Definition
于 (yú) is a formal/literary preposition covering 'at, in, on' for time/place, 'toward, for' for relationships, and 'than' in comparisons. It is much more versatile than 往 (wǎng), which only means 'toward' a direction, and more formal than 在 (zài) for location. In comparisons, 于 is used after adjectives (e.g., 大于 'greater than'), while 较 (jiào) is an adverb meaning 'relatively' and can also introduce the comparison standard.
preposition
atinon (used in formal/literary contexts for time or place)with regard totowardfor (indicating a relationship or target)than (used after adjectives in comparisons)
Easily confused
- 干gànlook-aliketo do, to work, to manage (a task)
- 与yǔsound-alike(conjunction) and (formal, connecting nouns)
- 鱼yúsound-alikefish
- 雨yǔsound-alikerain
- 余yúsound-alike(verb) to have leftover; to remain
- 玉yùsound-alikejade (a precious stone, often culturally symbolic in Chinese contexts)
- 愈yùsound-alike(adverb) used in the pattern 愈…愈… to mean 'the more…the more…'
Examples
- 于。Huìyì jiāng yú xiàzhōu jǔxíng.The meeting will be held next week.
- 。Tā de nénglì gāo yú chángrén.His ability is higher than ordinary people.
- 于。Zhè yú wǒmen yǒu hěn dà hǎochù.This has great benefits for us.
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