I am learning mandarin and I am a bit confused with 来 and 回, can you help me better understand the differences?

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This is a very common point of confusion for Mandarin learners, as both 来 (lái) and 回 (huí) involve movement, but they have distinct core meanings. Think of it in terms of perspective and origin.

Here’s a breakdown to help you understand the difference.

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1. The Core Meanings

• 来 (lái) - To Come

  • Core idea: Movement towards the speaker (or the subject’s current location).
  • Perspective: It’s all about the destination from the speaker’s point of view.
  • Analogy: Imagine you are the center of the universe. Anything that moves closer to you is 来.

• 回 (huí) - To Return / To Go Back

  • Core idea: Movement back to a place where someone or something was previously located (a point of origin).
  • Perspective: It’s about going home, going back to where you started.
  • Analogy: Think of it as a round trip or returning to a home base.

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2. Visualizing the Difference

Let’s use a simple diagram. Imagine You are at home, and Your Friend is at school.

• Situation 1: You are at home, and your friend is at school.

  • You call your friend and say: “来我家!” (Lái wǒ jiā!) - “Come to my house!”
  • Why? The movement (from school to home) is towards you, the speaker.

• Situation 2: You are at school with your friend, and you both need to go home.

  • You say to your friend: “我们回家吧。” (Wǒmen huí jiā ba.) - “Let’s go back home.”
  • Why? The movement (from school to home) is towards the place where you both originally came from (your home base). You are not the center; “home” is the center.

• Situation 3: You are at work, and your friend calls you from home.

  • Your friend says: “你什么时候回家?” (Nǐ shénme shíhou huí jiā?) - “When are you coming back home?”
  • Why? Your friend is at home (the origin point for you), so from their perspective, you are returning to them. They use 回 because it’s your home base.
  • You reply: “我晚上八点回家。” (Wǒ wǎnshang bā diǎn huí jiā.) - “I will go back home at 8 pm.” (You are leaving your current location to return to your origin).

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3. Common Usage Examples

Phrase	Pinyin	Meaning	Why?
进来	jìn lái	Come in	The movement (entering) is towards the speaker inside.
进去	jìn qù	Go in	The movement (entering) is away from the speaker.
回来	huí lái	Come back	Movement is a return (回) towards the speaker (来).
回去	huí qù	Go back	Movement is a return (回) away from the speaker (去).
来到	lái dào	To arrive (at a place near speaker)	Focuses on the arrival at the current location.
回到	huí dào	To return to (a place)	Focuses on the completion of the return journey.

The Golden Rule with 来 and 去 (qù)

来 and 去 are a pair. 来 is towards the speaker, 去 is away from the speaker. You will often see 回 combined with them:

• 回来 (huílái): Come back (back to where the speaker is).
• 回去 (huíqù): Go back (back to a place away from the speaker).

Example: Imagine you are in Beijing. You are talking to your friend who is also in Beijing, but is going home to Shanghai for the holiday.

• You ask: “你什么时候回来?” (Nǐ shénme shíhou huílái?) - “When are you coming back?” (Back to Beijing, where you are).
• Your friend thinks: “我下周一回去。” (Wǒ xià zhōuyī huíqù.) - “I will go back next Monday.” (Back to Beijing, which is away from Shanghai, where they are now).

Summary Cheat Sheet

• Use 来 when: The movement is towards the current location of the speaker or the listener. (Come)
• Use 回 when: The movement is to a place that is considered a home, origin, or previous location. (Go back/Return)
• Use 回来 when: Someone is returning to your current location. (Come back)
• Use 回去 when: Someone is returning to a place that is not your current location. (Go back)

Think of 来 as “approach” and 回 as “return” . The confusion often happens in English because we use “come” for both “come here” and “come back.” In Chinese, the distinction is very clear. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it!

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I’ve seen that 来 is also used with the same meaning but for idiomatic expressions. For example, when taking a selfie some one say to the rest of the group “来，来，来“.

