去 qù go
How to remember 去: 土 earth + 厶 private = go. The girl is digging in the garden earth when her brother says "This is my private spot, off you go."
Component breakdown
会意 · Meaning + meaning
originally 大 + 口
Two or more parts whose meanings together make the new meaning.
去 = 土 earth + 厶 private
- 土 earth shape only
- 厶 private shape only
The girl is digging in the garden earth when her brother says "This is my private spot, off you go."
How it came to be
The oldest form shows a person stepping away from an opening, perhaps a door; the person became the top, the opening the bottom.
How it is used
- Motion AWAY from the speaker: 去学校 (qù xuéxiào) go to school, 出去 (chūqù) go out. The mirror of 来 (lái, come).
- As a directional complement after a verb it shows movement away: 拿去 (ná qù) take (it) away, 回去 (huíqù) go back.
- 去年 (qùnián) means last year; 过去 (guòqù) the past.
Characters built with 去
Words with 去
- 去年qùniánlast yearHSK 1
- 过去guòqùin the pastHSK 2
- 上去shàngqùto go upHSK 2
- 下去xiàqùto go downHSK 2
- 出去chūqùto go outHSK 2
- 回去huíqùto returnHSK 2
- 进去jìnqùto go inHSK 2
- 过去guòqù(in the) pastHSK 3
- 失去shīqùto loseHSK 4
- 去世qùshìto pass awayHSK 5
- 去向qùxiàngdirection in which somebody or something has goneHSK 7
- 去处qùchùplaceHSK 7
- 去除qùchúto removeHSK 7
- 过不去guòbuqùto make life difficult forHSK 7
- 过意不去guòyìbúqùto feel very apologeticHSK 7
- 除去chúqùto eliminateHSK 7
- 来龙去脉láilóng-qùmàiliterally the rise and fall of the terrainHSK 9
- 翻来覆去fānlái-fùqùto toss and turn (sleeplessly)HSK 9
- 豁出去huōchuquto throw caution to the windHSK 9
Example sentences
- 我去看电影了。 Wǒ qù kàn diànyǐng le.I went to see a movie.
- 我和妈妈去超市。 Wǒ hé māma qù chāoshì.My mom and I are going to the supermarket.
- 他离开家去学校。 Tā líkāi jiā qù xuéxiào.He left home and went to school.
- 我去一下洗手间。 Wǒ qù yíxià xǐshǒujiān.I'm going to the washroom.