Chinese word

向着

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiàng zhe

Meaning

  • prepositiontoward

Example

她正向着学校走。tā zhèng xiàng zhe xué xiào zǒu

She is walking toward the school.

Illustration for 向着 (toward)

More examples

他们正向着目标前进。tā men zhèng xiàng zhe mù biāo qián jìn

They are moving forward toward the goal.

Core concept

An arrow-like line extends from an action or state toward its target.

Common phrases

  • 向着目标xiàng zhe mù biāo

    toward the goal

  • 向着未来xiàng zhe wèi lái

    toward the future

  • 向着前方xiàng zhe qián fāng

    toward the front

Similar words

向xiàng: Shows the direction or target of an action or state.
朝cháo: Shows the direction in which a person or thing faces or moves.
往wǎng: Shows movement toward a destination.

Definition in Chinese

表示动作或状态指向某一对象或地点，作介词使用，常与名词连用标示方向或趋向。biǎo shì dòng zuò huò zhuàng tài zhǐ xiàng mǒu yí duì xiàng huò dì diǎn zuò jiè cí shǐ yòng cháng yǔ míng cí lián yòng biāo shì fāng xiàng huò qū xiàng

Word origin

向 (xiàng, "toward or facing") supplies the directional idea, and 着 (zhe, "ongoing state marker") keeps that orientation in view.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 朝 (cháo, "toward") and 往 (wǎng, "toward") often sound more natural for movement, while 向着 (xiàngzhe, "toward or facing") gives the direction extra prominence.

Other meanings

  • facingpreposition

Word lists with this word