chūlái: 出来 - To come out, To emerge, To be published/released

• Keywords: chulai, 出来, chu lai, Chinese come out, Chinese verb emerge, chu lai meaning, 出来 grammar, resultative complement, Chinese directional complement, how to use chulai, 看出来, 想出来
• Summary: An essential term for any Mandarin learner, “出来” (chūlái) is a versatile directional complement that literally means “to come out.” Beyond simple movement, it's used figuratively to express emergence, appearance, and the successful completion or recognition of an action, such as figuring something out (`想出来`) or recognizing someone (`看出来`). Understanding `出来` is key to unlocking a more natural and nuanced way of speaking Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): chūlái
• Part of Speech: Directional Complement, Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 2
• Concise Definition: To move from an inner or hidden space to an outer or visible space, in a direction towards the speaker.
• In a Nutshell: At its heart, `出来` is about movement from “in to out.” Imagine you are standing outside a house and you call your friend to join you. You would say “你出来吧!” (Nǐ chūlái ba!) - “Come on out!” The character `出` (chū) means “out,” and `来` (lái) indicates the action is moving towards you, the speaker. This simple concept expands to cover anything emerging into view or existence, from the sun appearing in the sky to a new idea popping into your head.

• 出 (chū): This character is a pictograph of a foot (止) stepping over a threshold or out of an enclosure (凵). It powerfully represents the idea of “to exit,” “to go out,” or “to issue forth.”
• 来 (lái): Originally a pictograph of a wheat plant, it came to mean “to arrive” or “to come.” It always signifies movement towards the speaker or the point of reference.

When combined, `出来` (chūlái) creates a clear and unambiguous direction: “to exit and move towards here.”

While `出来` is primarily a grammatical word, its abstract uses tap into a common conceptual metaphor: knowing is seeing, and existence is presence. When a problem “comes out” (问题出来了), it has moved from an abstract, hidden state into a concrete reality that must be dealt with. This reflects a practical mindset of confronting issues once they become visible. Compared to English phrasal verbs like “come out,” “turn out,” or “figure out,” the Chinese use of `出来` is more systematic. English scatters these ideas across various unrelated verbs. Mandarin attaches `出来` to a wide range of verbs (look, listen, think, make) to consistently signify the “emergence” of a result. This grammatical structure emphasizes the process of bringing something from an internal, conceptual state (an idea in your head, a hidden detail in a picture) into the external, perceptible world. It highlights the moment of creation, discovery, or realization as an act of “coming out.”

`出来` is incredibly common in daily conversation, and its meaning changes based on the verb it follows.

This is the most straightforward usage, describing a person or object moving from an enclosed space to an open one, towards the speaker.

• e.g., “他从图书馆里出来了。” (Tā cóng túshūguǎn lǐ chūlái le.) - “He came out of the library.”

Used for things that become visible.

• e.g., “雨停了，太阳出来了。” (Yǔ tíng le, tàiyáng chūlái le.) - “The rain stopped, the sun came out.”

This is the most important and nuanced usage for learners. `出来` attaches to another verb to indicate that an action was successfully completed, resulting in something being revealed, recognized, or created.

• With sensory verbs: It means “to recognize” or “to identify.”
  • `看出来` (kàn chūlái): To figure out by looking; to see what was hidden.
  • `听出来` (tīng chūlái): To recognize by listening; to identify a voice or sound.
• With mental verbs: It means “to come up with” or “to figure out.”
  • `想出来` (xiǎng chūlái): To think up an idea; to solve a problem in one's head.
• With creation verbs: It means to successfully produce or make something.
  • `做出来` (zuò chūlái): To make something and have it finished.
  • `画出来` (huà chūlái): To draw something successfully.

Used informally for products becoming available to the public.

• e.g., “你最喜欢的歌手的新专辑出来了吗？” (Nǐ zuì xǐhuān de gēshǒu de xīn zhuānjí chūlái le ma?) - “Is your favorite singer's new album out yet?”

