Chinese Prepositions: 25 Common Linking Words and How to Use Them

In life and in language learning, the small things really matter.

So it’s time to add another small element to your knowledge of Chinese grammar—prepositions.

Prepositions are often found in all different parts of Mandarin sentence structures. But don’t fret, 学生 (xué shēng) — student!

Once you’ve got the prepositions in this post down, you’ll be well on your way to greater fluency (and maybe passing that next Chinese proficiency test, too).

So let’s go over exactly what Chinese prepositions are and 25 of the most common (and useful!) ones you’ll want to know.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

What Are Chinese Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that provide a way to understand the relationship between two words or sentence sections, connecting nouns, pronouns and adjectives. The word or section that the preposition leads into is called the “object.”

Prepositions are vital to understanding English, and even more so with Chinese. They can be used to describe time, place, actions and much more. Once you grasp how to use prepositions, you can easily put together sentences on the fly.

An English example would be:

Please add a dab of butter.

So how can we translate this into Chinese using the correct preposition and word order? Well, luckily, Mandarin operates on a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) basis, just like English.

The preposition of the sentence will be 的 (de) — of. It’s the word that connects two concepts together to make one solid statement. So here’s that same English sentence in Chinese:

请加少量的黄油。
(qǐng jiā shǎo liàng de huáng yóu.）

Pretty simple, right?

While this translation might be fairly straightforward, they won’t all be that easy. There are some differences in terms of preposition location.

For example, take this sentence:

I will see to it.

In Chinese, however, this would be:

由我来做。
(yóu wǒ lái zuò.)

Here, our preposition (由) comes at the very beginning of the sentence.

Sometimes, prepositions can come at the end of the sentence, too, although this is less common. Most of the time, they’ll remain in the middle, similar to where they are in English.

Now, let’s go over the most common Chinese prepositions!

25 Common Prepositions in Chinese

1. 关于 (guān yú) — About

我喜欢看关于猫的电影。
(wǒ xǐ huān kàn guān yú māo de diàn yǐng.)
I like to watch movies about cats.

Note that in this sentence, the preposition comes closer to the beginning.

2. 以上 (yǐ shàng) — Above, More 

他有三百本以上的书。
(tā yǒu sān bǎi běn yǐ shàng de shū.)
He has three hundred or more books.

The preposition links 他有三本 to the concept of having more than three books, but not a precise number.

3. 其中 (qí zhōng) — Among

你是其中最帅的一个。
(nǐ shì qí zhōng zuì shuài de yī gè.)
You are the most handsome one among them.

In Chinese, the preposition is at the forefront of this sentence, connecting 你是 with the idea of being handsome. The preposition helps make it clear that the person you’re talking to is the most handsome person in the group.

4. 在 (zài) — At

我会在家里等。
(wǒ huì zài jiā lǐ děng.)
I will wait at home.

This preposition is in a spot that makes more sense to beginners, but it may still seem a bit off because the direct translation is, “I will, at home, wait.”

5. 前 (qián) — Before

中午前回家。
(zhōng wǔ qián huí jiā.)
Go home before noon.

前 can also be used as a noun in a sentence. So remember to look for context clues!

In this sentence, the time description comes first, then the preposition, then the action. Remember, Mandarin typically follows SVO sentence structure.

6. 旁 (páng) — Beside

她待在温暖的篝火旁边。
(tā dài zài wēn nuǎn de gōu huǒ páng biān.)
She stays beside the warm bonfire.

7. 之间 (zhī jiān) — Among, Between

我在很多任务之间切换。
(wǒ zài hěn duō rèn wù zhī jiān qiē huàn.)
I switch among many tasks..

The rough translation of this sentence is “I’m here, jobs in between.”

The sentence establishes the existence of the subject, the existence of the possession of jobs or gigs and the distinction of not exactly possessing a job yet.

8. 由 (yóu) — Is, For

这由我负责。
(zhè yóu wǒ fù zé.)
I am responsible for this.

Literally, “This is my responsibility.”

9. 尽管 (jǐn guǎn) — Despite

尽管你不完美，我仍然爱你。
(jǐn guǎn nǐ bù wán měi, wǒ réng rán ài nǐ.)
I love you despite the fact that you are not perfect.

Like I mentioned before, sometimes prepositions come right at the start of the sentence. In this sentence specifically, the addition of 尽管 changes the meaning of the statement 你有缺陷 from “you have flaws” to “despite you having flaws.”

10. 除了 (chú le) — Except (for)

除了夏林没有人来。
(chú le xià lín méi yǒu rén lái.)
No one came except for Xia Lin.

