All three of these, 朝 (cháo), 向 (xiàng), and 往 (wǎng) can be used to indicate direction or position. When these preposition phrases are used in before the verb, the three have the same structure and their meaning is the same. You can swap them in and out. At other times, however, they are used differently, and this article will help you differentiate when you are supposed to use which one.

When using "朝," "向," and "往" is appropriate

Structure

Examples

从这里向 / 朝 / 往北走两百米就到了。 From here, go one hundred meters north, and you'll get there.
这个小女孩向左看看又向右看看才过马路。 This little girl looked left and then looked right before crossing the street.
我看见他朝你们家去了。 I saw him going towards your house.
往前走十分钟。 Walk forward for ten minutes.

When to use "向" and "往"

向 and 往 can be placed after the verb, however it has to be used with an appropriate verb, Often used verbs are 开, 飞, 发, 运, 送, 寄, 带, 驶 etc. As you can see, these are words that at least imply some sort of motion. In addition, compared to 向, 往 is used more often with those verbs, because 往 expresses the destination while 向 merely expresses a direction, 朝 cannot be used this way.

Structure

Examples

这趟火车开往沈阳。 This train is heading towards Shenyang.
这趟航班飞往纽约。 This plane is flying to New York.
一辆黑色的小轿车慢慢地从东驶向西。 The black limo slowly went from East to West.
像鸟儿一样飞向蓝天。 The little birds flew towards the sky.

When to use "向" and "朝"

When the action that takes place is specified to a specific target, use 向 or 朝. 往 cannot be used this way. Also, when the verb is a concrete action, the use of 向 and 朝 are the same, and they can be interchanged.

Structure

Examples

他向 / 朝我笑了笑。 He laughed at me.
我朝他开了一枪。 I shot a gun at him.
他已经向全体员工解释过了。 He has already explained it to the employees.

When to use just "向"

When the verb has an abstract meaning, you can only use 向, and you cannot use 朝.

Structure

Examples

他是优秀员工，我们都要向他学习。 He is an exemplary employee, we should all study him.
我们要向环保部门要求严查工厂排污。 We are going to make the Environmental Safety Department closely examine the factory sewage.

Examples of right and wrong sentences

这个地铁是开往浦东机场的吗？
你要多向他学习学习。
帅哥朝我笑了一下。

你现在是开朝市中心吗？
朝雷锋同志学习！
往雷锋同志学习！
帅哥往我笑了。

Example dialog

A: 他往南走了。 He walked south.
B: 你怎么让他往南走呢？南边很危险。 Why did you make him go south? Going south is dangerous.
A: 你朝我发什么火？我说了他不听。 Why are you mad at me? I told him but he didn't listen
B: 不好意思，我应该向你道歉。 I'm sorry. I should apologize to you.

When using "朝," "向," and "往" is appropriate

Structure

Examples

When to use "向" and "往"

Structure

Examples

When to use "向" and "朝"

Structure

Examples

When to use just "向"

Structure

Examples

Examples of right and wrong sentences

Example dialog

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books