Research on the Acquisition Sequence of the Multifunctional Word “ Lai ” Among Foreign Students

The multifunctional word “ Lai ” (来) [come] possesses complex semantic and part-of-speech diversity, presenting significant comprehension difficulties and resulting in frequent errors among foreign students. This study employs a combined methodology integrating single-criterion and multi-criteria standards. First, two acquisition sequences were established using a direct sorting method based on the relative frequency of correct usage and the output rate of “ Lai .” Second, the third acquisition sequence was generated by using implicational scaling. Following this, correlation tests were conducted on these three sequences, followed by a pairwise combination approach to generate three additional sequences. Finally, a comprehensive scoring method was applied to determine the most statistically valid acquisition sequence for learners of Chinese, which is: Lai 1 > Lai 4 > Lai 2 > Lai 3 > Lai 8 > Lai 7 > Lai 6 > Lai 5 . Among these, Lai 1 , Lai 4 , and Lai 2 are identified as the most easily acquired senses; Lai 3 and Lai 8 are moderately accessible; and Lai 7 , Lai 6 , and Lai 5 represent the most difficult senses to acquire. By analyzing the semantic acquisition of the multifunctional word “ Lai ” through the HSK Interlanguage Corpus, this study establishes a definitive acquisition order to facilitate Chinese language pedagogy and minimize learner errors.