• Example 1:
  • 外面天气很好，你出来玩吧！
  • Pinyin: Wàimiàn tiānqì hěn hǎo, nǐ chūlái wán ba!
  • English: The weather outside is great, come out and play!
  • Analysis: A classic example of literal movement. The speaker is outside, asking someone who is inside to come towards them.
• Example 2:
  • 等了半天，月亮终于出来了。
  • Pinyin: Děng le bàntiān, yuèliàng zhōngyú chūlái le.
  • English: After waiting for a long time, the moon finally came out.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the “emergence” usage, where an object becomes visible in the sky.
• Example 3:
  • 我没看出来这是你画的，你画得太专业了！
  • Pinyin: Wǒ méi kàn chūlái zhè shì nǐ huà de, nǐ huà de tài zhuānyè le!
  • English: I couldn't tell this was drawn by you, it looks so professional!
  • Analysis: A perfect example of `出来` as a resultative complement. `看出来` means “to realize by seeing.” The negative form `没看出来` means “couldn't tell/recognize.”
• Example 4:
  • 这个声音好熟悉，但是我听不出来是谁。
  • Pinyin: Zhège shēngyīn hǎo shúxī, dànshì wǒ tīng bu chūlái shì shéi.
  • English: This voice is so familiar, but I can't recognize who it is.
  • Analysis: Similar to the previous example, `听出来` means to identify a sound. The potential negative form `听不出来` shows the speaker is unable to achieve the result of recognition.
• Example 5:
  • 这个问题太难了，我想不出来答案。
  • Pinyin: Zhège wèntí tài nán le, wǒ xiǎng bu chūlái dá'àn.
  • English: This question is too difficult, I can't think of the answer.
  • Analysis: `想出来` is a crucial phrase meaning “to come up with an idea” or “to figure something out.” It implies bringing a solution from the depths of your mind into existence.
• Example 6:
  • 苹果公司的新手机下个月就要出来了。
  • Pinyin: Píngguǒ gōngsī de xīn shǒujī xià ge yuè jiù yào chūlái le.
  • English: Apple's new phone is coming out next month.
  • Analysis: This shows the common informal usage for a product being released or launched.
• Example 7:
  • 他终于把心里的话都说出来了。
  • Pinyin: Tā zhōngyú bǎ xīn lǐ de huà dōu shuō chūlái le.
  • English: He finally said what was on his mind.
  • Analysis: A great figurative use. The thoughts/words were “inside” his heart (心里) and are now spoken “out” into the open.
• Example 8:
  • 他从背包里拿出一个三明治来。
  • Pinyin: Tā cóng bēibāo lǐ ná chū yí ge sānmíngzhì lái.
  • English: He took a sandwich out of his backpack.
  • Analysis: This sentence demonstrates the “separable” nature of `出来`. When there is an object, it's often placed between `出` and `来`. This is a key grammar point.
• Example 9:
  • 你能用中文表达出来你的意思吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ néng yòng Zhōngwén biǎodá chūlái nǐ de yìsi ma?
  • English: Can you express your meaning in Chinese?
  • Analysis: Here, `表达出来` (biǎodá chūlái) means to successfully express something that was previously just a thought. `出来` signals the successful externalization of an internal idea.
• Example 10:
  • 检查结果出来了，医生说我非常健康。
  • Pinyin: Jiǎnchá jiéguǒ chūlái le, yīshēng shuō wǒ fēicháng jiànkāng.
  • English: The check-up results are out, and the doctor said I am very healthy.
  • Analysis: Used for information, data, or results becoming available. The results were previously unknown (“inside” the system) and are now accessible.

• `出来 (chūlái)` vs. `出去 (chūqù)`: This is the single most common point of confusion. The difference is direction relative to the speaker.
  • `出来 (chūlái)`: Come out (towards me). Use it when you are outside, telling someone to exit. “我在门外，你出来吧。” (I'm outside the door, come out.)
  • `出去 (chūqù)`: Go out (away from me). Use it when you are inside, telling someone to exit. “你出去！” (Go out!)
  • Incorrect: If you are inside a room, saying “你出来!” to someone else in the room is wrong. You should say “你出去!”
• Separating `出` and `来`: Learners often forget that when a verb+`出来` has an object, the object usually goes in the middle: `Verb + 出 + Object + 来`.
  • Correct: `他拿出钱来。` (Tā ná chū qián lái.) - He took out money.
  • Awkward/Incorrect: `他拿出来钱。` (Tā ná chūlái qián.)
• Not a Direct Translation of “Figure Out”: While `想出来` means “to figure out an answer,” you cannot use `出来` for all senses of “figure out.” For instance, to “figure out why he is sad” is `搞清楚他为什么难过` (gǎo qīngchu…), not `想出来他为什么难过`. `想出来` is specifically for originating a new idea or finding a solution that wasn't there before. `看出来` is for discerning a pre-existing but hidden fact.

• 出去 (chūqù) - The direct counterpart: to go out, moving away from the speaker.
• 进来 (jìnlái) - The opposite directional complement: to come in, towards the speaker.
• 进去 (jìnqù) - The opposite of `出去`: to go in, away from the speaker.
• 上来 (shànglái) - Another key directional complement meaning “to come up.”
• 起来 (qǐlái) - To get up; also used as a complement to signify the beginning of an action or the gathering/collecting of something.
• 出现 (chūxiàn) - A more formal, two-character verb meaning “to appear” or “to emerge.” You can say `问题出现了` which is similar to `问题出来了`.
• 出版 (chūbǎn) - A specific and formal verb meaning “to publish” a book, magazine, etc. It's not interchangeable with the informal `书出来了`.
• 结果补语 (jiéguǒ bǔyǔ) - “Resultative Complement.” This is the grammatical category that `出来` often falls into when it indicates the result of an action (e.g., in `看出来`).