Translation of 送下去。 + help with pattern verb + direction + 去/来

[MengJiaSheng]

It would be great if someone could help me with this translation. How exactly do I have to translate 送下去 in 一会儿我先给您把东西送下去。

As this shows I am really unsure about how to use this pattern and how to translate it. So is there any rule about how to use these verb +direction + 去/来 structure and how do I know which verbs can be used with it?

[YuehanHao]

As a novice, I won't translate that sentence for you, but since nobody else replied yet, I will say that the grammatical pattern you noted is called directional complement, specifically complex directional complement. I think you can find some information that is better than what I could say by searching the forums for these terms. (Or else in grammar textbooks, where I semi-learned this device.) One forum thread I saw by doing said search that could be helpful to you is

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/8700-complex-directional-complements&highlight=directional+complement

Also, here is a simpler sentence using V+下去, for whatever it's worth:

我们慢慢地走下去吧。

Let's walk (or go) down slowly.

约翰好

[leeyah]

The sentence would translate as 一会儿我先给您把东西送下去 = I/we'll send it/them to you in a short while, very soon, etc.

As YuehanHao already mentioned, in your sentence it is one of the 趋向补语s = directional complements, with both 下 and 去 indicating direction. Here's a brief intro to how it's used:

Firstly,下去's basic meaning is to go down, descend, indicating downward/further direction, what with it's basic definition of 向下面/由高处到低处 as in：坐下 to sit down. Compare it to 下 without 去 indicating capacity: 这座车能坐下50个人

Then there's 下去 as directional complement, used to indicate the direction (away) from the speaker and is opposite to *下来 which is used to indicate the direction towards/nearer to the speaker: 你什么时候能把它送来? When will you be able to send it/them to me? or 他从山坡上下来 meaning he came down the slope, as seen from the point of view of the speaker of the sentence. Suppose the speaker was standing on top of the slope when the other guy went down, he would then say: 他从山坡上下去: he went down the slope (and further away from me). Here 下来 is used to indicate the motion toward a lower position. Got it?

It is a bit difficult for foreign learners to grasp the essence of this peculiarity of Chinese, and yes, it does take a lot of practice. Basically, direction is somewhat differently expressed in Chinese, and it's often a combination of two verbs as in: 出去 go out, leave, compare with 出来 come in, and it's easier to understand. Right?

Another use of the phrase is to express the continuation of an ongoing action as in: 读下去 keep reading and is same in meaning with 继续 + verb as in: 说不下去 cannot find the right words to express what one wants to say. Also: 坚持下去 meaning stick it out, keep it up, don't give up. Plus, of course, 继续下去 itself

下去 can also indicate the degree of an action as in: 天气再冷下去，务必预先做好准备. If the weather gets even colder (we'd better get ready for it now)

See also 下去 for more examples.

Now, consider all these vs. *下来 which is used for continuation of an action from past to present as in: 古代流传下来的神话 = legends passed on from antiquity, or 下来 used to express the completion of an action as in: 把老师讲的话记录下来. He made a record of the teacher's words. 车渐渐停下来。 The car stopped gradually. 他终于平静下来了. He finally calmed down. 天色渐渐黑下来. It was getting quite dark.

You will surely also encounter 过来/过去 later, just remember the to/fro meaning of 来/去 and you'll be fine

Edited April 9, 2009 at 08:44 AM by leeyah