<p>I also wondered people can use either '来' or '去' for 'to'  as in  用水来滅火 and 用水去滅火, and my impression is as follow:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>来(to) emphasize the <strong>mean</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>[确保社交距离][来] 保护您和我们的员工 = To protect you and our employees with (the policy of) <strong>ensure social distancing</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>~</p>
<blockquote>
<p>去(to) emphasize the <strong>objective</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>确保社交距离 [去] [保护您和我们的员工] = use (the policy of) ensure social distancing <strong>to protect you and our employees</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Similarly:</p>
<p>用水滅火 = use water extinguishes a fire</p>
<p><strong>用水来</strong>滅火 = extinguish a fire <strong>with water</strong> (stress 水 is the mean)</p>
<p>用水<strong>去滅火</strong> = use water <strong>to extinguish a fire</strong> (stress 滅火 is the objective)</p>
<p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>
<p>Also, we use 来 when the object is close to you; we use 去 when the object is a distance from you</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>來我家 - come to my home</p>
<p>去你家 - go to your house</p>
<p>With this rule, we can apply it to your question</p>
<p>确保社交距离 [来]保护您和我们的员工 (保护您和我们的员工 is the goal right in front of you)</p>
<p>确保社交距离 [去] 保护您和我们的员工 (保护您和我们的员工 is a goal you set out to reach)</p>
<p>The two sentences basically mean the same, just from a different perspective</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T11:40:50.190Z
IMHO, "去" in "去保护……" is a preposition but in "去你家" it is a verb. "大部分动词能带动态助词‘了’，介词不能。大部分动词能带动态助词‘了’，介词不能。" Quoted from Baidu Baike. So the content in "Edit" seems not very convincing.
T-Pioneer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T12:07:06.833Z
Just wanted to mention 去 and 来 in other functions have a similar difference
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-03T22:57:57.380Z
用水來滅火/用水去滅火are acceptable because of 用. You can't extrapolate too much from it. Without 用, it's a whole different world. With 用, 來/去 actually can be omitted. Try doing that to OP's sentence. What'd you get? 我们需要确保社交距离保护您和我们的员工. Does this sentence look OK to you? I don't think so.
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-04T00:28:52.123Z
'确保社交距离' is a policy, not just a verb phrase ' ---> (用)'确保社交距离' (政策) If it was 要确保社交距离, then it would be better to write 要确保社交距离, 從而保护您和我们的员工. Try the two verb phrases [入內必須戴口罩] and [确保社交距离] you can treat them as policy and say 用入內必須戴口罩,  确保社交距离政策
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-04T00:31:02.183Z
引水來滅火/ 倒水去滅火 illustrate the different function between 來 and 去 better.  if it is just 用水滅火, the connection between 用水 and 滅火 would be weaker, You can almost argue: " I am talking about  the two topics: '用水' and '滅火' "as in '如何節省用水與正確滅火方法'
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T02:24:25.293Z
2021-02-01T07:28:43.090Z
2021-02-01T07:28:43.090Z
Tang Ho
<p>That's bad Chinese. No all Chinese is good. Be careful what you read.</p>
<p>Instead of 去, the notice should have used 以.</p>
<p>我们需要确保社交距离,以保护您和我们的员工</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T05:39:42.227Z
If you consider 2 points, A and B, 去 is 来, depending on where you are standing. 你过来巴。好，我过去。
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T07:13:10.210Z
@Pedroski Sure but I don't see the relevance. The original sentence OP posted is still bad Chinese.
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-03T13:46:25.867Z
For whatever reason, as a native Cantonese speaker, 以 sound more formal and I can properly explain it as "in order to". However, 去/來 still made sense to me and I just noticed how weird they are by viewing them from the English perspective.
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-03T15:02:11.213Z
@Daniel To me, 去 doesn't make sense; 來 would make sense in the sentence 我们需要用社交距离來保护您和我们的员工. As in Tang Ho's example, 用....來 is an acceptable usage.
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T10:17:46.567Z
2021-02-01T10:17:46.567Z
joehua
<p>My friend took a photo of this Chinese sign in Australia:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/wMeCy.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wMeCym.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a><br />
<sub>(click to enlarge)</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>It's a formal, long-winded way of saying &quot;stay 1.5 meters apart&quot;.  Specifically it says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>亲爱的顾客：</p>
<p>根据澳洲政府规定，我们需要确保社交距离<strong>去</strong>保护您和我们的员工。</p>
<p>请遵守1.5米社交距离规定。</p>
<p>谢谢您的配合</p>
<p>汇丰银行</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, I'm curious as to why there is a 去 in there.  I've come up with a few hypotheses: (a) it's some grammar pattern I'm unfamiliar with (something like the reverse of <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Using_%22lai%22_to_connect_two_verb_phrases" rel="nofollow noreferrer">来 used to connect two verb phrases</a>), (b) it's used to mean &quot;to&quot; in English, (c) it's related to a dialect.  I'm not sure if any of these are correct.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Why is there a 去 in the above?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T01:55:50.460Z
I prefer 来 instead of 去.
fefe
<word-choice><usage>
Why is there a 去 in 我们需要确保社交距离去保护您和我们的员工?
# Why is there a 去 in 我们需要确保社交距离去保护您和我们的员工?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-01)

