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
向 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 Phrase]
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.
- 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 件 事 你 必须 向 老板 汇报 一下 ！You must report this to the boss!
- 火车 已经 开 了 ，她 还在 向 我 招手 。The train already took off. She kept waving towards me.
- 他 还没 向 我 表白 。He hasn't confessed to me yet.
向 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.
- 我 不 喜欢 向 朋友 借钱 。I don't like to borrow money to my friends.
- 你 会 向 陌生人 求助 吗 ？Would you ask strangers for help?
- 我们 都 没 经验 ，是 来 向 你 请教 的 。None of us have experience. We're here to ask you for advice.
