Chinese word

向

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiàng

Meaning

  • prepositionto

Example

他向老师道歉。tā xiàng lǎo shī dào qiàn

He apologizes to his teacher.

Illustration for 向 (to)

More examples

他向我问了一个问题。tā xiàng wǒ wèn le yí gè wèn tí

He asked me a question.

Core concept

A pointer that turns movement, attention, or an action toward a chosen place, person, or goal.

Common phrases

  • 向右转xiàng yòu zhuǎn

    turn to the right

  • 向我问问题xiàng wǒ wèn wèn tí

    ask me a question

  • 向大家问好xiàng dà jiā wèn hǎo

    say hello to everyone

Similar words

对duì: Shows the person or thing that an action, feeling, or manner of treatment is directed at.
往wǎng: Shows where a person or thing is moving or where it is headed.
朝cháo: Shows the direction faced or taken by a face, body, or action.

Definition in Chinese

用作介词时表示朝着某一方向或目标的趋向，可用于具体的空间方向，也可用于抽象的目标或对象。yòng zuò jiè cí shí biǎo shì cháo zhe mǒu yì fāng xiàng huò mù biāo de qū xiàng kě yòng yú jù tǐ de kōng jiān fāng xiàng yě kě yòng yú chōu xiàng de mù biāo huò duì xiàng

Word origin

The older directional use of 向 (xiàng, "toward") broadens from physical orientation to the person or goal that an action addresses.

Usage tips

  • A noun after this word names the target of an action, not necessarily its destination, so a person can follow it even when the action stays in place.

Other meanings

  • atpreposition
  • towardpreposition

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word