Verb + 来 + Verb + 去 (verbing around)

• Pinyin: lái...qù
• Formation: Verb + 来 + Verb + 去
• Hanzi breakdown: 来 = originally a pictograph of a wheat plant (later borrowed for 'come'); 去 = 土 (earth) + 厶 (private), originally meaning to leave

Meaning

This pattern repeats a verb with 来 and 去 to express repetitive, aimless, or prolonged back-and-forth action. It conveys a sense of doing something again and again without clear direction or resolution. The tone often implies frustration, indecision, or lack of progress.

The Verb + 来 + Verb + 去 structure is a vivid Chinese rhetorical device that uses the directional complements 来 (come/toward) and 去 (go/away) to portray oscillating or circular activity. It goes beyond simple repetition — it encodes the speaker's subjective evaluation that the action is fruitless, tedious, or drawn-out. Common fixed expressions include 想来想去 (think back and forth), 走来走去 (walk around aimlessly), 翻来翻去 (toss and turn), and 说来说去 (talk around in circles). The pattern can also be used with two different verbs for variety, such as 推来推去 or 挑来挑去. Unlike simple verb reduplication (看看, 想想), which softens or casualizes an action, Verb + 来 + Verb + 去 emphasizes duration and futility. This is a distinctly colloquial pattern, very common in spoken Mandarin and informal writing.

Examples

1. 他在房间里走来走去，看起来非常焦虑。 He paced back and forth in the room, looking extremely anxious.
2. 我想来想去，还是决定辞职算了。 After thinking it over again and again, I decided to just resign.
3. 两个人推来推去，谁都不肯先吃。 The two of them kept pushing it back and forth — neither was willing to eat first.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 孩子在院子里跑来跑去，玩得很开心。
• 这件事我考虑来考虑去，最后还是放弃了。
• 他把那封信看来看去，始终不敢回复。
• 大家讨论来讨论去也没讨论出一个结果。

Don't Say

• 他来走去走在房间里。(The verb must appear before both 来 and 去 — the correct word order is 走来走去, not rearranged) → 他在房间里走来走去。
• 她想来去了很久。(去 must be preceded by the same verb — 想来想去 is the correct form, and 了 does not attach to 去 directly in this structure) → 她想来想去想了很久。
• 我吃来吃去都是这几道菜。(While grammatically possible, 吃来吃去 sounds unnatural — this pattern works best with mental or physical movement verbs, not consumption verbs) → 我挑来挑去都是这几道菜。

Origin & History

This pattern draws on the ancient Chinese directional pair 来/去 (come/go), which has been used since classical Chinese to indicate bidirectional movement. The reduplicated verb structure became a productive colloquial pattern in modern Mandarin, emphasizing repetition and lack of resolution.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal