起来, 下去, and interpretive complements
Mandarin often uses complements like 起来 and 下去 to show how something seems, begins to feel, or continues over time.
Examples
Mandarin ChineseTranslation
这个计划听起来不错。Zhège jìhuà tīng qǐlái búcuò.
This plan sounds pretty good.
这样做下去不行。Zhèyàng zuò xiàqù bù xíng.
Continuing like this will not work.
他看起来很轻松。Tā kàn qǐlái hěn qīngsōng.
He looks very relaxed.
Pattern
verb + 起来 / 下去
How it works
Mandarin often uses complements like 起来 and 下去 to show how something seems, begins to feel, or continues over time. This pattern typically appears as verb + 起来 / 下去 and becomes easier when you meet it again in short, readable examples.
What to notice
- 起来 can signal emergence, impression, or interpreted appearance depending on the verb.
- 下去 often highlights continuation forward in time.
Why it matters
Read and express evaluation, continuation, and interpretive meaning more naturally.
Use in context
This is valuable because advanced Mandarin often packages evaluation and continuation into the verb phrase itself.