來

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

來 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+6, 8 strokes, cangjie input 木人人 (DOO), four-corner 4090₈, composition ⿻木从)

Derived characters

• 倈 唻 婡 崍 徠 𢜞 𢯦 淶 猍 䧒 棶 琜 睞 𮋳 䂾 䅘 䋱 𦩑 𧍍 䚞 誺 𤳆 𨂐 錸 㯤 𦠘 𣛤 騋 𩳳 鯠 𪘨 逨 勑 郲 猌 𢆠 䚅 𤳇 顂 鶆 𠌊 麥 賚 萊 箂 庲 㾢 憗 瀒 斄 𤀛

Descendants

• 来

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 101, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 581
• Dae Jaweon: page 214, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 141, character 8
• Unihan data for U+4F86

• Unihan data for U+F92D

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 來
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j13740 j13741 j13742 j13743 j13744 j13745 j13746 j13747 j13748 j13749 j13750 j13751 j13752 j13753 j13754 j13755 j13756 j13757 j13758 j13759 j13760 j13761 j13762 j13763 j13764 j13765 j13766 j13767 j13768 j13769 j13770 j13771 j13772 j13773 j13774 j13775 j13776 j13777 j13778 j13779 j13780 j13781 j13782 j13783 j13784 j13785 j13786 j13787 j13788 j13789 j13790 j13791 j13792 j13793 j13794 j13795 j13797 j13798 j13799 j13800 j13801 j13802 j13803 j13804 j13805 j13806 j13807 j13808 j13809 j13810 j13811 j13812 j13813 j13814 j13815 j13816 j13817 j13818 j13819 j13820 j13821 j13822 j13823 j13824 j13825 j13826 j13827 j13828 j13829 j13830 j13831 j13832 j13833 j13834 j13835 j13836 j13837 j13838 j13839 j13840 j13841 j13842 j13843 j13844 j13845 j13846 j13847 j13848 j13849 j13850 j13851 j13852 j13853 j13854 j13855 j13856 j13857 j13858 j13859 j13860 j13861 j13862 j13863 j13864 j13865 j13866 j13867 j13868 j13869 j13870 j13871 j13872 j13873 j13874 j13875 j13876 j13877 j13878 j13879 j13880 j13881 j13882 j13883 j13884 j13885 j13886 j13887 j13888 j13889 j13890 j13891 j13892 j13893 j13894 j13895 j13896 j13897 j13898 j13899 j13900 j13901 j13902 j13903 j13904 j13905 j13906 j13907 j13908 j13909 j13910 j13911 j13912 j13913 j13914 j13915 j13916 j13917 j13918 j13919 j13920 Bronze inscriptions b08481 b08482 b08483 b08484 b08485 b08486 b08487 b08488 b08489 b08490 b08491 b08492 b08493 Small seal script s03866 Transcribed ancient scripts L30969 L30970 L30971 L30972 L30973 L30974 L30975 L30976 L30977 L30978 L03906 L03907 L03908 L03909 L03910 L03911 L03912 L03913 L03914 L03915 L03916 L03917 L03918
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Pictogram (象形) of wheat – original character of 麥 (OC *mrɯːɡ, “wheat”) or 麳 (OC *rɯː, “wheat”). The line in the middle represents the ear, the two lines pointing upwards represent leaves, and the lines pointing downwards represent the stem and roots. An additional horizontal line was often added at the top end of the character, possibly used to emphasize the ear of the wheat. Compare 禾.

This character has been borrowed for “to come” since the oracle bone script. During the Western Zhou and Warring States periods, additional semantic components, such as 止 (“foot”) or 辵 (“to walk”), were added to differentiate the original sense from the borrowed sense. However, these additions were not inherited in later scripts.

Some consider the derivative 麥 from the addition of 夊 (“to walk slowly”) to be the original form for the meaning “to come”. If so, their meanings have interchanged due to frequent use of 來 for “to come”.

Shuowen connects “wheat” and “to come” from a mythological standpoint: 天所來也 (“it comes from the heavens”). This may be supported by archaeological evidence, which suggests that wheat is not native to China, but originated in the Fertile Crescent.

來 and 麥 have both been reconstructed to begin with *mr- in Old Chinese. The former retains the liquid as /l/, while the latter retains the nasal /m/.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *la-j ~ ra (“to come”) (STEDT). Cognate with 迨 (OC *l'ɯːʔ, “to reach; until”), 賚 (OC *rɯːs, “to bestow”), Burmese လာ (la, “to come”). Also cognate with 蒞 (OC *rɯbs, “to arrive”) according to Schuessler (2007).

Pronunciation

Definitions

來

1. to come; to arrive

   Antonyms: 去 (qù), 往

   我一會兒就來。／我一会儿就来。  ―  Wǒ yīhuìr jiù lái.  ―  I'll come in a moment.

   我不知道它是從哪裡來的。 [MSC, trad.]
   我不知道它是从哪里来的。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ bù zhīdào tā shì cóng nǎlǐ lái de.

   I didn't know where it came from.

   • 有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Yǒu péng zì yuǎnfāng lái, bù yì yuè hū?

     Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?

   • John 1.6

     有一個人，是從神那裡差來的，名叫約翰。 [MSC, trad.]
     有一个人，是从神那里差来的，名叫约翰。 [MSC, simp.]

     Yǒu yī ge rén, shì cóng shén nàlǐ chā lái de, míng jiào Yuēhàn.

     There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

   來了個電話／来了个电话  ―  lái le ge diànhuà  ―  got a phone call; a phone call arrived

2. to happen; to occur
3. to do (specific meaning depending on the context)
4. since
5. next; coming; future

   來年／来年  ―  láinián  ―  next year

6. (after a number) about; approximately; around

   四十來歲／四十来岁  ―  sìshí lái suì  ―  around forty years old

   十年來沒有活動／十年来没有活动  ―  shínián lái méiyǒu huódòng  ―  has had no activity in a decade

7. Used after a verb of motion to indicate movement toward the speaker.

   下來／下来  ―  xiàlái  ―  to come down

   進來／进来  ―  jìnlái  ―  to come in

8. Used before a verb to express volition.

   讓我來做吧。／让我来做吧。  ―  Ràng wǒ lái zuò ba.  ―  Let me do it.

   • 1886, Lim Hiong Seng, “Household Furniture &c.”, in Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular, Singapore: Koh Yew Hean Press:

     水完了。我來去携 [Teochew, trad.]
     水完了。我来去携 [Teochew, simp.]

     zui² liou² lo⁷, ua² lai⁵ ke³ kiêh⁸ [Peng'im]

     The water is finished, I will go and get (some.)

9. Used with 不 or 得 to express capability.

   我做不來俯臥撐。 [MSC, trad.]
   我做不来俯卧撑。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ zuò bù lái fǔwòchēng.

   I can't do push-ups.

10. Used after numerals in colloquial lists.
11. Meaningless particle for rhythmic purposes.
12. (Shanghainese) currently

    儂勿要叫伊，伊來做功課。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
    侬勿要叫伊，伊来做功课。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

    ⁶non 勿-iau ⁵ciau ⁶yi ⁶yi ⁶le ⁵tsu ¹kon-khu [Wugniu]

    Don’t call him, he’s currently doing his homework.

13. (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 來 (MC loj)
14. a surname

Synonyms

Compounds

Descendants

Etymology 2

Cognate to or same word as 麥 (OC *mrɯːɡ) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation