Directional Complement: 出去 (chūqù) - Out Away from Speaker

At its core, 出去 attaches to a verb to show the result or direction of an action. You take a verb—usually one involving movement like 走 (walk), 跑 (run), or 搬 (move)—and slap 出去 right after it. It’s like adding a GPS coordinate to your verb. If you just say 他走 (he walks), we don't know where he's going. But if you say 他走出去 (he walks out), we suddenly have a clear mental image of him leaving the room. The 'away' part is crucial. If you are standing outside and he comes to join you, you wouldn't use 出去. You only use this when you are the one left behind inside, or you are describing the action from the starting point. It's like being the narrator of a play watching a character exit stage left.

1. 1Using 出去 is fairly straightforward, but there is a little 'grammar dance' you need to learn when objects are involved. Here is the breakdown:
2. 2Basic Pattern: Subject + Verb + 出去 (e.g., 他跑出去 - He ran out).
3. 3With a Thing (Object): Subject + Verb + 出 + Object + 去 OR Subject + Verb + 出去 + Object. Both are common, but putting the object in the middle is very traditional. For example: 他拿出一本书去 (He took a book out) or 他拿出去一本书.
4. 4With a Place: This is the golden rule! If the object is a place, it MUST go in the middle. Subject + Verb + 出 + Place + 去. For example: 他走出教室去 (He walked out of the classroom). You can't say 走出去教室. That sounds like you're trying to walk the classroom itself outside, which is... physically impossible and grammatically weird.
5. 5Using 把: This is the most common way in daily life. Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + 出去. For example: 把他赶出去！ (Kick him out!). It’s punchy and clear.

Physical movement is the most obvious use. If you’re at a party and it’s getting too loud, you might say 我们走出去吧 (Let’s walk out/go out). It’s also used for moving items. If you’re helping a friend move house, you’ll be doing a lot of 搬出去 (moving things out).

But wait, there’s more! 出去 also works for abstract concepts. Think about information. If a secret gets leaked, it 'flows out' or 传出去 (spreads out). If you send an email, you 发出去 (send it out). It implies the information is leaving your private circle and entering the big, wide world. It’s also great for social contexts. If you’re going out for a date or a meal, you can simply say 出去玩 (go out to play/hang out) or 出去吃 (go out to eat). It’s the universal 'leaving the house' phrase.

Don't use 出去 if you are already outside. If you are standing in the garden and you want your dog to come out of the house to join you, you would use 出来 (chūlái). Why? Because the dog is moving towards you. 去 always means 'away from me,' and 来 means 'towards me.'

Also, avoid using it for 'going out' in the sense of 'extinguishing a fire' or 'fainting' unless you are using specific idiomatic expressions. For basic B1 learners, stick to physical movement and information sharing. And remember, don't use it for 'coming out' as in a movie being released; we usually use 出来 or 上映 for that.

One of the biggest trip-ups is the 'Place Object' rule. I see people say 我走出去房间 all the time. It feels natural because in English we say 'I walked out of the room.' But in Chinese, the place is the 'filling' in the 出...去 sandwich. It must be 我走出房间去.

Another mistake is forgetting the 'away' perspective. If you are calling your friend who is inside a mall while you are waiting in the parking lot, don't say 你什么时候出去？ (When are you going out?). Instead, say 你什么时候出来？ (When are you coming out?). If you use 出去, it sounds like you are also inside the mall with them, planning to leave together. It’s a small detail, but it’s the difference between sounding like a local and sounding like a textbook that’s been through a bad translator.

Let’s compare 出去 with its siblings:

• 出去 (chūqù): Out + Away. (You stay, they leave).
• 出来 (chūlái): Out + Towards. (They come to where you are).
• 过去 (guòqù): Over + Away. (Moving from here to there, away from you).
• 回去 (huíqù): Back + Away. (Going back to where they came from, away from you).

Think of 出去 as the 'Exile' or 'Departure' button. It’s all about the exit.