Chinese word

往

Pronunciation

Pinyinwǎng

Meaning

  • prepositiontoward

Example

从这里往前走就到了。cóng zhè lǐ wǎng qián zǒu jiù dào le

From here, go straight ahead and you'll arrive.

Illustration for 往 (toward)

More examples

请往前面走，出口就在前面。qǐng wǎng qián miàn zǒu chū kǒu jiù zài qián miàn

Please go forward; the exit is straight ahead.

Core concept

Movement follows a path toward a place, direction, or goal.

Common phrases

  • 往前面走wǎng qián miàn zǒu

    go forward

  • 往左边走wáng zuǒ biān zǒu

    go left

  • 往家里走wǎng jiā lǐ zǒu

    head home

Similar words

向xiàng: Shows movement directed toward a person, place, or direction, placed before the target.

Definition in Chinese

表示动作或位置朝某个方向或目标移动，常用在“往+地点/方向”结构，意思是朝着某处去。biǎo shì dòng zuò huò wèi zhì cháo mǒu gè fāng xiàng huò mù biāo yí dòng cháng yòng zài wǎng dì diǎn fāng xiàng jié gòu yì si shì cháo zhe mǒu chù qù

Word origin

往 (wǎng, "toward; go") developed from an older verb meaning "to go" and later gained its use before a destination or direction.

Usage tips

  • English often puts toward after the movement verb, while Chinese puts this preposition before the place or direction, making the destination pattern easy to spot.

Other meanings

  • headverb
  • goverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word