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Expressing 'to point to' with 指 (zhǐ)
Structure
Subject + 指 + 到 + Object
Explanation
指 (zhǐ) means "to point to" or "to refer to." It describes the action of directing attention toward something, either physically by pointing or figuratively by referencing. It often takes a directional complement like 到 (dào) to indicate the target being pointed at.
Examples
他指着地图上的一个小岛说："我想去那里。"
Tā zhǐ zhe dìtú shàng de yī gè xiǎo dǎo shuō: "Wǒ xiǎng qù nàlǐ."
He pointed to a small island on the map and said, "I want to go there."
老师指到黑板上的那个字，问大家怎么读。
Lǎoshī zhǐ dào hēibǎn shàng de nàge zì, wèn dàjiā zěnme dú.
The teacher pointed to that character on the blackboard and asked everyone how to read it.
她指着窗外的那棵树，说那是她小时候种的。
Tā zhǐ zhe chuāng wài de nà kē shù, shuō nà shì tā xiǎoshíhou zhòng de.
She pointed at the tree outside the window and said she had planted it when she was little.