走 (zǒu) — walk / leave / go | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

走 (zǒu) is a verb English forces you to split in two. Half the time it means walk / go on foot — 走路 "walk," 往前走 "walk forward," 走过去 "walk over." The other half it means leave / set off — 我走了 "I'm off," 他已经走了 "he's already gone," 该走了 "time to go." The thread connecting both is motion away from where you are now: your feet carry you off, or you take yourself off. The single fact that saves beginners the most trouble is this: 走 is intransitive in these senses. It doesn't take a destination the way English "go" does. "Go to Beijing" is 去北京, never 走北京 — because 走 is about the *act of going/leaving, while 去 (qù) targets a place.

Sense 1: walk / go on foot

The literal core: moving your feet. This is the 走 of 走路 "to walk" and of giving directions.

医生说我每天应该走一万步。

yīshēng shuō wǒ měitiān yīnggāi zǒu yíwàn bù

The doctor said I should walk ten thousand steps a day.

从这儿一直往前走，就到地铁站了。

cóng zhèr yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, jiù dào dìtiězhàn le

Go straight ahead from here and you'll reach the subway station. — 往前走 'walk forward'.

别坐电梯了，我们走楼梯吧。

bié zuò diàntī le, wǒmen zǒu lóutī ba

Let's skip the elevator — let's take the stairs. (informal)

Sense 2: leave / set off / depart

This is the sense English speakers forget exists, and it is extremely common. 走 on its own means to leave. 我走了 is the standard "I'm leaving / I'm off," and 该走了 is "it's time to go."

我先走了，你们慢慢聊。

wǒ xiān zǒu le, nǐmen mànman liáo

I'll head off first — you all keep chatting. (informal)

老板还没走，你别这么早下班。

lǎobǎn hái méi zǒu, nǐ bié zhème zǎo xiàbān

The boss hasn't left yet — don't clock out this early.

时间不早了，我该走了。

shíjiān bù zǎo le, wǒ gāi zǒu le

It's getting late — I should get going. — 走 = leave, not 去.

The verb 走开 (zǒukāi) tightens this to "go away / move aside" — a resultative built on 走 + 开 "away."

你走开，别挡着我。

nǐ zǒukāi, bié dǎngzhe wǒ

Move out of the way — you're blocking me. (informal, blunt)

Sense 3: make a move / take a route

In board games — chess, 象棋, 围棋 — 走 is the verb for moving a piece: 走一步 "make one move." By extension it means take a particular route: 走这条路 "go by this road."

该你了，快走一步吧。

gāi nǐ le, kuài zǒu yí bù ba

It's your turn — make your move. — 走一步 'move (a piece) once'.

我们走这条路吧，近一点。

wǒmen zǒu zhè tiáo lù ba, jìn yìdiǎn

Let's take this road — it's a bit shorter. — 走 + route.

Sense 4: 走 vs 去 — departure vs destination

Both land on English "go," but they point at opposite ends of the trip. 走 focuses on leaving — motion away from here, and it needs no destination. 去 needs (or implies) a destination — where you're headed, attached directly with no "to." So "I've got to go" (= leave) is 我得走了; "I'm going to the airport" is 我要去机场.

我得走了，明天见！

wǒ děi zǒu le, míngtiān jiàn

I've got to go — see you tomorrow! — leaving = 走.

下班以后我要去机场接人。

xiàbān yǐhòu wǒ yào qù jīchǎng jiē rén

After work I'm going to the airport to pick someone up. — destination = 去.

Sense 5: 走 as a complement — "away"

Stuck after another verb, 走 becomes a resultative complement meaning the object is carried away from its place: 拿走 "take away," 带走 "take along," 搬走 "move away," 送走 "see off / send away." The action removes the thing.

谁把我的伞拿走了？

shéi bǎ wǒ de sǎn názǒu le

Who took my umbrella? — 拿走 'take away'.

这些点心你带走吧，我吃不完。

zhèxiē diǎnxin nǐ dàizǒu ba, wǒ chī bu wán

Take these snacks with you — I can't finish them. — 带走 'take along'.

Key collocations

Phrase	Pinyin	Meaning
走路	zǒu lù	walk, go on foot
往前走	wǎng qián zǒu	walk forward
走开	zǒukāi	go away, move aside
走过去	zǒu guòqù	walk over (there)
我走了	wǒ zǒu le	I'm off / I'm leaving
该走了	gāi zǒu le	time to go
拿走	názǒu	take away
带走	dàizǒu	take along, take away
搬走	bānzǒu	move away (relocate)
走后门	zǒu hòumén	pull strings, use connections (idiom, informal)

Grammar notes

走 takes aspect markers and complements freely: 走了 "left/walked," 走过 "have walked (there)," 走进来 "walk in," 走到门口 "walk up to the door." Because it is intransitive in the "walk/leave" senses, it cannot take a destination noun — that job belongs to 去 or, for leaving a named place or person, to 离开 (líkāi), which is transitive: 离开北京 "leave Beijing," 离开你 "leave you." Compare the near-synonyms: 离开 puts a spotlight on the place/person left behind; 出发 (chūfā) means "set off / depart" on a journey (its start); and 散步 (sànbù) is a leisurely stroll, distinct from plain 走路. For running rather than walking, see 跑 (pǎo).

Common Mistakes

1. Using 走 + place to mean "go to a place." A destination takes 去, not 走.

❌ 我明天走上海。

Wrong — 走 can't take a destination. 'Go to Shanghai' is 去上海.

✅ 我明天去上海。

wǒ míngtiān qù Shànghǎi

I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow.

2. Giving 走 a place object to mean "leave that place." To leave a named place, use the transitive 离开; 走 alone just means "leave / set off."

❌ 我下个月走北京。

Wrong — 走 can't take 北京 as 'leave Beijing.' Use 离开北京, or just 我下个月走 ('I leave next month').

✅ 我下个月离开北京。

wǒ xià ge yuè líkāi Běijīng

I'm leaving Beijing next month.

3. Translating "walk the dog" as 走狗. 走狗 (zǒugǒu) is a fixed word meaning "lackey / henchman" — an insult, not an activity. "Walk the dog" is 遛狗 (liù gǒu).

❌ 我每天早上走狗。

Wrong (and offensive-sounding) — 走狗 means 'lackey.' 'Walk the dog' is 遛狗.

✅ 我每天早上遛狗。

wǒ měitiān zǎoshang liù gǒu

I walk the dog every morning.

4. Saying 走去 for "walk to (somewhere)." To express going on foot to a place, put the manner first: 走路去 or 走着去, then the destination.

❌ 我每天走去学校。

Unnatural — 走去 doesn't work as 'walk to.' Use 走路去 or 走着去.

✅ 我每天走路去学校。

wǒ měitiān zǒu lù qù xuéxiào

I walk to school every day. — manner (走路) + 去 + place.

Key Takeaways

走 means both walk / go on foot (走路, 往前走) and leave / set off (我走了, 该走了) — the second sense is the one English speakers forget.
走 is intransitive: no destination noun. "Go to a place" is 去 + place; "leave a named place/person" is 离开 + object.
As a complement, 走 = "away": 拿走, 带走, 搬走, 送走.
In board games, 走 = make a move (走一步); it also means take a route (走这条路).
"Walk the dog" is 遛狗, never 走狗 (= a lackey).

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