see 過來|过来[guo4 lai2]
How to use 过来
过来 is used on its own as a request or after another verb to show movement toward the speaker, like 走过来 (walk over) or 拿过来 (bring over). It can also show coming back to a normal state, as in 醒过来 (wake up). Example: 你过来一下。(Nǐ guòlai yíxià.) Come over here for a moment.
过 (guò) means to pass or cross, and 来 (lái) means to come toward the speaker. Put them together and you get crossing the space to come over here.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 过来 and 过去 (guòqu). 过来 means toward the speaker, while 过去 means away from the speaker, so you say 过来 to call someone to you, not 过去. Also, when it follows a verb, 来 is usually light and toneless: 走过来 (zǒu guolai).
过来 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
过 guò · to cross · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 过来.
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 过去 | guòqù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 通过 | tōngguò | to pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation) |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
Questions about 过来
What does 过来 mean?
过来 (guòlái) means "to come over; to manage" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 过来?
过来 is made of 2 characters: 过 (6 strokes), 来 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 过来 an HSK word?
Yes. 过来 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 过来 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 过来 is written 過來.
What does 忙不过来 mean?
It means too busy to handle everything. Here 过来 carries the sense of being able to manage or take care of something, and 不 makes it negative. You can also hear 忙得过来 (able to manage).
Where does the object go with 过来?
A place word usually goes between 过 and 来, as in 过河来 (come across the river). With things, you can say 拿过一本书来 or 拿过来一本书, and both are common in speech.