While “to go” seems like a simple universal concept, its usage in Chinese highlights a key cultural and linguistic feature: directionality relative to the speaker. The choice between 去 (qù) and its opposite, 来 (lái - to come), is not optional; it's fundamental to every sentence involving movement. In English, we might say “Are you coming to the party?” even if we are not at the party ourselves. In Chinese, this is a strict distinction. If the party is away from both you and the listener, you must use 去: 你去不去派对？ (Nǐ qù bu qù pàiduì? - Are you going to the party?). If you are at the party, you would ask someone to “come” using 来 (lái). This constant awareness of relative position is a core part of the Chinese linguistic worldview. Furthermore, 去 is used to conceptualize time. The word for “last year” is 去年 (qùnián), literally “the gone-by year.” The word for “the past” is 过去 (guòqù), literally “to have gone over.” This shows a perception of time as something that moves away from us, into a “gone” state.
去 is a high-frequency word used constantly in daily life. Here are its main functions: 1. To Go to a Destination (The most common use) This follows the simple structure: Subject + 去 + Place.
2. To Go and Do Something This structure expresses the purpose of going somewhere: Subject + 去 + Verb Phrase.
3. To Remove or Get Rid Of Often used as a complement to another verb, 去 indicates removal or departure.
4. To Indicate Past Time or Departure from Life