去 simplified
去 traditional · same
qù
to go · to leave · to depart · to remove · last (year)
HSK 1 笔画 5 部首 厶 (private; personal) 声调 第四声 (falling)
笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

The oracle bone and bronze inscription forms of 去 show a person (大 dà — a figure with outstretched arms) departing from an enclosed space or container (口 kǒu — an opening, a hole). The upper part is a person; the lower part is the space being left behind. The character encodes the moment of departure: a person moving out of a contained space. This is why 去 from its earliest use carries both senses that remain today — to leave a specific place, and to go toward a destination.

The modern decomposition 土 (earth/soil) + 厶 (a private mark or enclosure) reflects later scribal regularization rather than the original pictographic intent. The Shuōwén Jiězì classifies 去 under 去 itself (as its own radical group) and defines it as "to part from; to leave." The contrast with 来 lái was built into the grammar from the classical period: 来 = toward here; 去 = away from here. The two verbs are grammatically opposed and semantically inseparable.

In traditional four-tone systems of Chinese phonology, 去声 qùshēng (the departing tone) was named after this character — the fourth tone in Mandarin inherits the name 去声, the "going" or "departing" tone. Tone 4, which falls sharply downward in pitch, was called the departing tone because it was felt to move away, to leave the baseline. 去 lends its name to the very tonal system that governs its pronunciation.

走了 zǒu le Departure & Going — Outbound Motion
来去对比 lái-qù contrast · speaker as reference point 来 lái = movement toward the speaker's position (inbound)
去 qù = movement away from the speaker's position (outbound)
来吧 = Come (toward me / come here)
去吧 = Go (away from here; you may leave; go ahead)
进来 jìnlái = come in (enter toward me) vs. 进去 jìnqù = go in (enter away from me)
出来 chūlái = come out (exit toward me) vs. 出去 chūqù = go out (exit away from me)
去吧 qù ba go ahead; you may go; off you go
V 动词短语 dòngcí duǎnyǔ
去 qù (to go; to depart) + 吧 ba (softening particle, suggestion or permission). A gentle dismissal or permission to leave. In a parent-child conversation: 去吧，好好玩 (Go on — have fun). In a formal context: 你去吧，我在这等 (Go ahead — I'll wait here). The 吧 removes any command edge; the speaker is releasing the other person to go.
去吧，别让他们等。
Qù ba, bié ràng tāmen děng.
Go ahead — don't keep them waiting.
你去吧，我自己处理。
Nǐ qù ba, wǒ zìjǐ chǔlǐ.
You go — I'll handle it myself.
出去 chūqù to go out; to head outside
V 动词 dòngcí
出 chū (to exit; to emerge) + 去 qù (away from here). To exit and move away from the speaker's reference point. Contrast: 出来 chūlái (to come out — exiting toward where the speaker is). 出去 is used by someone inside sending someone outside, or by someone outside talking about leaving an enclosed space. 出去一下 = step out for a moment.
外面天气很好，出去走走吧。
Wàimiàn tiānqì hěn hǎo, chūqù zǒuzou ba.
The weather outside is nice — let's go out for a walk.
他出去了，还没回来。
Tā chūqù le, hái méi huílái.
He went out and hasn't come back yet.
去年 qùnián last year
N 名词 míngcí
去 qù (to have gone; to have departed) + 年 nián (year). The year that has departed — last year. A vivid temporal use: the year that went away. Contrast: 来年 láinián (the year that is coming — next year; somewhat literary) and 今年 jīnnián (this year). 去年 is entirely standard and appears in all registers.
去年我去了日本旅游。
Qùnián wǒ qù le Rìběn lǚyóu.
Last year I went to Japan for a trip.
去年的成绩比今年好。
Qùnián de chéngjì bǐ jīnnián hǎo.
Last year's results were better than this year's.
过去 guòqù Past & Gone — What Has Moved Away
构词洞见 gòucí dòngjiàn · 去 and the Language of Loss

The spatial logic of 去 — things moving away — extends naturally into loss, the past, and death. What has gone cannot be retrieved. 过去 guòqù (the past) is literally "what has passed away" — time that has moved beyond the speaker's reach. 去世 qùshì (to pass away; to die) is the most common and respectful euphemism for death in standard Mandarin: the person has "gone from the world," departed from the living plane. 离去 líqù (to depart; to leave forever) carries the same weight of irreversible removal.

