来 (來) lái

1. lái verb to come
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: An intransitive verb indicating motion towards the speaker. For example, 你回来啦！ 'You have come back!' (Lao She, 2003, p. 176) 来 is used in this sense in both modern and literary Chinese (Kroll 2015 '來' 2). 来 is the 11th most frequently used word in the Beijing Language Institute's 1985 frequency wordlist (Ho 2002, '来' 1; NCCED '来' 1).
2. lái particle indicates an approximate quantity
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Quantity 数量
   Notes: (NCCED '来' 助2)
3. lái verb please
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Social Interaction 交际
   Notes: (Ho 2002, '来' 3)
4. lái verb used to substitute for another verb
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Frequently Used Words 常用词汇
   Notes: (NCCED '来' 5; Ho 2002, '来' 2)
5. lái verb used between two word groups to express purpose and effect
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Spoken Language 口语
   Notes: (NCCED '来' 9)
6. lái particle ever since
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In this sense, 来 is used after a time expression (NCCED '来' 3). For example, 几十年来 'n the last few years.' (VOA, 2015-07-25) This sense is also used in literary Chinese (Kroll 2015 '來' 4).
7. lái noun wheat
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '來' 1)
8. lái adjective next / future
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 以来 (NCCED '来' 1; Kroll 2015 '來' 3). For example, 来日绮窗前 'In future days in front of the carved window ...' (Wang Wei, Lines in Complete Tang Poems, Scroll 118)
9. lái verb a simple complement of direction
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: 来 is used in this sense after a verb or verb phrase to indicate movement towards the speaker (NCCED '来' 5). For example, 一出来 'as soon as he came out ...' (Lao She, 2003, p. 260)
10. lái verb to occur / to arise
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Frequently Used Words 常用词汇
    Notes: (NCCED '来' 4)
11. lái verb to earn
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Frequently Used Words 常用词汇
    Notes: (NCCED '来' 11)

Contained in

• 来源(來源) source (of information, etc) / origin
• 以来(以來) since ; afterwards ; additional / extra
• 带来(帶來) to bring
• 出来(出來) to come out / to emerge
• 原来(原來) originally / formerly ; as it turns out
• 起来(起來) beginning or continuing an action / stand up / get out of bed
• 来自(來自) to come from (a place)
• 未来(未來) future
• 从来(從來) always / at all times / never (if used in a negative sentence)
• 本来(本來) original ; it goes without saying / of course ; originally
• 到来(到來) to arrive
• 即将来临(即將來臨) imminent
• 来临(來臨) to arrive
• 突如其来(突如其來) to arise abruptly
• 素来(素來) usually / consistently
• 过来(過來) to come over
• 回来(回來) to return / to come back ; wait on
• 将来(將來) the future
• 进来(進來) to come in
• 上来(上來) to come up / to approach ; to start / to begin ; to pick up speed / to increase momentum
• 下来(下來) to come down / to descend ; to mix amongst the common people ; to be harvested ; to finish ; indicates gradual reduction ; underside
• 后来(後來) afterwards / later ; people coming later
• 近来(近來) recently / lately
• 看来(看來) apparently / it seems that
• 来不及(來不及) there is not enough time
• 来得及(來得及) there is still time
• 来信(來信) incoming letter
• 越来越_(越來越_) as time goes on ...
• 对_来说(對_來說) as for ... is concerned
• 来宾(來賓) guest / visitor
• 来回(來回) to make a round trip ; a round trip ; to make a round trip without stopping
• 来客(來客) guest
• 来往(來往) to come and go ; contact
• 拿_来说(拿_來說) take ... for example
• 往来(往來) to come and go / to return
• 向来(向來) always / all along
• 这样一来(這樣一來) thus / in this way
• 自来水(自來水) running water / tap water
• 从_看来(從_看來) as far as ... is concerned
• 胡来(胡來) to mess with / to mess up
• 看起来(看起來) seemingly / apparently
• 来访(來訪) to pay a visit
• 来回来去(來回來去) repeatedly / back and forth again
• 来看(來看) to come and see / judging from
• 来历(來歷) history / antecedents / origin
• 来年(來年) next year
• _来说_(_來說_) as far as ... is concerned
• 历来(歷來) always
• 推来推去(推來推去) to make all kinds of excuses
• 总的来说(總的來說) generally speaking

Also contained in

如来

Word is mentioned most frequently in

Truncated for common words

• 卷七十　表第八:　屬國表 Volume 70 Tables 8: Vassal States History of Liao 《遼史》 — count: 276
• 第二十四回 Chapter 24 Water Margin 《水滸傳》 — count: 186
• 卷三十九 志第十九: 地理二 Volume 39 Treatises 19: Geography 2 Old Book of Tang 《舊唐書》 — count: 135
• 第四十五回 Chapter 45 Water Margin 《水滸傳》 — count: 111
• 卷一百十五　列傳第四十五: 二國外記 Volume 115 Biographies 45: Two Records of Foreign Countries History of Liao 《遼史》 — count: 105
• 《龜策列傳》 Biographies of Diviners Records of the Grand Historian 《史記》 — count: 105
• 第四十三回 Chapter 43 Water Margin 《水滸傳》 — count: 105
• 第二回 Chapter 2 Water Margin 《水滸傳》 — count: 102
• 第三十九回 Chapter 39 Water Margin 《水滸傳》 — count: 98
• 第二回 Chapter 74 Dream of the Red Chamber 《紅樓夢》 — count: 96

Collocations

• 来思 (來思) 今我來思 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 小雅‧鹿鳴之什‧采薇 Minor odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Lu Ming - Cai Wei — count: 9
• 尸来 (屍來) 公尸來燕來寧 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 大雅‧生民之什‧鳧鷖 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Sheng Min - Fu Yi — count: 5
• 福禄来 (福祿來) 福祿來成 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 大雅‧生民之什‧鳧鷖 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Sheng Min - Fu Yi — count: 5
• 燕来 (燕來) 公尸來燕來寧 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 大雅‧生民之什‧鳧鷖 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Sheng Min - Fu Yi — count: 4
• 来燕 (來燕) 公尸來燕來寧 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 大雅‧生民之什‧鳧鷖 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Sheng Min - Fu Yi — count: 4
• 伻来 (伻來) 伻來以圖 — Book of Documents 《尚書》, 周書 洛誥 Zhou Shu - Announcement concerning Luo — count: 3
• 来止 (來止) 曾孫來止 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 小雅‧甫田之什‧甫田 Minor odes of the kingdom - Fu Tian Zhi Shen - Fu Tian — count: 3
• 长夜室来 (長夜室來) 淮夷來求 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 大雅‧蕩之什‧江漢 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Dang - Jiang Han — count: 3
• 方来 (方來) 徐方來庭 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 大雅‧蕩之什‧常武 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Dang - Chang Wu — count: 2
• 来牟 (來牟) 貽我來牟 — The Book of Songs 《詩經》, 周頌‧清廟之什‧思文 Sacrificial odes of Zhou - Decade Of Qing Miao - Si Wen — count: 2