Notice the location of this one at the front of the sentence, once again.

11. 为了 (wèi le) — For

她会为了爱而做任何事情。
(tā huì wèi le ài ér zuò rèn hé shì qíng.)
She will do anything for love.

This one literally says, “She will, for love, do anything.” Note that you may sometimes see 对于  (duì yú) in place of 为了.

为了 is also notably different from number eight above, 由, which can also mean “for.” 由, however, is used as a preposition meaning something is “as the result of” or “because of.” 为了 is used to talk about doing something “for the purpose of,” or “in order to” do something. 

12. 在…附近 (zài…fù jìn) — Near

在教堂附近
(zài jiào táng fù jìn)
near the church

While these three characters are on opposite sides of the phrase, they only make sense when they’re all present.

13. 的 (de) — Of

他所有的朋友都很有趣。
(tā suǒ yǒu de péng yǒu dōu hěn yǒu qù.)
All of his friends are fun.

的 is a preposition you’ll see a lot in Mandarin. Be aware that this word can also be used to announce possession, as in:

你是我的朋友。
(nǐ shì wǒ de péng yǒu.)
You are my friend.

The addition of 的 in this sentence changes the word 我 from “me” to 我的, “my.”

14. 至于 (zhì yú) — As for

至于我，我喜欢美食。
(zhì yú wǒ, wǒ xǐ huān měi shí.)
As for me, I love delicious food.

至于 is another really convenient and simple preposition that almost always comes at the beginning of a sentence.

15. 外 (wài) — Outside

在餐厅外面等。
(zài cān tīng wài miàn děng.)
Wait outside of the restaurant.

16. 自 (zì) — Since

她自生病后，就变得很憔悴。
(tā zì shēng bìng hòu, jiù biàn dé hěn qiáo cuì.)
She has gotten haggard-looking since she got sick.

17. 比 (bǐ) — Than

你比我好。
(nǐ bǐ wǒ hǎo.)
You are better than me.

This preposition comes directly after the subject of the sentence.

18. 通过 (tōng guò) — Through

通过大门
(tōng guo dà mén)
through the gate

19. 至 (zhì) — Until

我上九点至五点的班。
(wǒ shàng jiǔ diǎn zhì wǔ diǎn de bān.)
I have work from nine until five.

This preposition makes more sense to English speakers than many other prepositions in Mandarin. The rough literal translation here is, “I am at nine until five for work.”

20. 下 (xià) — Under

椅子的下面
(yǐ zi de xià mian)
under the chair

21. 和…一起 (hé…yī qǐ) — With

和你一起
(hé nǐ yī qǐ)
with you

Like 在…附近 from number 12 above, this preposition needs to include every character around the noun or pronoun in order to make sense.

22. 从 (cóng) — From

从这里往前走五分钟。
(cóng zhè lǐ wǎng qián zǒu wǔ fēn zhōng.)
From here, walk straight ahead for five minutes.

As you can see, 从 is a useful preposition to know for learning directions in Chinese.

23. 往 (wǎng) — To, Toward

往左走。
(wǎng zuǒ zǒu.)
Go to the left.

往 is another good preposition for directions. This sentence literally says, “To the left, go.”

24. 对 (duì) — To, For

这里对我来说太冷了。
(zhè lǐ duì wǒ lái shuō tài lěng le.)
It’s too cold in here for me.

As a preposition, 对 means “to” or “for” as in “with respect to.” So this sentence says, “This place, to me, is too cold.”

25. 跟 (gēn) — With, To

我想跟你说一件事。
(wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ shuō yí jiàn shì.)
I want to say one thing to you.

You may find 跟 in place of prepositional phrase number 21 above, 和…一起.

How to Practice Chinese Prepositions

The best way to get better at using prepositions in Chinese is to make note of them in real-world Mandarin materials. For instance, you can find prepositions in:

• Chinese books
• Chinese blogs
• Chinese songs
• Chinese podcasts
• Chinese TV shows
• Chinese movies

You can also use language learning apps and programs to help you get the hang of Chinese prepositions.

FluentU, for example, is an immersive program that teaches you the language through native Mandarin videos.

Once you’ve seen more Chinese prepositions in action, try using the prepositions yourself!

You can add in more prepositions while you practice writing sentences, chat with your Mandarin-speaking friends or even take Chinese class. And the more you do that, the better you’ll understand how to use prepositions in Chinese.

 

So, while prepositions may be in different “spots” than they are in English, it’s only a matter of switching a few things around to get them where they need to go.

You’ve just moved on to the next round of Mandarin learning. Good luck on your journey!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)