Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

exPreSSiNG loCatioN aNd diStaNCe

47.5

Be careful to use 离/離 lí ‘to be separated from,’ and not the prepositions 到 dào ‘from’ or

从/從 cóng ‘from’ when talking about distance.

Say this Not this

我家离图书馆很近。 *我家到图书馆很近。

我家離圖書館很近。 我家到圖書館很近。

Wǒ jiā lí túshūguǎn hěn jìn. Wǒ jiā dào túshūguǎn hěn jìn.

My house is close to the library.

*我家很近到图书馆。

我家很近到圖書館。

Wǒ jiā hěn jìn dào túshūguǎn.

47.4.2 talking about specific distance

To indicate the specific distance between two objects or places, say:

noun phrase 1 离/離 lí noun phrase 2 (有) (yǒu) distance

公园离图书馆(有)三里(路)。

公園離圖書館(有)三里(路)。

Gōngyuán lí túshūguǎn (yǒu) sān lǐ (lù).

The park is three miles from the library.

Commonly used distance words include:

里 lǐ Chinese mile (.5 kilometers)

公里 gōnglǐ kilometer

米 mǐ meter

英里 Yīng lǐ English mile

哩 lǐ English mile

47.5 Asking about distance

47.5.1 asking about ‘near’ and ‘far’

To ask if an object or place is far from another object or place, say:

noun phrase 1 离/離 lí noun phrase 2 远吗/遠嗎 yuǎn ma?

or

noun phrase 1 离/離 lí noun phrase 2 远不远/遠不遠 yuǎn bù yuǎn?

你家离图书馆远吗？

你家離圖書館遠嗎？

Nǐ jiā lí túshūguǎn yuǎn ma?

Is your house far from the library?

or

你家离图书馆远不远？

你家離圖書館遠不遠？

Nǐ jiā lí túshūguǎn yuǎn bù yuǎn?

Is your house far from the library?