<p>The summary of 来's usage, as a complement to user3306356's answer.</p>

<p>You can use 来 as a concrete verb, as in <code>奥巴马来北京见维尼熊</code>, which you already know.</p>

<p>Less concrete it is when 来 is used in some verb serializations, as in <code>过来</code>, <code>上来</code>, the main verb is 过 or 上, 来 only functions as an indication of "towards me". Sometimes 来 is used metaphorically, as in <code>我醒来了</code>.</p>

<p>Even less concrete is in <code>让我来问一个问题吧</code>. You don't literally "come" to ask the question, but 来 grabs your attention and gives you a sense of what is about to come. This falls into the 虚词 category. </p>

<p>In your example 来 indicates a purpose, and it also falls into the 虚词 category. If you think like a linguist, you can see the relation between "in order to" and "to come". </p>

<p>There are even less concrete cases:</p>

<ul>
<li><p><code>这个人三十来岁。</code>--来 means "about".</p></li>
<li><p><code>一来脑子好，二来动作快。</code>——来 is put after a number to indicate that you are
enumerating.</p></li>
<li><p><code>我吃饭来。</code>——来 is put after an action to indicate the past present tense. You
see 来着 more often, but sometimes 来 is also used.</p></li>
<li><p><code>八月里来桂花香。</code>——来 means nothing. It's just a 语气助词. You use it to glue things together. It is less common in mandarin, but commonly seen in lyrics and some dialects.</p></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-19T03:11:34.533Z
2014-11-19T03:11:34.533Z
Wang Dingwei
<p><strong>ABC</strong> calls this a <strong>连词</strong>, which they explain like this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Conjunction</p>
<p>Liáncí 连词</p>
<p>A conjunction is a word that joins phrases or sentences together to form a larger sentence or chunk of thought. Some examples include érqiě 'furthermore', suīrán 'although', suǒyǐ 'therefore', jiù 'then' and yàoburán 'otherwise'.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>here's <strong>ABC</strong>'s relative entry for 来:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>CONJ.(in order) to</p>
<p>唱个歌儿来凑热闹</p>
<p>chàng ge gēr lái còu rènao</p>
<p>sing a song to liven things</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here's some other examples from the <em>A Chinese English Dictionary</em>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>7 (used between a verbal expression and a verb or between two verbal expressions) in order to</p>
<p>大家想办法来解决。</p>
<p>Dàjiā xiǎng bànfǎ lái jiějué.</p>
<p>Let's think of a way to solve the problem.</p>
<p>我们得尽一切力量来完成计划。</p>
<p>Wǒmen děi jìn yīqiè lìliang lái wánchéng jìhuà.</p>
<p>We must do all we can to implement the plan.</p>
<p>你又能用什么理由来说服他呢？</p>
<p>Nǐ yòu néng yòng shénme lǐyóu lái shuōfú tā ne？</p>
<p>And what arguments can you use to convince him?</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-19T02:30:07.917Z
What is "ABC" ?
meireikei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-19T02:33:53.920Z
The **ABC Chinese-English Dictionary** - an essential for English speakers learning Chinese, no matter what level.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-19T02:59:10.593Z
Agree with this answer, and 连词 is a type of 虚词, to strictly answer OP's question.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-19T02:27:10.713Z
2014-11-19T02:27:10.713Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>来 usually means "to come". </p>

<p>In this sentence from an online database: 
旱区人民需要我们的帮助来渡过难关</p>

<p>来 does not seem to me being used in its lexical meaning here, but rather containing a grammatical expression of finality "in order to". </p>

<p>Am i wrong, or is this a different usage of it?</p>

<grammar><word>
Can 来 be used as a 虚词?
# Can 来 be used as a 虚词?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-19)

来 usually means "to come".

In this sentence from an online database:
旱区人民需要我们的帮助来渡过难关

来 does not seem to me being used in its lexical meaning here, but rather containing a grammatical expression of finality "in order to".

Am i wrong, or is this a different usage of it?

**Tags:** grammar, word

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-11-19. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

**ABC** calls this a **连词**, which they explain like this:

> Conjunction
>
> Liáncí 连词
>
> A conjunction is a word that joins phrases or sentences together to form a larger sentence or chunk of thought. Some examples include érqiě 'furthermore', suīrán 'although', suǒyǐ 'therefore', jiù 'then' and yàoburán 'otherwise'.

here's **ABC**'s relative entry for 来:

> CONJ.(in order) to
>
> 唱个歌儿来凑热闹
>
> chàng ge gēr lái còu rènao
>
> sing a song to liven things

Here's some other examples from the *A Chinese English Dictionary*:

> 7 (used between a verbal expression and a verb or between two verbal expressions) in order to
>
> 大家想办法来解决。
>
> Dàjiā xiǎng bànfǎ lái jiějué.
>
> Let's think of a way to solve the problem.
>
> 我们得尽一切力量来完成计划。
>
> Wǒmen děi jìn yīqiè lìliang lái wánchéng jìhuà.
>
> We must do all we can to implement the plan.
>
> 你又能用什么理由来说服他呢？
>
> Nǐ yòu néng yòng shénme lǐyóu lái shuōfú tā ne？
>
> And what arguments can you use to convince him?

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What is "ABC" ?  
> **username_2**: The **ABC Chinese-English Dictionary** - an essential for English speakers learning Chinese, no matter what level.  
> **username_3**: Agree with this answer, and 连词 is a type of 虚词, to strictly answer OP's question.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-11-19. Score: 1

The summary of 来's usage, as a complement to user3306356's answer.

You can use 来 as a concrete verb, as in `奥巴马来北京见维尼熊`, which you already know.

Less concrete it is when 来 is used in some verb serializations, as in `过来`, `上来`, the main verb is 过 or 上, 来 only functions as an indication of "towards me". Sometimes 来 is used metaphorically, as in `我醒来了`.

Even less concrete is in `让我来问一个问题吧`. You don't literally "come" to ask the question, but 来 grabs your attention and gives you a sense of what is about to come. This falls into the 虚词 category.

In your example 来 indicates a purpose, and it also falls into the 虚词 category. If you think like a linguist, you can see the relation between "in order to" and "to come".

There are even less concrete cases:

* `这个人三十来岁。`--来 means "about".
* `一来脑子好，二来动作快。`——来 is put after a number to indicate that you are
  enumerating.
* `我吃饭来。`——来 is put after an action to indicate the past present tense. You
  see 来着 more often, but sometimes 来 is also used.
* `八月里来桂花香。`——来 means nothing. It's just a 语气助词. You use it to glue things together. It is less common in mandarin, but commonly seen in lyrics and some dialects.


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