Expressing "towards" with "xiang"
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Keywords
向 (xiàng) is a preposition that means "towards," and is used often when expressing or referring to a certain point.
Contents
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] / [Person] + Verb
Examples
- 向 东 走 。Walk towards east.
- 向 前 看 。Look forward.
- 向 左 转 。Turn left.
- 老师 正 向 我们 走 来 。The teacher is walking up towards us.
- 火车 已经 开 了 ，她 还在 向 我 招手 。The train already took off. She kept waving towards me.
- 不要 向 我 开枪 ！Don't shoot at me .
- 你 需要 向 他 道歉 。You need to apologize to him.
- 这么 重要 的 事 你们 怎么 不 向 老板 报告 一下 ？Why didn't you report such an important thing to the boss?
- 客户 不 了解 这个 情况 ，你 应该 向 他 解释 一下 。The client doesn't know this situation. You should explain to him.
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 ！Learn from Comrade Lei Feng!
Examples
- 你 要 向 好 学生 学习 。You should learn from good students.
- 警察 正在 向 他 的 邻居 了解 情况 。The policemen are asking his neighbors for more information.
- 我们 都 没 经验 ，是 来 向 你 取经 的 。None of us have experience. We're here to get some experience from you.
- 我 不 喜欢 向 同事 借钱 ! I don't like to borrow money to my colleagues.
- 你 会 向 陌生人 求助 吗 ？Would you ask strangers for help?
