Expressing "with regards to" with "zhiyu"

至于 (zhìyú), meaning "with regards to" or "as to," is used when the speaker wants to comment on a topic related to the previously discussed one.

Structure

This structure is used similarly to "with regards to" in English. Just put at the beginning of the sentence, before the further comment you want to make.

至于 + Topic， Comment

Examples

Note: 至于 is used after some other discussion or comments. It is not used to start a new discussion free of context.

• 项目 方案 我 给 老板 了 。 至于 老板 同 不 同意，要 看 老板 了。Xiàngmù fāng'àn wǒ gěi lǎobǎn le. Zhìyú lǎobǎn tóng bu tóngyì, yào kàn lǎobǎn le.I've given the project proposal to my boss. Iit's up to him whether he agrees or not.
• 他 足球 踢得 不错，至于 篮球，那 就 一般 了。Tā zúqiú tī de bùcuò, zhìyú lánqiú, nà jiù yībān le.He is a good soccer player, but just average at basketball.
• 我 很 喜欢 读书，至于 什么 书，没有 限制 。Wǒ hěn xǐhuan dúshū, zhìyú shénme shū, méiyǒu xiànzhì.I like reading very much. As for what books, there are no limits.
• 我 已经 和 你 说 很 多 了 ，至于 这个 问题，你 自己 好好 想想。Wǒ yǐjīng hé nǐ shuō hěn duō le, zhìyú zhège wèntí, nǐ zìjǐ hǎohāo xiǎngxiang.I've already told you a lot. As for this question, just think about it yourself.
• 我 只能 帮 你 这么 多，至于 后面 怎么 做 ，你 要 自己 努力 了。Wǒ zhǐ néng bāng nǐ zhème duō, zhìyú hòumiàn zěnme zuò, nǐ yào zìjǐ nǔlì le.That's all I can do for you. As for what to do later, you're going to have to work hard on your own.
• 我 过年 一定 会 回家 的，至于 她 回 不 回去，我 不 关心。Wǒ guònián yīdìng huì huí jiā de, zhìyú tā huí bù huíqù, wǒ bù guānxīn.I'll definitely go home for Chinese New Year, but as for whether she goes back or not, I'm not involved.
• 小猫 我 先 养着，至于 钱 的 事儿 ，以后 再 说 。Xiǎo māo wǒ xiān yǎngzhe, zhìyú qián de shì er, yǐhòu zàishuō.I'll raise the kitten for now, and as for the matter of money, we'll talk about it later.
• 我 已经 尽力 了 ，至于 结果 只 能 看 运气 了 。Wǒ yǐjīng jìnlì le, zhìyú jiéguǒ zhǐ néng kàn yùnqì le.I've already tried my best. With regards to the results, it all depends on luck.
• 她 跟 我 说 明天 回来 ，至于 具体 的 时间，我 就 不 知道 了 。Tā gēn wǒ shuō míngtiān huílái, zhìyú jùtǐ de shíjiān, wǒ jiù bù zhīdào le.She told me she was coming back tomorrow. With regards to the specific time, I don't know about that.
• 律师 只能 为 他 的 客户 辩护，至于 最后 的 判决 ，那 就 取决于 法官 了 。Lǜshī zhǐ néng wèi tā de kèhù biànhù, zhìyú zuìhòu de pànjué, nà jiù qǔjué yú fǎguān le.A lawyer can only defend her client. As for the verdict, that depends on the judge.

See also

• Limiting scope with "jiu"
• "For…" with "eryan"
• Marking a topic with "de hua"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Boya Chinese Upper Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语中级冲刺篇) (pp. 28) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 154-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Short-term Spoken Chinese: Intermediate (汉语口语速成中级篇) (pp. 115) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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