Carry focuses on how you move something with you: you support it, hold it, wear it, or transport it. It answers the question “How is it being moved?” and can describe the whole journey, not just the destination. You can carry objects, people, or abstract things like responsibility.

Bring focuses on direction toward a person or place that matters in the conversation, often the speaker or the destination. It answers “Where is it going?” and usually implies you arrive with the item. It can be physical or abstract, like bringing good news or bringing problems.

Use bring when movement is toward “here,” toward the listener, or toward a specified destination that is treated as the endpoint. Use carry when direction is not the main idea, or when you are highlighting the act of transporting or holding something. In many sentences, both can appear: carry describes the method, bring describes the endpoint.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use bring for movement toward the speaker or meeting place	🧭 对于朝向说话者或会面地点的移动，请使用带来	Please bring your laptop to the meeting.	🧩 请把你的笔记本带到会议上。
Use carry for transport as the main action	🧳 以运输为主要动作时使用携带	I carried the boxes upstairs.	🧩 我将箱子带上楼。
Use bring for arriving with something as the result	🧠 以某物作为结果到达时使用带来	She brought snacks for everyone.	🧩 她给大家带来点心。
Use carry when emphasizing physical support or load	🧱 在强调物理支撑或负载时使用携带	He carried the child on his shoulders.	🧩 他把孩子扛在肩上。

Carry often describes the physical relationship between you and the thing: in your hands, in your arms, on your back, or on your body. Bring is often used with a destination phrase like to the office, to school, or over here. Carry is also common for things you keep on you while moving, like carrying a bag or carrying a phone.

For travel contexts, bring is common when you decide to include an item with you to a destination. Carry is common for what you have on you during the trip, including bags, documents, and items you must keep with you. In formal travel language, carry can also mean transport by vehicle, like an airline carrying passengers.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
bring with you	🧳 带着去目的地的物品	include an item when you go somewhere	🧠 去某地时随身带上某物	Bring your passport with you.	🧩 带上你的护照。
carry on you	🎒 随身携带的物品	have an item on your person while moving	🧠 在移动时随身携带的物品	I always carry cash on me.	🧩 我总是随身携带现金。
carry passengers	✈️ 运送乘客	transport people by a vehicle or company	🧠 通过车辆或公司运送人员	This airline carries millions of passengers each year.	🧩 这家航空公司每年运送数百万乘客。

Both verbs can be metaphorical. Carry often means continuing to hold a burden, duty, or emotion over time. Bring often means causing something to happen or introducing something into a situation, like bringing change or bringing attention to a problem. The difference stays the same: carry is about bearing, bring is about causing or delivering toward a point.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
carry a burden	🪨 承担负担	continue to bear a heavy responsibility or stress	🧠 继续承受沉重的责任或压力	She carried a lot of responsibility at work.	🧩 她在工作中承担了很多责任。
bring news	📰 带来新闻	deliver information to someone	🧠 将信息传达给某人	He brought good news.	🧩 他带来好消息。
bring trouble	🌧️ 带来麻烦	cause problems to appear	🧠 引发问题出现	That decision brought trouble.	🧩 那个决定带来了麻烦。
bring attention to	🧲 引起人们注意	direct focus toward an issue	🧠 将注意力指向某个问题	The report brought attention to safety risks.	🧩 报告引起了对安全风险的关注。

Some nouns commonly pair with one verb more than the other. Carry is frequent with items you hold or bear, like bags, boxes, weapons, and loads. Bring is frequent with items you deliver or provide at a destination, like documents, food, gifts, and guests. These patterns are preferences, not strict rules.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
carry a bag	👜 携带一个包	hold and transport a bag	🧠 拿着并运输一个包	She carried a bag on her shoulder.	🧩 她把包挎在肩上。
carry a box	📦 携带一个箱子	move a box by holding it	🧠 通过握着来移动箱子	We carried the box inside.	🧩 我们把箱子带进来了。
bring dessert	🍰 带来甜点	deliver dessert to an event	🧠 将甜点送往活动现场	I will bring dessert to dinner.	🧩 我会把甜点带去晚餐。
bring documents	📄 带来文件	deliver required papers to a place	🧠 将所需的文件送到某地	Please bring your ID and forms.	🧩 请带上你的身份证件和表格。

Bring and take form a direction pair: bring is toward the speaker or chosen endpoint, take is away from it. Carry is different: it describes transport or bearing without encoding toward or away. When choosing between bring and take, first decide direction; if you also want to emphasize the load or holding, add carry or use carry in a separate clause.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use bring for movement toward here or the destination viewpoint	➡️ 对于朝向这里或目标视角的移动，请使用带来	Bring the files to my office.	🧩 将文件带到我的办公室。
Use take for movement away from here or away from the speaker viewpoint	⬅️ 对于离开这里或离开说话者视角的移动，请使用带走（take）	Take the files to the archive.	🧩 将文件带到档案馆。
Use carry to emphasize the load, independent of toward or away	🧳 强调负载时使用携带，与朝向无关	He carried the files to the archive.	🧩 他把文件带到了档案馆。

In requests, bring often sounds like you want the person to arrive with the item, so it is common in everyday instructions. Carry often sounds like you are describing the physical action, so it is common in task descriptions and narrations. If you say “Carry this,” it can sound more specific and physical than “Bring this,” especially without a destination.

Choose bring when the key idea is delivering something to a person or place in the conversation. Choose carry when the key idea is physically holding or transporting something, or bearing something over time. If both ideas matter, use bring for the destination and carry for the method in the same message.