My friend took a photo of this Chinese sign in Australia:

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/wMeCym.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/wMeCy.png)  
> (click to enlarge)

It's a formal, long-winded way of saying "stay 1.5 meters apart". Specifically it says:

> 亲爱的顾客：
>
> 根据澳洲政府规定，我们需要确保社交距离**去**保护您和我们的员工。
>
> 请遵守1.5米社交距离规定。
>
> 谢谢您的配合
>
> 汇丰银行

However, I'm curious as to why there is a 去 in there. I've come up with a few hypotheses: (a) it's some grammar pattern I'm unfamiliar with (something like the reverse of [来 used to connect two verb phrases](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Using_%22lai%22_to_connect_two_verb_phrases)), (b) it's used to mean "to" in English, (c) it's related to a dialect. I'm not sure if any of these are correct.

**Question**: Why is there a 去 in the above?

**Tags:** word-choice, usage

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I prefer 来 instead of 去.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-02-01. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

I also wondered people can use either '来' or '去' for 'to' as in 用水来滅火 and 用水去滅火, and my impression is as follow:

> 来(to) emphasize the **mean**

> [确保社交距离][来] 保护您和我们的员工 = To protect you and our employees with (the policy of) **ensure social distancing**

~

> 去(to) emphasize the **objective**

> 确保社交距离 [去] [保护您和我们的员工] = use (the policy of) ensure social distancing **to protect you and our employees**

Similarly:

用水滅火 = use water extinguishes a fire

**用水来**滅火 = extinguish a fire **with water** (stress 水 is the mean)

用水**去滅火** = use water **to extinguish a fire** (stress 滅火 is the objective)

**Edit:**

Also, we use 来 when the object is close to you; we use 去 when the object is a distance from you

Example:

來我家 - come to my home

去你家 - go to your house

With this rule, we can apply it to your question

确保社交距离 [来]保护您和我们的员工 (保护您和我们的员工 is the goal right in front of you)

确保社交距离 [去] 保护您和我们的员工 (保护您和我们的员工 is a goal you set out to reach)

The two sentences basically mean the same, just from a different perspective

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: IMHO, "去" in "去保护……" is a preposition but in "去你家" it is a verb. "大部分动词能带动态助词‘了’，介词不能。大部分动词能带动态助词‘了’，介词不能。" Quoted from Baidu Baike. So the content in "Edit" seems not very convincing.  
> **username_2**: Just wanted to mention 去 and 来 in other functions have a similar difference  
> **username_4**: 用水來滅火/用水去滅火are acceptable because of 用. You can't extrapolate too much from it. Without 用, it's a whole different world. With 用, 來/去 actually can be omitted. Try doing that to OP's sentence. What'd you get? 我们需要确保社交距离保护您和我们的员工. Does this sentence look OK to you? I don't think so.  
> **username_2**: '确保社交距离' is a policy, not just a verb phrase ' ---> (用)'确保社交距离' (政策) If it was 要确保社交距离, then it would be better to write 要确保社交距离, 從而保护您和我们的员工. Try the two verb phrases [入內必須戴口罩] and [确保社交距离] you can treat them as policy and say 用入內必須戴口罩,  确保社交距离政策  
> **username_2**: 引水來滅火/ 倒水去滅火 illustrate the different function between 來 and 去 better.  if it is just 用水滅火, the connection between 用水 and 滅火 would be weaker, You can almost argue: " I am talking about  the two topics: '用水' and '滅火' "as in '如何節省用水與正確滅火方法'  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-02-01. Score: 2

That's bad Chinese. No all Chinese is good. Be careful what you read.

Instead of 去, the notice should have used 以.

我们需要确保社交距离,以保护您和我们的员工

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: If you consider 2 points, A and B, 去 is 来, depending on where you are standing. 你过来巴。好，我过去。  
> **username_4**: @username_5 Sure but I don't see the relevance. The original sentence OP posted is still bad Chinese.  
> **username_6**: For whatever reason, as a native Cantonese speaker, 以 sound more formal and I can properly explain it as "in order to". However, 去/來 still made sense to me and I just noticed how weird they are by viewing them from the English perspective.  
> **username_4**: @username_6 To me, 去 doesn't make sense; 來 would make sense in the sentence 我们需要用社交距离來保护您和我们的员工. As in username_2 Ho's example, 用....來 is an acceptable usage.  

---

