Preposition

Potential content

• Can indicate:
  • Time, place, direction
  • Object or target
  • Reason
  • Manner
  • Passive
  • Comparison
  • Exclusion
• Cannot be used alone
• Cannot be reduplicated
• Cannot take aspect particles 了, 着, 过 (in general)
• Cannot form positive-negative questions
• Prepositions collocate (go with) certain objects, e.g.
  • 在, 从 usually go with locations
  • 从 can also go with time words
  • 离 goes with lengths of time or distances
  • 对 indicates objects, recipients or targets
  • 给 also indicates objects, recipients and targets, and also indicates that something is being done for them
  • 连 introduces objects that are surprising or unexpected
  • 被 marks the agent (the person or thing performing the action) in passive constructions
• Some prepositions are also verbs, and others are exclusively prepositions .
• 把
• 被
• 按照
• 朝
• 趁
• 从
• 当
• 对
• 对于
• 关于
• 就
• 据
• 靠
• 凭
• 随着
• 往
• 为
• 为了
• 向依照
• 以
• 由
• 自
• 自从
• 在 ... 上, 中, 下

Sources

• 实用汉语语法 (p. 56 - 57)
• Practicing HSK Grammar (pp. 67 - 94) [needs Amazon code]