What does it mean in the sentence - 取得成功的人往往都经历过许多失败，他们和普通人的区别就是他们都坚持了下来 ? I know that 下来 is the "it's going down", but i don't know what meaning it has here.
2 Answers
It means: They persisted and carried on. They did not give up.
If your question focuses on why "下来" is used here: It (as well as other "来/去" words) is frequently used in retrospect of past progress and completion. I am not sure if this is formal enough in official writing but it is common. Consider the next examples:
- 一路走来 / 一路走下来
- 这几个月下来 / 这几个月以来
- 把这篇文章背下来
- 我看不下去
- 坚持不下来 / 坚持不下去
These are all acceptable uses.
来 refers to the action of coming/walking over from a far point (start) to a near point (end), and 下 is the direction of counting from the start/top to the end/bottom; combined, 下来 means through the entire journey (from start/far to end/near).
- 取得成功的人往往都经历过许多失败，.... 他们都坚持了下来 - Oftentimes, the successful persons have had experienced quite a few failures (on the way to success), ... they all clung to the journey (from start to the end) regardless.
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Thank you for such the simple explanation!!! However, could you tell me something else? I mean 下去 ？ Maybe in this sentence: 有些路很远，走下去会很累. I saw in the dictionary that it can also mean "from beginning to end"– TatianaCommented May 16, 2023 at 14:01
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下去 has the meaning of "to go down", and "to continue (from here to the end)". My translation will be "Some roads are quite distant, to continue to walk/travel down (the long road) will certainly be quite tired/worn out.".– r13Commented May 16, 2023 at 17:47
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