HSK 4 Grammar 28: Comparing Similar Prepositions
HSK · HSK · HSK 4 Sujet 28 3:30 Narration en anglais · Sous-titres anglais + 中文 incrustés
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Transcript
Two pairs of prepositions that translate the same but point differently. Guanyu and duiyu, two about-s, topic against target. Li and cong, two from-s, gap against start. One question settles each pair: is a feeling or reaction attached, and are you measuring a distance or setting off from a point. Find the question and the pair stops confusing.
Guanyu introduces the topic, about X, on the subject of X; you are just putting a subject on the table. Guanyu zhege wenti, dajia you shenme kanfa, on this question, what are everyone's thoughts. Duiyu introduces the target of an attitude or action, towards X, and a view is coming: duiyu women de gongzuo, laoban hen manyi, the boss is very satisfied with our work, the satisfaction aimed at the work. A title like guanyu huanbao de baogao, a report on the environment, is guanyu, nothing being felt, only named.
Open a weekend-plan discussion. Ask the settling question: is a feeling attached? No, you are only putting the plan on the table, so choose guanyu. Build it: guanyu zhoumo de jihua, dajia you shenme xiangfa, about the weekend plan, any ideas. Notice opinions may follow the sentence, but none is attached inside it, which is exactly the distinction. And the caution from the handout: where only a topic is meant the two overlap, guanyu and duiyu both fit; the split bites when an attitude is involved.
Li measures the gap between two points, away from, and it pairs with a distance word, yuan or jin: wo jia li gongsi hen jin, my home is very close to the office. Cong marks the starting point in space or time, from, and it pairs with a route or a start: cong jia zou, set off from home; cong mingtian kaishi, wo bu chouyan le, starting from tomorrow I'm quitting smoking. The settling question: are you measuring, or setting off. A distance word nearby means li; a beginning nearby means cong.
Say one commute two ways. Measure the gap: wo jia li xuexiao liang gongli, my home is two kilometres from school, with li doing the measuring. Mark the start: wo meitian cong jia qiche qu, I cycle from home every day, with cong marking where the ride begins. One commute, two prepositions, each doing its one job. And the time version follows the same split: cong xiazhou qi, starting next week, works, because starts mark beginnings, while li can only measure gaps.
Pause and check both. First, duiyu, because strict is an attitude aimed at the homework. Second, li, because hen jin is a distance word, and li is the measurer. The remaining review items: a book about history takes guanyu, only a topic named, and the ride to school starts with cong, cong ditiezhan zuo che. One question per pair, and the pair never confuses again.