This is the emotional register that distinguishes 去 from the neutral verb 走 zǒu (to leave; to go). 走 is the mechanical act of leaving. 去 is departure framed relative to the speaker — something has moved away from where you are. When someone dies, they have 去世 (departed the world); when a relationship ends, the other person has 离去 (left). The speaker remains; the other has gone.

过去 guòqù the past; to pass; to go over to
N 名词 / V 动词 dòngcí
过 guò (to pass; to cross; to go beyond) + 去 qù (away). As a noun: the past — what has passed away from the present. As a verb: to go over to (move across and away to a location). Both meanings share the same root image: time or a person crossing and moving beyond the current point.
过去的事就让它过去吧。
Guòqù de shì jiù ràng tā guòqù ba.
Let the past be past. (Let bygones be bygones.)
他走过去打了个招呼。
Tā zǒu guòqù dǎ le gè zhāohu.
He walked over and said hello.
跟过去相比，生活好多了。
Gēn guòqù xiāng bǐ, shēnghuó hǎo duō le.
Compared to the past, life is much better now.
去世 qùshì to pass away; to die (respectful)
V 动词 dòngcí
去 qù (to depart; to leave) + 世 shì (the world; this age; this life). To depart from the world — the standard respectful expression for the death of an adult. Not used for children or animals, and not used for enemies or condemned criminals (for those, more neutral or harsher terms apply). 去世 is the default in formal language, journalism, and conversation.
他的父亲去年去世了。
Tā de fùqīn qùnián qùshì le.
His father passed away last year.
先生去世后，学生们一直怀念他。
Xiānsheng qùshì hòu, xuéshengmen yīzhí huáiniàn tā.
After the teacher passed away, the students always missed him.
辨析 biànxī · Death Vocabulary 去世 (respectful, standard adults) · 过世 guòshì (slightly more literary equivalent) · 逝世 shìshì (formal; for significant public figures) · 离世 lí shì (to leave the world — literary) · 死 sǐ (to die — blunt, clinical; also used for animals; sometimes used pejoratively). The choice of euphemism signals the speaker's relationship to the deceased and the formality of the context.
离去 líqù to leave; to depart (with finality)
V 动词 dòngcí
离 lí (to separate from; to leave; distance) + 去 qù (to go away). To separate and go — departure with a sense of severance. More emphatic and often more final than 走 alone. Used for leaving a job, a relationship, a city, or a life. 她悄悄地离去了 (She quietly departed) — the 去 carries the irreversibility.
他已经离去，不会再回来了。
Tā yǐjīng líqù, bù huì zài huílái le.
He has already left and will not return.
看着她离去的背影，他沉默了。
Kànzhe tā líqù de bèiyǐng, tā chénmò le.
Watching her departing figure, he fell silent.
去除 qùchú Removal & Elimination — Stripping Away
去除 qùchú to remove; to eliminate; to get rid of
V 动词 dòngcí
去 qù (to send away; to remove) + 除 chú (to eliminate; to remove; to divide out). To cause something to go away — to strip out an unwanted element. Used in formal and technical contexts: 去除污染 (remove contamination), 去除杂质 (remove impurities), 去除顾虑 (dispel concerns). The 去 here is causative: you make it go.
这种清洁剂能有效去除油污。
Zhè zhǒng qīngjié jì néng yǒuxiào qùchú yóuwū.
This cleaner can effectively remove grease stains.
先去除顾虑，再做决定。
Xiān qùchú gùlǜ, zài zuò juédìng.
First dispel your concerns, then make the decision.
失去 shīqù to lose; to be deprived of
V 动词 dòngcí
失 shī (to lose; to miss; to fail) + 去 qù (to go away). Something that was yours has gone away — loss. 失去 covers losing people (失去亲人 — lose a loved one), opportunities (失去机会), abilities (失去记忆 — lose one's memory), and qualities (失去耐心 — lose patience). A highly emotive verb.
他失去了工作，很沮丧。
Tā shīqù le gōngzuò, hěn jǔsàng.
He lost his job and is very depressed.
不要失去信心。
Bùyào shīqù xìnxīn.
Don't lose confidence.
去掉 qùdiào to get rid of; to remove; to drop (something)
V 动词 dòngcí
去 qù (to cause to go) + 掉 diào (resultative complement: dropped away; gone). A colloquial and direct expression for removal. 掉 as a complement emphasizes that the thing has been fully removed and is gone. More informal than 去除; appropriate for everyday speech. 把它去掉！= Get rid of it!
