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来
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Definitions
- 1. to come
- 2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)
- 3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[huí lai])
- 4. ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zì gǔ yǐ lái])
- 5. for the past (amount of time)
- 6. (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lái shì])
- 7. (between two verbs) in order to
- 8. (after a round number) approximately
- 9. (used after 得[dé] (or 不[bù]) to indicate possibility (or impossibility), as in 談得來|谈得来[tán de lái] (or 吃不來|吃不来[chī bu lái]))
Example Sentences
1 shown“他 来 不 来 ？” “不 来 。”
Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org.
Words Containing 来
sickness comes like a landslide, but goes slowly like spinning silk (idiom); expect to convalesce slowly
lit. to see whether it's a mule or a horse, take it out for a walk (idiom)
more and more
in the end
to act recklessly
foreign goods
North Carolina, US state
Xilai Temple (Tainan, Taiwan)
it may be assumed that
A debt of blood must be paid in blood.
to come and go
momentum of sth approaching
cause
to be unaccustomed to certain food
to stop
(idiom) to rudely push and pull others
as far as I'm concerned
directly
Laiyi township in Pingtung County 屏東縣|屏东县[píng dōng xiàn], Taiwan
to come one after the other
Sheraton (hotel chain)
unable to get along together
to pay a visit
generally speaking
take your time
to accept
to travel far and wide looking for sth, only to find it easily
What brings you here? (idiom)
have never
Polaroid
to put it in simple terms, ...
to die
for the past few years
to toss and turn (sleeplessly)
to return; to come back
incoming letter
Malaya
dealings
strictly speaking
recently
Amitabha, Buddha of infinite light
to emerge (from a comparison)
to get better
an experienced person
for as long as one can remember
to come in
rifling (spiral lines on inside of gun barrel imparting spin to the bullet)
meandering and circuitous (idiom); to go around in circles and never get anywhere
Huilai county in Jieyang 揭陽|揭阳, Guangdong
lit. come without a shadow, leave without a footprint (idiom); to come and go without a trace
lit. to stretch a hand and grab it (idiom)
thereby
Epistle of St Paul to the Hebrews
tuberose (Agave amica)
to turn one's head; to turn around
to stand up
external
Laibin prefecture-level city in Guangxi
apparently
to be prompted by a sudden impulse
Time that has passed will never come back. (idiom)
to waken
to visit Taiwan (esp. from PRC)
since (a previous event)
since ancient times; it has ever been the case that
secondly, ...
Hebrew person
drive-thru (loanword)
to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
for the past many years
to invade
generally speaking
to repeatedly exchange
Futurism (artistic and social movement of the 20th century)
see 過來|过来[guò lái]
Wulai township in New Taipei City 新北市[xīn běi shì], Taiwan
start explaining and it's a long story (idiom); complicated and not easy to express succinctly
Wulai township in New Taipei City 新北市[xīn běi shì], Taiwan
web feed
come without a shadow, leave without a footprint (idiom); to come and leave without a trace
letter from afar (literary)
rifle (loanword)
inherent
to make a round trip
true colors
cyclamen (loanword)
mutton dressed as lamb
to come from far away
an introduced species
tathagata (Buddha's name for himself, having many layers of meaning - Sanskrit: thus gone, having been Brahman, gone to the absolute etc)
lit. wind from an empty cave (idiom)
to welcome (a visitor or newcomer)
to act arbitrarily regardless of the rules
see 是騾子是馬，牽出來遛遛|是骡子是马，牵出来遛遛[shì luó zi shì mǎ , qiān chū lai liù liu]
for the past few days
not to reciprocate is against etiquette (classical)
to get hyped up in front of an audience
lit. proper behavior is based on reciprocity (idiom)
Futurama (US TV animated series, 1999-)
Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!
loanword
Abdulahat Abdurixit (1942-), PRC engineer and politician, chairman of Xinjiang autonomous region 1994-2003, in 2003 vice-chair of 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
to be late
to publish
Huilai county in Jieyang 揭陽|揭阳, Guangdong
to be used for
imported product
to have more work than one can deal with
to hover between life and death (idiom)
generally speaking
to crop up
A debt of blood must be paid in blood.
rifle (loanword)
to be put on the spot
to get enthusiastic
to fly about
Hebrew language
(literary) I trust you have been well since we last met
Linsanity
original
(idiom) to make eyes; to exchange flirting glances with sb
Hebrew
there has never been; has never had
(math.) derived category
as I see it
to rove around
to invade one's territory
to stand up
(after a verb, indicates coming out, completion of an action, or ability to discern or detect)
Huailai county in Zhangjiakou 張家口|张家口[zhāng jiā kǒu], Hebei
all the way
Laifeng County in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture 恩施土家族苗族自治州[ēn shī tǔ jiā zú miáo zú zì zhì zhōu], Hubei
to put together
visitor
to come when called (idiom); ready and compliant
recently
imminent
to have enough time; can do it in time; can still make it
to get angry
a place buzzing with activity (idiom)
Lai'an county in Chuzhou 滁州[chú zhōu], Anhui
can't manage to count
Laifeng County in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture 恩施土家族苗族自治州[ēn shī tǔ jiā zú miáo zú zì zhì zhōu], Hubei
Malaysian language
origin
to come (formal)
the pupil surpasses the master
for a long time
stretch a hand and grab it (idiom); very easy
Medicine Buddha (Sanskrit: Bhaisajyaguru)
to ring (true)
speechless
to come when called (idiom); ready and compliant
always (previously)
lit. storm clouds approach
to harp on
to come prepared
to cry one's heart out
(polite) your letter
Malaya
to come to Hong Kong
to resign oneself to adversity (idiom); to grin and bear it
Tailai county in Qiqihar 齊齊哈爾|齐齐哈尔[qí qí hā ěr], Heilongjiang
Malay Peninsula
future tense
to bring sth to sb (news etc)
the monk coming from afar is good at reading scriptures (idiom)
to come to a place on account of its reputation (idiom); attracted to visit a famous location
the rise and fall of the terrain (idiom)
to come to China
to come
future yield (of investment)
rifling (helical grooves inside the barrel of a gun)
lit. the sun rises in the west (idiom)
Malaysian (language)
at leisure
Zhou Enlai (1898-1976), Chinese communist leader, prime minister 1949-1976
there has never been and never will be another person like this (idiom)
to get along well
cannot allow (to be present)
Malaysia
awkward
foreign investment
to make a round trip
folk theater consisting of recitation accompanied by clapper board rhythm
Malaysian person or people
one's purpose in coming
going directly (without detour)
Alai (1959-), ethnic Tibetan Chinese writer, awarded Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2000 for his novel 塵埃落定|尘埃落定[chén āi luò dìng] \Red Poppies\",2025-02-14 13:18:22,2025-02-14 13:18:22 175942,124067,Ayshe
since birth
afterlife
arriving early can't beat coming at the right time
to refuse nobody (idiom)
to come from (a place)
Since they have come, we should make them comfortable (idiom). Since we're here, take it easy.
