过来
guò lái
Come here · trad. 過來
过来 (guòlái) is the most common and direct way to say "come here" in Mandarin Chinese. It literally means "to come over" or "to cross over to here," emphasizing movement towards the speaker's location.
When to use it
Neutral. To add politeness, you can say 请过来 (qǐng guòlái). For a softer, less demanding tone, use 过来一下 (guòlái yīxià), meaning "come here for a moment." For urgency, say 快点过来 (kuàidiǎn guòlái).
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like “GWOR-lie.” The 过 (guò) is a falling tone, and 来 (lái) is a rising tone.
Other ways to say it
- 请过来qǐng guò láiplease come here (polite)
- 过来一下guò lái yí xiàcome here for a moment (softer)
- 快点过来kuài diǎn guò láicome here quickly (urgent)
Examples
你过来一下，我有话跟你说。
nǐ guò lái yí xià ， wǒ yǒu huà gēn nǐ shuō 。
Come here for a moment, I have something to tell you.
请你过来这边坐。
qǐng nǐ guò lái zhè biān zuò 。
Please come over here and sit.
孩子们，快点过来吃饭了！
hái zi men ， kuài diǎn guò lái chī fàn le ！
Kids, come here quickly, it's time to eat!
Pro tip: 过来 is a directional complement. The character 来 (lái) always indicates movement *towards* the speaker. If the movement is *away* from the speaker, you would use 去 (qù), as in 过去 (guòqù, "go over there").
Related phrases
和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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