把这个词去掉，句子更简洁。
Bǎ zhège cí qùdiào, jùzi gèng jiǎnjié.
Remove this word and the sentence is cleaner.
坏习惯要尽早去掉。
Huài xíguàn yào jǐn zǎo qùdiào.
Bad habits should be gotten rid of as early as possible.
成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases
去伪存真 qù wěi cún zhēn "remove the false, preserve the true" — to sift out falsehood and keep what is genuine 去 wěi = send away the false. 存 cún = preserve; 真 zhēn = the true. The epistemological program of discernment: not just believing what you are told but actively removing the counterfeit to preserve what is real. Used in Mao Zedong's 1942 Yan'an Talks on literature and art and common in PRC educational and political discourse. Also used in scholarship and historical criticism.
去而复返 qù ér fù fǎn "to go and then come back again" — to depart and return unexpectedly 去 qù (to leave) + 而 ér (but; and then) + 复 fù (again; to return) + 返 fǎn (to turn back). Someone who had departed comes back — often unexpectedly or after a significant interval. Used both literally (a traveler returning to a place they had left) and figuratively (a trend, a person, a policy that reappears after seeming to end). The 去/来 tension is fully present: departure followed by unexpected return.
来去自如 lái qù zì rú "coming and going as one pleases" — complete freedom of movement; unhindered 来去 (coming and going — the full freedom of movement) + 自如 (naturally; freely; as one wishes). The ideal of total freedom: moving in any direction without restriction or obstacle. Used for physical movement (a martial artist who moves 来去自如 is mastering the arena), but also for social or intellectual freedom (thinking 来去自如 = moving between ideas without constraint). 游刃有余 is a related phrase for mastery that makes hard things easy.
旧去新来 jiù qù xīn lái "the old departs, the new arrives" — natural renewal and change 旧 jiù (old; worn; the previous) + 去 qù (departs) + 新 xīn (new) + 来 lái (arrives). The cycle of replacement — what has aged goes away, what is fresh comes in. Used for seasons (winter's cold 去, spring 来), generations, technologies, fashions. Captures the Chinese acceptance of cyclical change without melancholy: departure and arrival are equally natural, not tragedy and hope but two halves of the same turning.
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary
来láito come (toward speaker) 上shàngup; above; to ascend 下xiàdown; below; to descend 走zǒuto walk; to leave 出去chūqùto go out 过去guòqùthe past; to pass; to go over 去年qùniánlast year 去世qùshìto pass away 失去shīqùto lose 去除qùchúto remove; to eliminate 离去líqùto depart with finality 去声qùshēngthe departing tone; tone 4
记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

A person stepping out of an enclosure. That is the oracle bone. The contained space is behind; the world is ahead. 去 is the moment of stepping through the threshold away from you — not walking somewhere, but leaving here. The reference point is always the speaker, the one left behind.

Everything in the 去 family is about that departure. 去年 (last year — the year that stepped away). 过去 (the past — what has already passed through and gone). 去世 (to die — to depart from the world). 失去 (to lose — something has gone from your possession). 去除 (to remove — to make something go away). In all of them, 去 marks the direction: away from where you are now.

Hold 来 and 去 together. 旧去新来 (the old departs, the new arrives). 来去自如 (coming and going freely). Every motion in Chinese must be specified — toward the speaker or away. 来 is the world approaching you; 去 is you sending something — a person, a year, a life — away into distance. The oracle bone person stepping out of the enclosure is still in the character, five thousand years later, still walking away.