Chinese prepositions may look simple at first glance, but they play a crucial role in building natural sentences. They help show time, place, direction, reason, method, and relationship between actions and objects.
Unlike English, Chinese prepositions often appear in fixed patterns and are closely tied to sentence structure rather than complex grammatical changes. Once you understand the core preposition system, your Chinese sentences immediately become clearer and more natural.
What Are Chinese Prepositions?
In Chinese, prepositions are often called 介词 (jiè cí). They usually come before a noun or pronoun and show relationships such as “in,” “on,” “at,” “for,” “with,” and “from.”
However, Chinese prepositions are not always direct one-to-one matches with English. Instead, they form fixed expressions and patterns.
For example:
在 (zài)- in / at / on
从 (cóng)- from
给 (gěi)- to / for
跟 (gēn)- with
对 (duì)- toward / regarding
向 (xiàng)- toward
Understanding these small words is essential for building correct sentence structures.
The Most Important Preposition: 在 (zài)
The preposition 在 (zài) is one of the most commonly used words in Chinese. It expresses location or ongoing action.
Structure:
Subject + 在 + Place
我在家。(wǒ zài jiā)- I am at home.
他在学校学习。(tā zài xué xiào xué xí)- He studies at school.
她在公园跑步。(tā zài gōng yuán pǎo bù)- She is running in the park.
When used with verbs, 在 (zài) indicates an ongoing action:
我在吃饭。(wǒ zài chī fàn)- I am eating.
他们在看电视。(tā men zài kàn diàn shì)- They are watching TV.
Example sentences:
我在办公室工作。(wǒ zài bàn gōng shì gōng zuò)- I work in the office.
他在房间睡觉。(tā zài fáng jiān shuì jiào)- He is sleeping in the room.
我们在咖啡店聊天。(wǒ men zài kā fēi diàn liáo tiān)- We are chatting in the coffee shop.
The Preposition 从 (cóng) – From
从 (cóng) expresses origin or starting point.
Structure:
从 + Place + Verb
我从中国来。(wǒ cóng zhōng guó lái)- I come from China.
他从学校回家。(tā cóng xué xiào huí jiā)- He returns home from school.
她从机场出发。(tā cóng jī chǎng chū fā)- She departs from the airport (机场, jī chǎng).
This preposition is essential when talking about movement or direction.
Example sentences:
我从北京来。(wǒ cóng běi jīng lái)- I come from Beijing.
他们从商店回来。(tā men cóng shāng diàn huí lái)- They came back from the store.
我们从公司出发。(wǒ men cóng gōng sī chū fā)- We depart from the company.
The Preposition 给 (gěi) – To / For
给 (gěi) expresses giving or receiving direction.
Structure:
Subject + 给 + Person + Object
我给你一本书。(wǒ gěi nǐ yì běn shū)- I give you a book.
老师给我们作业。(lǎo shī gěi wǒ men zuò yè)- The teacher gives us homework.
他给我打电话。(tā gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà)- He calls me.
It can also mean “for” in many contexts.
Example sentences:
我给妈妈买礼物。(wǒ gěi mā ma mǎi lǐ wù)- I buy a gift for mom.
她给朋友写信。(tā gěi péng yǒu xiě xìn)- She writes a letter to a friend.
我们给老师送花。(wǒ men gěi lǎo shī sòng huā)- We give flowers to the teacher.
The Preposition 跟 (gēn) – With
跟 (gēn) is used to express companionship or doing something together.
Structure:
Subject + 跟 + Person + Verb
我跟朋友去商店。(wǒ gēn péng yǒu qù shāng diàn)- I go to the store with a friend.
他跟我学习中文。(tā gēn wǒ xué xí zhōng wén)- He studies Chinese with me.
她跟妈妈一起做饭。(tā gēn mā ma yì qǐ zuò fàn)- She cooks with her mother.
The word 一起 (yì qǐ)- together is often used with 跟.
Example sentences:
我们跟老师聊天。(wǒ men gēn lǎo shī liáo tiān)- We chat with the teacher.
他跟同学去图书馆。(tā gēn tóng xué qù tú shū guǎn)- He goes to the library with classmates.
