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向 (xiàng) — (preposition) towards; to (indicating direction, goal, or recipient of an action); (verb) to face; to turn towards; to side with

Definition

向 (xiàng) is a verb/preposition for 'toward(s)' or 'to face a direction' — the directional sense of 对, without 对's meaning of 'correct' or 'regarding'. As a verb, it's more formal than 面向.

preposition
towardsto (indicating direction, goal, or recipient of an action)
verb
to faceto turn towardsto side with
Easily confused

Examples

  • 向。
    Tā xiàng wǒ xiào le xiào.
    He smiled at me.
  • 向。
    Chuāng kǒu xiàng nán.
    The window faces south.
  • 。
    Nǐ xiàng qián zǒu.
    Walk forward.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

向 originally drew 宀 (house) with 口 to show an echo in a place; later it was used for direction.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsDirections2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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