Some notes about 离, 往, 前, 到 ,从 with simple examples for both, location, and time.
学校离我家很近。 (Xuéxiào lí wǒjiā hěn jìn.) - The school is close to my home.
银行离超市远吗? (Yínháng lí chāoshì yuǎn ma?) - Is the bank far from the supermarket?
我往东走。 (Wǒ wǎng dōng zǒu.) - I walk towards the east.
他往家跑。 (Tā wǎng jiā pǎo.) - He runs towards home.
房子前有一棵树。 (Fángzi qián yǒu yī kē shù.) - There’s a tree in front of the house.
我的车在你前面。 (Wǒ de chē zài nǐ qiánmiàn.) - My car is in front of you.
Time:
他十分钟前走了。 (Tā shí fēnzhōng qián zǒu le.) - He left ten minutes ago.
两天前我去了北京。 (Liǎng tiān qián wǒ qùle Běijīng.) - I went to Beijing two days ago.
我到学校了。 (Wǒ dào xuéxiào le.) - I’ve arrived at school.
你什么时候到家? (Nǐ shénme shíhòu dàojiā?) - When will you get home?
Time:
我每天到晚上十点工作。 (Wǒ měitiān dào wǎnshàng shí diǎn gōngzuò.) - I work until 10 PM every day.
会议到现在还没结束。 (Huìyì dào xiànzài hái méi jiéshù.) - The meeting is still not over until now.
我从家出发。 (Wǒ cóng jiā chūfā.) - I leave from home.
他从北京到上海。 (Tā cóng Běijīng dào Shànghǎi.) - He goes from Beijing to Shanghai.
Time:
我从早上八点开始工作。 (Wǒ cóng zǎoshàng bā diǎn kāishǐ gōngzuò.) - I start working from 8 AM.
我们从去年认识。 (Wǒmen cóng qùnián rènshí.) - We have known each other since last year.
离 (lí) – From/Distance
Location:学校离我家很近。 (Xuéxiào lí wǒjiā hěn jìn.) - The school is close to my home.
银行离超市远吗? (Yínháng lí chāoshì yuǎn ma?) - Is the bank far from the supermarket?
Time:
现在离中午还有一个小时。 (Xiànzài lí zhōngwǔ hái yǒu yī gè xiǎoshí.) - It’s still an hour until noon.
离比赛还有三天。 (Lí bǐsài hái yǒu sān tiān.) - There are still three days until the competition.
往 (wǎng) – Towards/To
Location:我往东走。 (Wǒ wǎng dōng zǒu.) - I walk towards the east.
他往家跑。 (Tā wǎng jiā pǎo.) - He runs towards home.
Time:
这个事情往后说。 (Zhège shìqíng wǎng hòu shuō.) - We’ll talk about this later.
我们的约会往前改。 (Wǒmen de yuēhuì wǎng qián gǎi.) - We’ve moved our date to an earlier time.
前 (qián) – Front/Before
Location:房子前有一棵树。 (Fángzi qián yǒu yī kē shù.) - There’s a tree in front of the house.
我的车在你前面。 (Wǒ de chē zài nǐ qiánmiàn.) - My car is in front of you.
Time:
他十分钟前走了。 (Tā shí fēnzhōng qián zǒu le.) - He left ten minutes ago.
两天前我去了北京。 (Liǎng tiān qián wǒ qùle Běijīng.) - I went to Beijing two days ago.
到 (dào) – To/Arrive/Until
Location:我到学校了。 (Wǒ dào xuéxiào le.) - I’ve arrived at school.
你什么时候到家? (Nǐ shénme shíhòu dàojiā?) - When will you get home?
Time:
我每天到晚上十点工作。 (Wǒ měitiān dào wǎnshàng shí diǎn gōngzuò.) - I work until 10 PM every day.
会议到现在还没结束。 (Huìyì dào xiànzài hái méi jiéshù.) - The meeting is still not over until now.
从 (cóng) – From/Since
Location:我从家出发。 (Wǒ cóng jiā chūfā.) - I leave from home.
他从北京到上海。 (Tā cóng Běijīng dào Shànghǎi.) - He goes from Beijing to Shanghai.
Time:
我从早上八点开始工作。 (Wǒ cóng zǎoshàng bā diǎn kāishǐ gōngzuò.) - I start working from 8 AM.
我们从去年认识。 (Wǒmen cóng qùnián rènshí.) - We have known each other since last year.
Summary Table:
Concept Location Example Time Example
离 (lí) 学校离我家很近。 现在离中午还有一个小时。
往 (wǎng) 我往东走。 这个事情往后说。
前 (qián) 房子前有一棵树。 他十分钟前走了。
到 (dào) 我到学校了。 我每天到晚上十点工作。
从 (cóng) 我从家出发。 我从早上八点开始工作。