1. to come
2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)
3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[huí lai])
4. ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zì gǔ yǐ lái])
5. for the past (amount of time)
6. (prefix) the coming ...
7. the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lái shì])
8. (between two verbs) in order to
9. (after a round number) approximately
10. (used after 得[dé] (or 不[bù]) to indicate possibility (or impossibility), as in 談得來|谈得来[tán de lái] (or 吃不來|吃不来[chī bu lái]))