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Excellent question! You’ve moved from the literal meaning to a very important practical usage. You are absolutely right.

This is a fantastic observation. The word 来 is incredibly versatile, and its use in phrases like “来，来，来” for a selfie is a perfect example of its pragmatic or idiomatic function. It moves beyond the strict dictionary definition of “to come” and becomes a social tool.

Let’s break down this new role of 来.

来 as an Invitation or Suggestion (“Let’s…”, “Come on…“)

In your selfie example, the person saying “来，来，来” isn’t asking everyone to physically come to them (though they might be gesturing for people to gather closer). The core meaning here is to initiate an action. It’s like saying “Let’s…” or “Come on, everyone…” in English.

Think of it as a verbal nudge to start doing something together.

• 来，来，来，我们拍张照。 (Lái, lái, lái, wǒmen pāi zhāng zhào.)
  • Meaning: “Come on, come on, come on, let’s take a picture.” or “Alright everyone, let’s take a photo.”

The repetition (来，来，来) adds enthusiasm and a sense of urgency, gathering everyone’s attention for the shared activity.

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Other Common Idiomatic Uses of 来

This “initiating action” function of 来 appears in many other common situations. It’s a way to make your Chinese sound much more natural and fluent.

1. Proposing a Toast or Drink

This is extremely common at meals. You raise your glass and say:

• 来，干杯！ (Lái, gānbēi!)
  • Meaning: “Come on, cheers!” or “Let’s toast!“

2. Encouraging Someone to Do Something

If you want to encourage a friend to try a difficult dish, sing a song, or tell a story, you can use 来.

• 来，尝尝这个。 (Lái, chángchang zhège.)

  • Meaning: “Here, try this.” or “Come on, have a taste of this.”

• 来，给我们唱首歌！ (Lái, gěi wǒmen chàng shǒu gē!)

  • Meaning: “Come on, sing us a song!“

3. Ordering Food or Making a Request

When you’re ready to order at a restaurant, you can use 来 to mean “I’ll have…” or “Give me…“. It’s a very direct and casual way to order.

• 服务员，来一瓶啤酒。 (Fúwùyuán, lái yī píng píjiǔ.)

  • Meaning: “Waiter, I’ll have a bottle of beer.” (Literally: “Waiter, come a bottle of beer.“)

• 来两份炒饭。 (Lái liǎng fèn chǎofàn.)

  • Meaning: “I’ll take two orders of fried rice.”

4. As a Verb Substitute (Do / Perform)

Sometimes 来 is used as a dummy verb, especially in colloquial speech, to mean “to do” a context-specific action.

• 你来的话，我来做饭。 (Nǐ lái de huà, wǒ lái zuòfàn.)

  • Meaning: “If you come (as a guest), I will do the cooking.” (Here, the second 来 is more about “handling the task of” cooking.)

• 这我来。 (Zhè wǒ lái.)

  • Meaning: “I’ve got this.” or “I’ll handle this.” (You’re stepping forward to do a task.)

Summary: Literal vs. Idiomatic 来

Usage	Core Meaning	Example	English Equivalent
Literal	Physical movement towards speaker.	他明天来北京。 (Tā míngtiān lái Běijīng.)	He is coming to Beijing tomorrow.
Idiomatic	Initiating an action; suggesting “let’s”.	来，我们拍照。 ( Lái, wǒmen pāizhào.)	Come on, let’s take a photo.
Idiomatic	Ordering or requesting.	服务员，来一杯咖啡。 (Fúwùyuán, lái yī bēi kāfēi.)	Waiter, I’ll have a coffee.
Idiomatic	Encouragement.	来，试试看！ ( Lái, shì shi kàn!)	Come on, give it a try!

So, you’ve hit on a key aspect of learning Mandarin. While 回 stays very close to its core meaning of “return,” 来 is a workhorse word that has expanded its role to become a crucial part of everyday conversation. Mastering these idiomatic uses is what will take your Chinese from textbook-correct to natural and fluent. Keep up the great observations