去
qù
The Chinese phrase 'qu' is translated as 去 (qù).
去 is used to indicate movement from one place to another. When you want to say you are going to a specific destination, you place the place name immediately after 去 without needing a separate preposition like 'to'. For example, you would use 去 + [Place].
Which one should you use?
去 is used to indicate movement away from the speaker's current location, whereas 来 (lái) is used to indicate movement toward the speaker's current location.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the meaning of 去 by adding particles or auxiliary words. Adding 了 (le) after 去 results in 去了, which indicates that the movement has already occurred (went). Adding 要 (yào) before 去 results in 要去, which indicates an intention or a future plan to go somewhere (going to / want to go).
How do you pronounce it?
qù
Did you know?
- The character 去 can be traced back to a single concept of 'getting rid of' something. One theory suggests the character originally represented a person performing a bodily function to eliminate waste.
- In Middle Chinese, 去 actually had two different pronunciations and tones depending on whether you meant 'to leave' or 'to get rid of something'.
- The modern simplified form of the top part of 去 uses the character for 'earth' or 'soil', 土, even though it is unrelated to the actual meaning of the word.
Examples in context
- 我想去商店。Wǒ xiǎng qù shāngdiàn.I want to go to the store.
- 你明天去哪里？Nǐ míngtiān qù nǎlǐ?Where are you going tomorrow?
- 我们去喝咖啡吧。Wǒmen qù hē kāfēi ba.Let's go drink some coffee.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding on their afternoon plans.
- 俊杰 Junjie雨婷，你想去哪儿？Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng qù nǎr?Yuting, where do you want to go?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想去图书馆。Wǒ xiǎng qù túshūguǎn.I want to go to the library.
- 俊杰 Junjie我也要去那里。Wǒ yě yào qù nàlǐ.I want to go there too.
- 雨婷 Yuting那我们一起去吧。Nà wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.Then let's go together.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 去, CC BY-SA 4.0.
