Difference between revisions of "Using "dui" with verbs"

Revision as of 08:04, 10 November 2016

Level

B1 / HSK2
Level

B1
Level

HSK2
Similar to
- Expressing "for" with "gei" (B1)
- Expressing "toward" with "wang" (B1)
- Expressing "towards" with "xiang" (B1)
- Verbs followed by "gei" (B1)
- Verbs preceded by "gei" (B1)
- Comparing "dui" and "duiyu" (B2)
- Comparing "gen" and "dui" (B2)
- Expressing "for…" with "eryan" (B2)
Similar to
- Expressing "for" with "gei" (HSK2)
- Expressing "toward" with "wang" (HSK2)
- Verbs followed by "gei" (HSK2)
- Verbs preceded by "gei" (HSK2)
- Expressing "towards" with "xiang" (HSK3)
- Comparing "dui" and "duiyu" (HSK5)
- Comparing "gen" and "dui" (HSK5)
- Expressing "for…" with "eryan" (HSK5)
Used for

Describing actions
Keywords

对

When using 对 (duì) as a preposition, it is used to indicate "to" or "towards" an Obj. or target. As with all prepositions, some care should be taken when using this particle, as usage of 对 doesn't always totally "make sense" or correspond to English at all.

Basic Structure

The structure is basically:

对 + Obj. + Verb Phrase

Note that you shouldn't be plugging in just any old verb here. Certain verbs are often used with 对, and some even need 对 if you want to add an Obj. (like 感兴趣, explained below).

Examples

Here are some examples:

他对我笑。Tā duì wǒ xiào.He laughs at me.
我要对你负责。Wǒ yào duì nǐ fùzé.I am going to be responsible for you.
我对西安不熟悉。Wǒ duì Xī'ān bù shúxī.I am not familiar with Xi'an.
抽烟对健康有害。Chōuyān duì jiànkāng yǒuhài.Smoking is bad for your health.

对 is also used in such structures as: 对...感兴趣 ("to be interested in...") as well as 对···过敏（”be allergic to the Obj.“）

对⋯⋯感兴趣

In English we say "to be interested in something." In Chinese, the pattern is:

对 + Obj. + 感兴趣

我对书法感兴趣。Wǒ duì shūfǎ gǎn xìngqù.I am interested in calligraphy.
谁对英语很感兴趣？Shuí duì Yīngyǔ hěn gǎn xìngqù?Who is interested in English?
你好像对她不太感兴趣。Nǐ hǎoxiàng duì tā bù tài gǎn xìngqù.You don't seem very interested in her.

对⋯⋯过敏

对 + Obj. + 过敏

你对鸡蛋过敏吗？Nǐ duì jīdàn guòmǐn ma? Are you allergic to eggs?
我对对牛奶有点过敏。Wǒ duì niúnǎi yǒudiǎn guòmǐn.I'm a little allergic to milk.

Sources and further reading

Books

Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 153) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (p. 151) →buy
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 84, 88) →buy
Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 198) →buy
Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 313) →buy
卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 11-2, 134) →buy

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 * 他 <em>对</em> <strong>我</strong> 笑。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>duì</em> <strong>wǒ</strong> xiào.</span><span class="trans">He laughs at me.</span>
 *我 要 <em>对</em> <strong>你</strong> 负责。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào <em>duì</em> <strong>nǐ</strong> fùzé.</span><span class="trans">I am going to be responsible for you.</span>
-*她 <em>对</em> <strong>我</strong> 很 客气。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>duì</em> <strong>wǒ</strong> hěn kèqi.</span><span class="trans">She was very polite to me.</span>
-*你 为什么 <em>对</em> <strong>我</strong> 有 意见 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ wèishéme <em>duì</em> <strong>wǒ</strong> yǒu yìjiàn?</span><span class="trans">Why do you dislike me?</span>
 *我 <em>对</em> <strong>西安</strong> 不 熟悉。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>duì</em> <strong>Xī'ān</strong> bù shúxī.</span><span class="trans">I am not familiar with Xi'an.</span>
 *抽烟 <em>对</em> <strong>健康</strong> 有害。<span class="pinyin">Chōuyān <em>duì</em> <strong>jiànkāng</strong> yǒuhài.</span><span class="trans">Smoking is bad for your health.</span>
@@ Line 30: / Line 28: @@
 </div>
-对 is also used in such structures as:  对⋯⋯来说 ("for... [a person]") ,对...感兴趣 ("to be interested in...") as well as 对···的印象（”the impression on the Obj.“）
+对 is also used in such structures as:  对...感兴趣 ("to be interested in...") as well as 对···过敏（”be allergic to the Obj.“）
-== 对⋯⋯来说 ==
-This essentially means "for... (a person)."  It's for making a statement from a certain person's point of view.
-The pattern is:
-<div class="jiegou">
-对 + <strong>Person</strong> + 来说
-</div>
-<div class="liju">
-* 川菜 <em>对</em> <strong>我</strong> 来说  太 辣 了。<span class="pinyin">Chuāncài <em>duì</em> <strong>wǒ</strong> lái shuō tài là le.</span><span class="trans">For me, Szechuan food is too spicy.</span>
-* <em>对</em> <strong>她</strong> 来说 英语 很 容易。<span class="pinyin"><em>Duì</em> <strong>tā</strong> lái shuō Yīngyǔ hěn róngyì.</span><span class="trans">She thinks English is easy.</span>
-* <em>对</em> <strong>我</strong> 来说 书法 很 有意思。<span class="pinyin"><em>Duì</em> <strong>wǒ</strong> lái shuō shūfǎ hěn yǒu yìsi.</span><span class="trans">I think calligraphy is very interesting.</span>
-</div>
 == 对⋯⋯感兴趣 ==
@@ Line 70: / Line 48: @@
 </div>
-== 对······的印象 ==
+== 对⋯⋯过敏 ==
-This basically means "the impression on what you saw or what you know."
-The pattern is:
 <div class="jiegou">
-对 + Obj. + 的印象
+对 + <strong>Obj.</strong> + 过敏
 </div>
@@ Line 84: / Line 58: @@
 <div class="liju">
-* 你来上海半年了，<em>对</em> <strong>这个城市</strong> 的印象怎么样？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ lái Shànghǎi bànnián le, <em>duì</em> <strong>zhè ge chéngshì</strong> de yìnxiàng zěnme yàng?</span><span class="trans">You've been in Shanghai for six months.What's your impression of this city?</span>
+* 你 <em>对</em> <strong>鸡蛋</strong> 过敏 吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duì</em> <strong>jīdàn</strong> guòmǐn ma? </span><span class="trans">Are you allergic to eggs?</span>
-* 你们<em>对</em><strong>大多数美国人</strong>的印象怎么样？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <em>duì</em> <strong>dà duōshù Měiguó rén</strong> de yìnxiàng zěnme yàng?</span><span class="trans">What's your impression of the majority of Americans?</span>
+* 我 对 <em>对</em> <strong>牛奶</strong> 有点 过敏。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>duì</em> <strong>niúnǎi</strong> yǒudiǎn guòmǐn.</span><span class="trans">I'm a little allergic to milk.</span>
 </div>