我跟她看电影。(wǒ gēn tā kàn diàn yǐng)- I watch a movie with her.
The Preposition 对 (duì) – Toward / Regarding
对 (duì) is used when expressing attitude, opinion, or direction toward something or someone.
Structure:
Subject + 对 + Object + Verb
我对中文很感兴趣。(wǒ duì zhōng wén hěn gǎn xìng qù)- I am very interested in Chinese.
他对工作很认真。(tā duì gōng zuò hěn rèn zhēn)- He is serious about work.
她对我很好。(tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo)- She is very kind to me.
It is often used in emotional or abstract contexts.
Example sentences:
我对音乐有兴趣。(wǒ duì yīn yuè yǒu xìng qù)- I am interested in music.
他们对这个问题讨论很多。(tā men duì zhè ge wèn tí tǎo lùn hěn duō)- They discuss this problem a lot.
老师对学生很耐心。(lǎo shī duì xué shēng hěn nài xīn)- The teacher is patient with students.
The Preposition 向 (xiàng) – Toward
向 (xiàng) is used to express direction.
Structure:
向 + Direction / Person + Verb
他向我走来。(tā xiàng wǒ zǒu lái)- He walks toward me.
飞机向北飞。(fēi jī xiàng běi fēi)- The plane flies north.
她向老师请教。(tā xiàng lǎo shī qǐng jiào)- She asks the teacher for advice.
This preposition is often used in formal or descriptive language.
Example sentences:
他向门口跑去。(tā xiàng mén kǒu pǎo qù)- He runs toward the door.
我们向前走。(wǒ men xiàng qián zǒu)- We walk forward.
她向朋友道歉。(tā xiàng péng yǒu dào qiàn)- She apologizes to a friend.
Prepositions in Time Expressions
Chinese prepositions are also used in time-related phrases.
Common ones include:
在 (zài)- at / in (time)
从 (cóng)- from (time)
到 (dào)- until / to
我在晚上学习。(wǒ zài wǎn shàng xué xí)- I study at night.
从星期一到星期五工作。(cóng xīng qī yī dào xīng qī wǔ gōng zuò)- I work from Monday to Friday.
他在三点回家。(tā zài sān diǎn huí jiā)- He goes home at 3 o’clock.
Example sentences:
我们从早上开始。(wǒ men cóng zǎo shàng kāi shǐ)- We start from the morning.
会议在下午举行。(huì yì zài xià wǔ jǔ xíng)- The meeting is held in the afternoon.
她在周末休息。(tā zài zhōu mò xiū xí)- She rests on weekends.
Common Mistakes Learners Make
Many beginners make mistakes by translating English prepositions directly into Chinese.
For example:
Incorrect:
我在学校去。
Correct:
我去学校。(wǒ qù xué xiào)- I go to school.
Another mistake is overusing prepositions when they are not needed.
Chinese often removes unnecessary words for simplicity.
Example sentences:
我给你电话。(wǒ gěi nǐ diàn huà)- I call you.
他对我说。(tā duì wǒ shuō)- He told me.
我们跟他一起走。(wǒ men gēn tā yì qǐ zǒu)- We walk together with him.
How to Learn Chinese Prepositions Fast
The fastest way to learn Chinese prepositions is not memorization, but pattern recognition.
Instead of learning rules like “在 means at,” learn full sentences:
我在家
我在学校
我在工作
Then expand gradually.
Also, group prepositions by function:
Location (在)
Origin (从)
Direction (向)
Transfer (给)
Companionship (跟)
Emotion/Relation (对)
This helps your brain organize them naturally.
Final Understanding
Chinese prepositions are small words with big importance. They connect ideas, show relationships, and give structure to sentences.
Once you master the core prepositions, your Chinese becomes much more natural, fluid, and expressive.
The key is not to memorize them individually, but to learn them through real sentence patterns and daily usage.
Core Preposition Vocabulary
- 介词 (jiè cí)- preposition
- 在 (zài)- at / in / on
- 从 (cóng)- from
- 给 (gěi)- to / for
- 跟 (gēn)- with
- 对 (duì)- toward / regarding
- 向 (xiàng)- toward
