You’ve got the big words down-nouns, verbs, the flashy stuff. But without coverbs and prepositions, your Chinese sounds like a pile of bricks instead of a smooth road. These little connectors show where things happen, who you’re with, and how you do something. They turn ‘I eat’ into ‘I eat at home with chopsticks’-and that’s when you really start chatting.
This collection rounds up about 40 of the most useful coverbs and prepositions in simplified Chinese, from everyday workhorses like 在 and 用 to the ones that pop up in travel chats and WeChat messages. Each entry pairs a straightforward meaning with a natural example sentence, so you see exactly how the word behaves in a real sentence. No dusty textbook relics-just the practical vocabulary that makes your Chinese flow.
Ready to give your Chinese grammar a friendly workout? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable Chinese coverbs and prepositions vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Chinese coverbs and prepositions flashcards.
Want more than one list? Browse our Chinese section for more Yak Yacker study pages, printable lists, and quiz-friendly review material.
Quick Quiz
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| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Example Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 为 | wèi | for (the benefit of) | Wèi nǐ gāoxìng. |
| 为了 | wèile | for the purpose of, in order to | wèile xuéxí |
| 从 | cóng | from (a place or time) | Wǒ cóng Běijīng lái. |
| 以 | yǐ | with; using | yǐ shūmiàn xíngshì |
| 像 | xiàng | like, similar to | xiàng māo yīyàng |
| 关于 | guānyú | about, regarding | guānyú zhè jiàn shì |
| 凭 | píng | by, with, on the basis of | píng jīngyàn |
| 到 | dào | to (a place or time) | Wǒ dào xuéxiào qù. |
| 向 | xiàng | towards (a person or direction) | Xiàng tā wèn hǎo. |
| 和 | hé | with (preposition) | hé wǒ |
| 在 | zài | at / in / on | Wǒ zài bàngōngshì gōngzuò. |
| 在 zài | location | 在 zài + place + verb | |
| 对 | duì | toward | Tā duì xiǎogǒu hěn wēnróu. |
| 对 duì | toward someone or something | 对 duì + person/thing + adjective/verb | |
| 往 | wǎng | towards (a direction) | Wǎng qián zǒu. |
| 把 | bǎ | marks object before verb (disposal) | bǎ shū dǎkāi |
| 拿 | ná | introduces an example; using ... as (in the pattern 拿...来说) | |
| 按 | àn | according to | àn guīdìng |
| 按照 | ànzhào | according to; in accordance with | ànzhào guīdìng bànshì |
| 据 | jù | according to | jù wǒ suǒ zhī |
| 替 | tì | for, on behalf of | tì wǒ mǎi |
| 朝 | cháo | towards, facing | cháo zuǒ zǒu |
| 根据 | gēnjù | according to; based on | gēnjù tiānqì |
| 比 | bǐ | compared to (than) | bǐ wǒ gāo |
| 沿 | yán | along | yán hé zǒu |
Free Chinese Coverbs and Prepositions Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcards
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