Expressing "towards" with "xiang"

向 (xiàng) is a preposition that means "towards," and is used often when expressing or referring to a certain point.

Used as "Towards"

Structure

When used as a preposition, "向" indicates an action that is performed towards a reference point, but doesn't have any actual motion towards that point.

向 + [Direction Word] + Verb

向 + Person + Verb

Examples

• 向 东 走 。Xiàng dōng zǒu.Walk towards east.
• 向 前 看 。Xiàng qián kàn.Look forward.
• 向 左 转 。Xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn.Turn left.
• 老师 正 向 我们 走 来 。Lǎoshī zhèng xiàng wǒmen zǒu lái.The teacher is walking up towards us.
• 火车 已经 开 了 ，她 还在 向 我 招手 。Huǒchē yǐjīng kāi le, tā hái zài xiàng wǒ zhāoshǒu.The train already took off. She kept waving towards me.
• 不要 向 我 开枪 ！Bùyào xiàng wǒ kāiqiāng!Don't shoot at me .
• 你 需要 向 他 道歉 。Nǐ xūyào xiàng tā dàoqiàn.You need to apologize to him.
• 这 件 事 你 必须 向 老板 汇报 一下 ！Zhè jiàn shì nǐ bìxū xiàng lǎobǎn huìbào yīxià!You must report this to the boss!
• 他 还没 向 我 表白 。Tā hiáméi xiàng wǒ biǎobái.He hasn't confessed to me yet.

Used as "From"

Whereas in English we would say "learn from someone," in Chinese this would be expressed as "learn toward someone," as in the following example (and famous propaganda slogan):

• 向 雷锋 同志 学习 ！Xiàng Léi Fēng tóngzhì xuéxí!Learn from Comrade Lei Feng!

Examples

• 你 要 向 好 学生 学习 。Nǐ yào xiàng hǎo xuéshēng xuéxí.You should learn from good students.
• 警察 正在 向 他 的 邻居 了解 情况 。Jǐngchá zhèngzài xiàng tā de línjū liǎojiě qíngkuàng.The policemen are asking his neighbors for more information.
• 我们 都 没 经验 ，是 来 向 你 取经 的 。Wǒmen dōu méi jīngyàn, lái xiàng nǐ qǔjīng de.None of us have experience. We're here to get some experience from you.
• 我 不 喜欢 向 同事 借钱 ! Wǒ bù xǐhuan xiàng tóngshì jiè qián.I don't like to borrow money to my colleagues.
• 你 会 向 陌生人 求助 吗 ？Nǐ huì xiàng mòshēngrén qiúzhù ma?Would you ask strangers for help?

See also

• Using "dui"
• Expressing "with" with "gen"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 84)→buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 214) →buy
• Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼) (pp. 77) →buy

[[pattern::向 + [Direction Word] / [Person] + Verb| ]]