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
Just put one of the three before the direction and the verb!
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
向 + Direction + Abstract Verb
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.
See Also
Sources and further
reading
Books
Category:grammar comparison