qù: 去 - To Go, To Leave, To Remove

• Keywords: 去, qu, to go in Chinese, how to say go in Chinese, Chinese verb go, Mandarin go, leave in Chinese, remove in Chinese, past tense in Chinese, Chinese direction verbs, qù vs zǒu, qù vs lái
• Summary: Learn how to use the essential Chinese verb 去 (qù), meaning 'to go,' 'to leave,' or 'to remove.' This comprehensive guide covers everything for the beginner learner, from basic sentence structures like “I want to go to…” to more nuanced uses, such as expressing the purpose of an action, removing things, and its role in words indicating past time like 去年 (last year). Master one of the most fundamental words in Mandarin Chinese and understand its crucial directional difference from 来 (lái).

• Pinyin (with tone marks): qù
• Part of Speech: Verb, Particle
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: To go to a place; to leave; to get rid of or remove.
• In a Nutshell: 去 (qù) is one of the first and most important verbs you'll learn in Chinese. Its core meaning is “to go,” indicating movement away from the speaker or to a specific destination. Think of it as the direct equivalent of “go” in sentences like “I will go to the store.” Beyond this, it's incredibly versatile, helping to express the purpose for going somewhere (e.g., “go eat”), the removal of something, and even the concept of past time (the time that has “gone”).

• 去: The character 去 is a pictogram. The top part (土) was originally a pictograph of a person (大, dà), while the bottom part (厶) represented the opening of a cave dwelling or a container. The combined image is of a person leaving their home. This ancient image perfectly captures the modern meaning of “to go” or “to leave.” Remembering this simple story—a person leaving home—can help you easily recall the character's meaning.

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.

• 我去学校。(Wǒ qù xuéxiào.) - I'm going to school.
• 他们去上海。(Tāmen qù Shànghǎi.) - They are going to Shanghai.

2. To Go and Do Something This structure expresses the purpose of going somewhere: Subject + 去 + Verb Phrase.

• 我们去吃饭。(Wǒmen qù chīfàn.) - We are going to eat.
• 他去买东西。(Tā qù mǎi dōngxi.) - He is going to buy things.

3. To Remove or Get Rid Of Often used as a complement to another verb, 去 indicates removal or departure.

• 去掉这个字。(Qùdiào zhège zì.) - Remove this character.
• 把衣服上的污渍洗去。(Bǎ yīfu shàng de wūzì xǐ qù.) - Wash the stain off the clothes.

4. To Indicate Past Time or Departure from Life

• 去年 (qùnián): Last year (the “gone” year).
• 去世 (qùshì): To pass away (a formal and respectful term, lit. “to leave the world”).

