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Expressing "towards" a person with the preposition 对 (duì)
HSK 3Direction & Movement
Manner & Method
Structure
Subject + 对 + Person + Verb Phrase
Explanation
对 (duì) is a preposition meaning "towards," "to," or "regarding" when directing an action or attitude at a person. It creates a prepositional phrase that comes before the verb to indicate who the action is aimed at. It is one of the most common ways to mark the human target of an action in Chinese.
Examples
你不应该对老人说那样的话。
nǐ bù yīnggāi duì lǎorén shuō nàyàng de huà.
You shouldn't say things like that to elderly people.
她对我笑了笑，什么也没说。
tā duì wǒ xiào le xiào, shénme yě méi shuō.
She smiled at me and didn't say anything.
老师对学生的要求很严格。
lǎoshī duì xuéshēng de yāoqiú hěn yángé.
The teacher is very strict with the students.