离
HSK 2- Location
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
Preposition 离 is used to express 'how far A is from B' in terms of space or time.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
The preposition 离 (lí) is used to express the distance or interval between two people, objects, places, or points in time. This structure answers the questions "how far apart?" or "how long until/since?".
Subject A comes at the beginning of the sentence, followed by 离 and reference point B. After B comes the distance or interval information, which can be a specific figure (such as 三公里 - three kilometres) or a general adjective (such as 很远 - very far, 很近 - very close).
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 我家离公司三公里。繁: 我家離公司三公里。Wǒ jiā lí gōngsī sān gōnglǐ.
My home is three kilometers away from the company.
- 学校离我家很近。繁: 學校離我家很近。Xuéxiào lí wǒ jiā hěn jìn.
The school is very close to my home.
- 离春节还有三天。繁: 離春節還有三天。Lí Chūnjié hái yǒu sān tiān.
There are still three days until Spring Festival.
- 你家离超市远吗？繁: 你家離超市遠嗎？Nǐ jiā lí chāoshì yuǎn ma?
Is your home far from the supermarket?
- 离考试只有一个星期了。繁: 離考試只有一個星期了。Lí kǎoshì zhǐ yǒu yí gè xīngqī le.
There is only one week left until the exam.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:我家离公司。Correct:我家离公司很近。
Sentences using `离` must include additional information about distance at the end, such as `很近`, `不远`, or `五公里`.
- Wrong:从我家到公司很远。Correct:我家离公司很远。
从...到... indicates a route of movement, while 离 expresses static distance between two points.