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去
qù
to go
我明天去北京。
I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.
neutral
to go (from one place to another)
他去学校了。
He went to school.
我们去哪里？
Where are we going?
Used for movement toward a destination. Often followed by a location or place.
neutral
to remove or eliminate (something)
把垃圾去掉。
Remove the trash.
这个药可以去火。
This medicine can reduce internal heat.
Common in phrases like 去掉 (to get rid of) or 去火 (to reduce heat, e.g., in traditional medicine).
neutral
to pass (time) or spend (a period)
时间去得真快。
Time passes so quickly.
我们去年去了上海。
We went to Shanghai last year.
Used to indicate the passage of time or to describe past actions.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguish 去 and 来
'去' indicates movement away from the speaker or a reference point, while '来' indicates movement toward the speaker or reference point. For example: '我去商店' (I go to the store) vs. '他来商店' (He comes to the store).
Gold Rule
去 as a Directional Verb
去 is often followed by a location or place to indicate movement toward that place. It does not require a preposition like 'to' in English.
Word Origin
From Old Chinese *kha-s (去), originally meaning 'to remove' or 'to eliminate', later extended to mean 'to go' or 'to leave'.
Usage Notes
去 is a versatile verb used in both physical movement and abstract removal. It can also indicate the passage of time or past actions. In modern Mandarin, it is often used in compound verbs (e.g., 去看 'to go see', 去做 'to go do').
Word Breakdown
去
to go / to remove
root汉英词典