Using "dui" with verbs

When using 对 (duì) as a preposition, it is used to indicate "to" or "towards" an object or target. As with all prepositions, some care should be taken when using this particle, as usage of 对 doesn't always totally "make sense" or correspond to English at all.

1 Basic Usage

1.1 Structure
1.2 Examples

2 Colloquial Saying

2.1 Structure
2.2 Examples

3 Special Usage
4 See also
5 Sources and further reading

5.1 Books

Basic Usage

Structure

Examples

宝宝对我笑了。 Bǎobao duì wǒ xiào le. The baby smiled at me.
小狗在对你叫。 Xiǎogǒu zài duì nǐ jiào. The dog is barking at you.
你不应该这样对父母说话。 Nǐ bù yīnggāi zhèyang duì fùmǔ shuōhuà. You shouldn't talk to your parents this way.
他总是对老师撒谎。 Tā zǒngshì duì lǎoshī sāhuǎng. He always lies to his teachers.
不要对孩子发脾气。 Bùyào duì háizi fā píqi. Don't lose your temper at the child.

Colloquial Saying

Structure

Examples

学好中文对外国人来说不容易。 Xuéhǎo Zhōngwén duì wàiguórén lái shuō bù róngyì. For foreigners, it is not easy to learn Chinese well.
对孩子来说，这个问题太复杂了。 Duì háizi lái shuō, zhège wèntí tài fùzá le. This question is too complicated for kids.
对你来说，家庭重要还是工作重要？ Duì nǐ lái shuō, jiātíng zhòngyào háishì gōngzuò zhòngyào? Is family or work more important to you?

Special Usage

Certain verbs, especially psychological verbs, are often used with 对, which means 对 is needed if you want to add an Obj. in the structure, such as 对...感兴趣 ("to be interested in..."). In this case, 对 means "in, on, about," etc. The short list below will give a few more verbs used with 对. Check it out!

对⋯⋯感兴趣 (gǎn xìngqù) to feel interested in
对⋯⋯负责 (fùzé) to be responsible for
对⋯⋯满意 (mǎnyì) to feel satisfied about
对⋯⋯好奇 (hàoqí) to feel curious about
对⋯⋯失望 (shīwàng) to feel disappointed about

Some examples:

我儿子对学外语很感兴趣。 Wǒ érzi duì xué wàiyǔ hěn gǎn xìngqù. My son is very interested in learning foreign language.
你应该对自己的工作负责。 Nǐ yīnggāi duì zìjǐ de gōngzuò fùzé . You should be responsible for your job.
老板对你不太满意。 Lǎobǎn duì nǐ bù tài mǎnyì. The boss has not been very satisfied with you.
观众对比赛结果非常失望。 Guānzhòng duì bǐsài jiéguǒ fēicháng shīwàng. Everyone is very disappointed with the result of the game.
我的小女儿对所有动物都很好奇。 Wǒ de xiǎo nǚ'ér duì suǒyǒu dòngwù dōu hěn hàoqí. My younger daughter is curious about all the animals.

Using "dui" with verbs

Contents

Basic Usage

Structure

Examples

Colloquial Saying

Structure

Examples

Special Usage

Some examples:

See also

Sources and further reading

Books