'下来' (xià lái) is a directional complement meaning 'to come down' or 'to descend'. It combines the verb 下 (xià, 'to go down') with the directional particle 来 (lái, 'toward the speaker'), indicating motion from a higher position toward the speaker’s location or a lower reference point. Unlike standalone verbs, it rarely appears alone—it typically follows another verb (e.g., 走下来, 跑下来, 拿下来) to specify downward direction and endpoint.

This structure emphasizes completion and arrival at a lower position—whether physically (e.g., descending stairs), metaphorically (e.g., prices falling), or temporally (e.g., events unfolding). It’s commonly used in daily life: giving directions, describing movement in buildings or mountains, reporting changes in data, or even in idiomatic expressions like '坚持下来' ('to persevere'). Context determines whether the meaning is literal or figurative, but the core sense of downward motion ending near the speaker or a defined lower point remains consistent.