see 真金不怕火煉|真金不怕火炼[zhēn jīn bù pà huǒ liàn]
incoming road
(of a sound) to come through
Malaysian language
to bring
visitors from outer space
the time comes, fortune turns (idiom); to have a lucky break
Laibin prefecture-level city in Guangxi
to arrive early
to scamper
Bremerhaven, German port
Opportunity knocks but once. (idiom)
opportunity knocks but once (idiom)
when two kingdoms are at war, they don't execute envoys (idiom)
to become spirited
to be able to talk to
there is a reason for it
to call to come and shout to go (idiom); to yell orders
(but) then again; (but) on the other hand
foreigner
to get tough
running water
for the past several years
lit. to return in a swirl of dust (idiom)
to wake up from a sleep
next life
to start over
in my opinion
to sound like
He who comes is surely ill-intentioned, no-one well-meaning will come (idiom).
to originate in
repeatedly
since ancient times
Pleiku, Vietnam
in the past always
Futurism (artistic and social movement of the 20th century)
future
lately
to be unable to breathe
to return
to arrive
the future is long (idiom); there will be ample time for that later
lit. to blame the toilet because one is having difficulty completing a bowel movement (idiom)
incoming letter
loan idiom
(dialect) to be full of zeal
backwards and forwards
to come down
worth it
to come thick and fast (idiom)
North Carolina, US state
(of water) to rise
received document
lit. the goose comes, the swallow goes (idiom); fig. always on the move
to mill about
to turn out in force ready to attack (idiom)
original
newly arrived (idiom)
of unknown origin
current account (in bank)
future studies
income
to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation
always
in order of arrival
(bird species of China) Malaysian plover (Charadrius peronii)
Huailai county in Zhangjiakou 張家口|张家口[zhāng jiā kǒu], Hebei
money can't buy happiness
the attitude of mechanically borrowing (ideas etc)
to use force
next year
wind does not come from an empty cave without reason
to turn up without being invited
incoming letter (literary)
to invert
lyxose (type of sugar)
gradually
lit. like tofu strung on horsetail, you can't lift it
Tailai county in Qiqihar 齊齊哈爾|齐齐哈尔[qí qí hā ěr], Heilongjiang
to emerge; to pop up; to spring forth; to appear from nowhere
to make a round trip
since ancient times
without any reason
Bo Xilai (1949-), PRC politician, appointed to the Politburo in 2007, sentenced in 2013 to life imprisonment for corruption and misconduct
loanword
thus
future days
seemingly
guest
(coll.) (of women) to get one's period
South Carolina, US state
firstly, ...
see 迎來送往|迎来送往[yíng lái sòng wǎng]
from birth
lit. to meet those arriving, to send of those departing (idiom); busy entertaining guests
to follow the past and herald the future (idiom); part of a historical transition
to approach
to remember
not worth it
(literary) tomorrow (morning)
(after a verb) indicating the beginning and continuation of an action or a state
to be a newcomer
to bring
to attract
extreme sorrow turns to joy (idiom)
since the beginning of history
Easy come, easy go. (idiom)
to come up
to come with a specific purpose in mind
this past year
strictly speaking
all time low (point)
from the beginning
in the past few days
blunt
incoming telephone call (or telegram)
Bremen (city)
(but) then again; (but) on the other hand
to calculate
(literary) recently; lately; hitherto
on the other hand
unidentified origin
to get along well
if you live a life of crime, sooner or later you'll pay for it
unique
generally speaking
coming and going alone (idiom); a lone operator
as to
to rush over
to be madly in love
to observe the past to foresee the future (idiom, taken loosely from Book of Songs); studying ancient wisdom gives insight into what is to come
the traces of a person's movements
caller ID
Vairocana, Buddha of supreme enlightenment
to visit frequently
there's not enough time (to do sth)
refrain (from doing sth)
to own up to the facts
to arise abruptly
conversely
auxiliary showing sth happened in the past
for example
source (of information etc)
Malay person or people
Laii township in Pingtung County 屏東縣|屏东县[píng dōng xiàn], Taiwan
water mains
sudden and unexpected disaster (idiom)
reason; cause
South Carolina, US state
bring it on!
in the future
consistently; always (in the past and now)
more and more
Lai'an county in Chuzhou 滁州[chú zhōu], Anhui
to come over
Here we go again.
bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom); the hard times are over, the good times just beginning
Strait of Calais in the English channel
to earn back (money one invested, wasted etc)
history
to come out
to overturn
lit. sth hits one in the face