Expressing "about" with "guanyu"

关于 (guānyú) usually points to a range or scope, acting like the English word "about." It can be used in a few ways, often marking a topic of a statement, or modifying a noun.

Using 关于 with the Topic

Structure

As an adverb/adverbial clause, it can only be placed at the beginning of the sentence.

关于 + Obj.，Subj. ⋯⋯

Examples

• 关于 中国 历史，我 知道 的 不多。Guānyú Zhōngguó lìshǐ, wǒ zhīdào de bù duō.As for Chinese history, I don't know a lot.
• 关于 这 次 考试，我 还 有 几 个 问题 要 问。Guānyú zhè cì kǎoshì, wǒ hái yǒu jǐ gè wèntí yào wèn.As for this exam, I still have a lot of questions that I need to ask.
• 关于 这个 问题，你们 还是 问 他 吧。Guānyú zhège wèntí, nǐmen háishì wèn tā bā.As for this problem, you'd better ask him.
• 关于 你 的 建议，老板 还在 考虑 。Guānyú nǐ de jiànyì, lǎobǎn hái zài kǎolǜ.As for your suggestion, the boss is still thinking it over.
• 关于 那个 调查 结果，我们 也 不 太 清楚 。Guānyú nàge diàochá jiéguǒ, wǒmen yě bù tài qīngchu.As for the result of that research, we don't know much either.

Noun Phrase with 关于

As an attributive modifier, 关于 (guānyú) is placed before the noun phrase, and you should always add a 的.

关于 + Modifier + 的 + Noun

Examples

• 你 有 关于 这 次 会议 的 PPT 吗？Nǐ yǒu guānyú zhè cì huìyì de PPT ma?Do you have the Powerpoint for this meeting?
• 这 是 一 份 关于 中国 市场 的 报告 。Zhè shì yī fèn guānyú Zhōngguó shìchǎng de bàogào.This is a report about the Chinese markets.
• 关于 这 次 旅行 的 计划 还没 做 好。Guānyú zhè cì lǚxíng de jìhuà hái méi zuò hǎo.We haven't really figured out our plan for this trip yet.
• 经理 想 了解 更 多 关于 新 项目 的 情况 。Jīnglǐ xiǎng liǎojiě gèng duō guānyú xīn xiàngmù de qíngkuàng.The manager wants to know more about the new project.

Unspoken 关于 with Verbs

The word "about" often follows verbs in English, such as "talk about" or "ask about." In Chinese however, this "about" meaning is built into the verb and no additional "about" word is needed, much as we don't say "discuss about" in English.

A few examples:

• 我们 聊聊 你 的 新 工作 吧 。Wǒmen liáoliao nǐ de xīn gōngzuò ba.Let's talk about your new job.
• 今天 开会 要 说说 公司 下 个 月 的 培训 。Jīntiān kāihuì yào shuōshuo gōngsī xià gè yuè de péixùn.Today, we need to hold a meeting about next month's company training.

See Also

• Comparing "dui" and "duiyu"
• Comparing "guanyu" and "duiyu"
• Comparing "duiyu" and "zhiyu"