• Example 1:
• 我明天去北京。
• Pinyin: Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng.
• English: I am going to Beijing tomorrow.
• Analysis: This is the most basic and common usage of 去, indicating movement to a destination.
• Example 2:
• 你想去看电影吗？
• Pinyin: Nǐ xiǎng qù kàn diànyǐng ma?
• English: Do you want to go watch a movie?
• Analysis: Here, 去 is followed by another verb phrase (看电影 - kàn diànyǐng) to show the purpose of going.
• Example 3:
• 你去哪里？
• Pinyin: Nǐ qù nǎli?
• English: Where are you going?
• Analysis: A fundamental question you will hear and use daily. 哪里 (nǎli) is the question word for “where.”
• Example 4:
• 我今天不去上班，因为我生病了。
• Pinyin: Wǒ jīntiān bú qù shàngbān, yīnwèi wǒ shēngbìng le.
• English: I'm not going to work today because I'm sick.
• Analysis: Shows the negative form, 不去 (bú qù). Note the tone change of 不 (bù) to (bú) before a fourth-tone syllable.
• Example 5:
• 请把这些没用的东西拿去。
• Pinyin: Qǐng bǎ zhèxiē méiyòng de dōngxi ná qù.
• English: Please take this useless stuff away.
• Analysis: Here, 拿去 (ná qù) is a verb-complement phrase meaning “to take away,” emphasizing movement away from the speaker.
• Example 6:
• 他把我的名字从名单上划去了。
• Pinyin: Tā bǎ wǒ de míngzi cóng míngdān shàng huà qù le.
• English: He crossed my name off the list.
• Analysis: 去 acts as a result complement to the verb 划 (huà - to scratch/draw), indicating the result of removal.
• Example 7:
• 我去年开始学习中文的。
• Pinyin: Wǒ qùnián kāishǐ xuéxí Zhōngwén de.
• English: I started learning Chinese last year.
• Analysis: 去年 (qùnián) is a set phrase for “last year.”
• Example 8:
• 他的祖父上个月去世了。
• Pinyin: Tā de zǔfù shàng ge yuè qùshì le.
• English: His grandfather passed away last month.
• Analysis: 去世 (qùshì) is a formal, respectful term for death. It is much more polite than 死 (sǐ - to die).
• Example 9:
• 这个周末我们去还是不去？
• Pinyin: Zhège zhōumò wǒmen qù háishì bù qù?
• English: This weekend, are we going or not?
• Analysis: Demonstrates the “A-or-not-A” question format using “去还是不去”. A more colloquial way is “去不去 (qù bu qù)?”.
• Example 10:
• 你过来还是我过去？
• Pinyin: Nǐ guòlái háishì wǒ guòqù?
• English: Are you coming over (here), or should I go over (there)?
• Analysis: This perfectly illustrates the directional contrast between 来 (lái - towards speaker) and 去 (qù - away from speaker).

• Mistake 1: Confusing 去 (qù) with 走 (zǒu).
• Incorrect: 我要走商店。(Wǒ yào zǒu shāngdiàn.)
• Correct: 我要去商店。(Wǒ yào qù shāngdiàn.) - I'm going to the store.
• Explanation: 走 (zǒu) means “to walk” or “to leave/depart.” It doesn't take an object destination like “store.” You use it to announce your departure: “我走了!” (Wǒ zǒu le! - I'm leaving now!). 去 always implies a destination, either stated or understood.
• Mistake 2: Using 去 (qù) when you should use 来 (lái).
• Context: You are at home. You call your friend and want them to join you.
• Incorrect: 你什么时候去我家？ (Nǐ shénme shíhou qù wǒ jiā?)
• Correct: 你什么时候来我家？ (Nǐ shénme shíhou lái wǒ jiā?) - When are you coming to my house?
• Explanation: Because the destination is the speaker's location, the movement is *towards* the speaker. Therefore, you must use 来 (lái - to come). Use 去 only when the destination is away from the speaker.
• Mistake 3: Thinking 去 has a “past tense” form.
• Incorrect: I went to school yesterday → 我去了学校昨天。 (Grammatically awkward, though understandable).
• Correct: 我昨天去了学校。(Wǒ zuótiān qù le xuéxiào.)
• Explanation: Chinese verbs don't conjugate. Tense is indicated by time words (like 昨天 - zuótiān) and particles (like 了 - le). The verb 去 itself never changes.

• 来 (lái) - The direct antonym of 去. It means “to come” and indicates movement towards the speaker.
• 走 (zǒu) - To walk; to leave. Often confused with 去, but 走 emphasizes the act of departing or walking, not the destination.
• 到 (dào) - To arrive; to reach. Describes the successful completion of the movement started with 去. Example: 我昨天下午三点到了北京。(Wǒ zuótiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn dào le Běijīng.) - I arrived in Beijing at 3 PM yesterday.
• 离开 (líkāi) - To leave; to depart from. A more formal two-character verb for leaving a specific place.
• 上 (shàng) - To go up; also means “to attend” or “to go to” specific institutional places like school (上学 shàngxué) or work (上班 shàngbān).
• 下 (xià) - To go down; also means “to get off of” (下车 xiàchē) or “to finish” work (下班 xiàbān) or class (下课 xiàkè).
• 过去 (guòqù) - A compound word meaning “in the past” or “to go over there.”
• 去掉 (qùdiào) - A resultative compound meaning “to remove” or “to get rid of,” making the action of removal explicit.