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; Kroll 2015 '來' 2, pp. 250-251; NCCED '来' 1).
2. lái particle indicates an approximate quantity
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Quantity
   Notes: (NCCED '来' 助2)
3. lái verb please
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: (Ho 2002, '来' 3)
4. lái verb used to substitute for another verb
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   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
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '來' 4, pp. 250-251; 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 (Kroll 2015 '來' 3a, pp. 250-251; 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, pp. 250-251)
8. lái adjective next; future
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 以来 (Kroll 2015 '來' 3, pp. 250-251; NCCED '来' 1). 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
    Notes: (Kroll 2015 '來' 2a, pp. 250-251; NCCED '来' 4)
11. lái verb to earn
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
    Notes: (NCCED '来' 11)

Contained in

• 向来(向來) always; all along ; afterwards ; just now
• 倾巢来犯(傾巢來犯) to turn out in force ready to attack
• 来福线(來福線) rifling (helical grooves inside the barrel of a gun)
• 站进来(站進來) come inside and stand
• 来临(來臨) to arrive
• 希伯来语(希伯來語) Hebrew language
• 来华(來華) to come to China
• 外来成语(外來成語) loan idiom
• 飞来横祸(飛來橫禍) sudden and unexpected disaster
• 如来(如來) Tathagata
• 来由(來由) origin ; reason; cause
• 说不出话来(說不出話來) speechless
• 与生俱来(與生俱來) inherent; innate
• 吃不来(吃不來) to be unaccustomed to certain food; to not be keen on certain food
• 重来(重來) to start over; to do something all over again
• 外来货(外來貨) imported product
• 少年夫妻老来伴(少年夫妻老來伴) husband and wife in youth, companions in old age
• 近年来(近年來) for the past few years
• 否极泰来(否極泰來) extreme sorrow turns to joy
• 卷土重来(卷土重來) to return in a swirl of dust; to regroup and come back even stronger; to make a comeback
• 乍来(乍來) at first; first arrival
• 来路(來路) incoming road; origin; past history
• 好起来(好起來) to get better; to improve; to get well
• 接下来(接下來) to accept; to take; next; following
• 从来(從來) always; at all times; never (if used in a negative sentence)
• 蹦出来(蹦出來) to crop up; to pop up; to emerge abruptly
• 挤来挤去(擠來擠去) to mill about; to jostle
• 愈来愈(愈來愈) more and more
• 跑来跑去(跑來跑去) to scamper; to run around
• 爱得死去活来(愛得死去活來) to be madly in love
• 来历不明(來歷不明) of unknown origin
• 兵来将挡，水来土掩(兵來將擋，水來土掩) counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir; different situations call for different action
• 一般说来(一般說來) generally speaking; in general
• 由来(由來) origin
• 来宾(來賓) guest; visitor
• 承不起来(承不起來) unable to sustain something
• 天外来客(天外來客) visitors from outer space
• 少来(少來) refrain (from doing sth); (coll.) Come on!; Give me a break!; Save it!
• 反过来(反過來) conversely; in reverse order; in an opposite direction
• 来之不易(來之不易) not easy to obtain; hard won
• 尔来(爾來) recently; until now; up to the present; lately
• 来朝(來朝) tomorrow (morning) ; to visit the imperial court
• 放马过来(放馬過來) bring it on!; give me all you got!
• 前无古人后无来者(前無古人後無來者) to surpass all others of its kind before and since; to have neither predecessors nor successors
• 沈下脸来(沈下臉來) a sinking facial expression
• 两国相争，不斩来使(兩國相爭，不斬來使) when two kingdoms are at war, they don't execute envoys
• 来福枪(來福槍) rifle
• 全世界无产者联合起来(全世界無產者聯合起來) Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch! / Workers of the world, unite!

Also contained in

索特来治 、 不来梅 、 宝丽来

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: 187
• 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
• 《龜策列傳》 Biographies of Diviners Records of the Grand Historian 史記 — count: 105
• 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
• 第四十三回 Chapter 43 Water Margin 水滸傳 — count: 103
• 第二回 Chapter 2 Water Margin 水滸傳 — count: 101
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 皇来 (皇來) 於皇來牟 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 周頌‧臣工之什‧臣工 Sacrificial odes of Zhou - Decade Of Chen Gong - Chen Gong — count: 2
• 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
• 王来 (王來) 我王來 — Book of Documents 尚書, 商書 盤庚上 Shang Shu - Pan Geng I — count: 2