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出来

chū lái

出来 is less about coming out than about becoming visible

The picture Something popping out of a closed box. A second ago you could not see it; now you can. 出来 brings what was inside out into view; 进去 takes what was outside in until it is gone from sight.

Endings and forms

Where the picture shows up in 出来

  1. a body coming out

    你怎么才出来?我等半天了。

    nǐ zěnme cái chū lái? wǒ děng bàntiān le

    What took you so long? I've been waiting ages.

    A shut door opening and a person walking out through the frame.

  2. coming out as a thing

    麻烦把发票打印出来。

    máfan bǎ fāpiào dǎyìn chū lái

    Could you print out the receipt?

    A sheet pushed out of the printer's mouth and into your hand.

  3. coming out of your head

    方案我们终于想出来了。

    fāng'àn wǒmen zhōngyú xiǎng chū lái le

    We finally came up with a plan.

    A plan that had been circling inside your head jumping out and landing on the paper.

  4. coming out from hiding

    他戴口罩我也认出来了。

    tā dài kǒuzhào wǒ yě rèn chū lái le

    He had a mask on and I still recognised him.

    One pair of eyes surfacing above a mask until the whole face clicks into a name you know.

  5. picked out by the senses

    汤里加了姜,我尝出来了。

    tāng li jiā le jiāng, wǒ cháng chū lái le

    You put ginger in the soup — I could taste it.

    The ginger hiding in a spoonful of soup rising up onto your tongue.

All of it in one picture

出来 is one picture: what was inside comes out where it can be seen. A person out of a doorway is arriving; data out of a printer is a printout; an idea out of your head is the plan you finally came up with. A face surfacing from behind a mask is recognition, and a taste surfacing from inside the soup is you catching the ginger. So wherever 出来 lands, something hidden has come out far enough to hit an eye, a nose or a tongue.

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