gōngsī pài tā lái zhèlǐ.

Questions & Answers about gōngsī pài tā lái zhèlǐ.

Why is 来 lái used here? Doesn’t mean to come?

Yes, literally means to come, but in this sentence it works as a directional verb.

In 公司派他来这里, 来这里 means to come here. The idea is that the company sent him in the direction of the speaker’s location.

A very useful contrast is:

  • 来这里 = come here
  • 去那里 = go there

So if the speaker is at 这里, Chinese naturally uses . If the destination were somewhere not associated with the speaker, might be used instead.


Why is the word order 派 他 来 这里 and not something more like English word order?

Chinese often puts things in this order:

Subject + Verb + Person + Direction/Place

So here:

  • 公司 = the company
  • = send / assign
  • = him
  • 来这里 = to come here

That gives:

公司 派 他 来 这里。

A natural way to think about it is:

The company sent him [to come here].

Chinese often keeps the action after the person being sent, instead of using an English-style infinitive structure.


What exactly does 派 pài mean here?

often means to send, to assign, or to dispatch someone for a task or purpose.

In this sentence, it does not just mean physically sending someone somewhere like mailing a package. It often suggests that someone is being assigned or sent by an organization, boss, or group.

Common examples:

  • 公司派他去北京。 = The company sent him to Beijing.
  • 老师派我去办公室。 = The teacher sent me to the office.
  • 老板派她负责这个项目。 = The boss assigned her to be in charge of this project.

So is often a bit more formal or organizational than a simple send.


Is 他 tā the direct object of ?

Yes. In 公司派他来这里, is the person being sent, so it functions as the object of .

You can think of the structure like this:

  • 公司 = who does the action
  • = the main verb
  • = the person affected by the action
  • 来这里 = the resulting movement / destination phrase

So grammatically, is the person the company sends.


Could we say 公司派他到这里 instead of 公司派他来这里?

Yes, that is also possible.

  • 派他来这里 emphasizes coming here
  • 派他到这里 emphasizes arriving at this place / to this place

Both can be natural, but 来这里 sounds especially natural when the speaker is at the destination.

You may also hear:

  • 公司派他到这里来。

This combines both ideas:

  • 到这里 = to here
  • = come

That pattern is common in Chinese.


Can be omitted?

Usually, not in this sentence.

公司派他这里 is not correct.

You need some form that shows movement toward the place, such as:

  • 公司派他来这里。
  • 公司派他到这里。
  • 公司派他到这里来。

Chinese normally needs a verb or complement that clearly connects sending with the destination.


Why is it 这里 zhèlǐ and not 这儿 zhèr?

Both are correct. They both mean here.

  • 这里 is a bit more standard or neutral
  • 这儿 is more colloquial, especially in northern speech

So these are both natural:

  • 公司派他来这里。
  • 公司派他来这儿。

The meaning is the same.


Would it be more natural to add ?

It depends on what you want to say.

  • 公司派他来这里。 = a plain statement, possibly about a habitual action, arrangement, or general fact depending on context
  • 公司派他来这里了。 = the company sent him here / has sent him here, with clearer sense of a completed or newly relevant event

If you are talking about a specific completed action, is often very natural.

For example:

  • 公司派他来这里了。 = The company has sent him here.
  • 公司昨天派他来这里了。 = The company sent him here yesterday.

Without context, the version without is still fine as a basic textbook sentence.


Is this sentence describing a past action, present action, or future action?

By itself, Chinese often does not mark tense the way English does.

So 公司派他来这里 could refer to different times depending on context:

  • past: The company sent him here.
  • present arrangement: The company is sending him here.
  • future plan: The company will send him here.

Chinese usually shows time through:

  • context
  • time words like 昨天 yesterday, 现在 now, 明天 tomorrow
  • particles like

So the sentence itself is flexible.


Could be translated as assign rather than send?

Yes, very often.

That is because can carry both ideas:

  • sending someone somewhere
  • assigning someone to a task or place

In this sentence, both ideas are present:

  • physically, he is going to 这里
  • functionally, the company is assigning him to come here

So depending on context, English translations like these may all fit:

  • The company sent him here.
  • The company assigned him to come here.
  • The company dispatched him here.

Why isn’t there a word for to before 这里?

Chinese does not always need a separate word matching English to.

In this sentence, the direction is already expressed by 来这里:

  • shows movement toward the speaker
  • 这里 names the destination

So together they already mean something like come here. English needs to in send him to here / send him here, but Chinese handles that idea differently.

If you want a more explicit destination marker, Chinese can use :

  • 公司派他到这里来。

Here, is closer to to / arrive at.


Can I replace with another person or noun in the same pattern?

Yes. This is a very productive pattern.

Examples:

  • 公司派我来这里。 = The company sent me here.
  • 公司派她来这里。 = The company sent her here.
  • 公司派王经理来这里。 = The company sent Manager Wang here.
  • 公司派一个工程师来这里。 = The company sent an engineer here.

So the pattern is:

公司 + 派 + person + 来这里


What is the basic grammar pattern of the whole sentence?

A useful way to understand it is:

Subject + 派 + person + directional action

More specifically:

公司 + 派 + 他 + 来这里

You can think of 来这里 as describing where he is sent to go.

This kind of structure is common in Chinese:

  • 老师派我去买东西。 = The teacher sent me to buy things.
  • 老板派他去上海。 = The boss sent him to Shanghai.
  • 他们派人来帮我们。 = They sent someone to help us.

So the sentence fits a broader pattern:

A + 派 + B + verb phrase

where B is the person being sent or assigned, and the following verb phrase says what that person goes to do or where that person goes.


Would 公司把他派来这里 be possible?

Yes, that is possible, but it is a slightly different structure.

  • 公司派他来这里。 = simple and straightforward
  • 公司把他派来这里。 = uses the construction to highlight what was done to him

The version can feel a little more explicit about the handling or assignment of that person.

Both are grammatical, but the simple version is often the best one for learners to start with.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
How do tones work in Chinese?
Mandarin Chinese has four main tones plus a neutral tone. The same syllable can mean completely different things depending on the tone — for example, "mā" (mother), "má" (hemp), "mǎ" (horse), and "mà" (scold). Mastering tones is essential for being understood.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Chinese

Master Chinese — from gōngsī pài tā lái zhèlǐ to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • AI tutor to answer your grammar questions