出来
Pattern
Verb + 出来
Key words
Core idea
出来 can follow a verb to show that something becomes recognized, discovered, or figured out.
It is common after seeing, hearing, thinking, guessing, and noticing verbs.
How it works
The verb names the way information is processed. 出来 marks that the information comes out clearly enough to be known.
Usage boundary
This page focuses on the recognition meaning. 出来 can also be literal direction, such as coming out of a place, but that is a different use.
Examples
我看出来他很累。
Wǒ kàn chūlai tā hěn lèi.
I can tell that he is tired.
你听出来是谁了吗？
Nǐ tīng chūlai shì shéi le ma?
Could you tell who it was from hearing it?
我想不出来答案。
Wǒ xiǎng bù chūlai dá'àn.
I cannot think of the answer.
Common mistakes
Avoid
我看他很累出来。
Use
我看出来他很累。
出来 follows the verb that produces the recognition or discovery.
Seen in stories
The Prop Box We Figured Out
可是他一打开，就看出来里面不是电线。
But as soon as he opens it, he can tell the things inside are not cables.
The Prop Box We Figured Out
玉米阿姨摸着铃鼓，听出来那是以前游行用的声音。
The corn auntie touches the tambourine and recognizes from the sound that it was used in past parades.
The Prop Box We Figured Out
高中生想不出来为什么箱子会被藏在这里。
The high school student cannot figure out why the box was hidden here.
The Prop Box We Figured Out
摊主看出来最早的日期，比现在这个夜市还早。
The vendor can tell the earliest date is older than the current night market.
The Prop Box We Figured Out
客人一看就认出来，那不是装东西的箱子，是舞台的记忆。
Customers recognize at a glance that it is not a storage box, but the stage's memory.