Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 16

CEFR A2-B1

6 min read

Test yourself (19 questions)

对 (duì) in Mandarin: 对…来说, To Someone, and 对…感兴趣

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

(duì) is a pointer. It aims part of a sentence at a person or thing: a point of view (for me), a way of treating someone (good to me), a feeling (interested in music). Whatever it points at comes straight after it, and the whole (duì) phrase goes before the verb or adjective, never after it as in English.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick 对 or 关于. 对 points at the person or thing a feeling, an effect or a viewpoint lands on; 关于 names the topic something is about.

  1. 我历史很感兴趣。

    wǒ ___ lì shǐ hěn gǎn xìng qù 。

  2. 这是一本中国历史的书。

    zhè shì yì běn ___ zhōng guó lì shǐ de shū 。

  3. 学生来说，时间很重要。

    ___ xué shēng lái shuō ， shí jiān hěn zhòng yào 。

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

对 duì (points at someone)来说 lái shuō (closes the frame)What do the colours mean?
HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Duì wǒ lái shuō, lìshǐ hěn nán.For me, history is hard
。Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.He is very good to me
。Tā duì wǒ xiào le.He smiled at me
。Wǒ duì yīnyuè gǎn xìngqù.I am interested in music
。Hējiǔ duì shēntǐ bù hǎo.Drinking is bad for your health

Every row has the same shape: the (duì) phrase first, then the adjective or verb.

Subject
对 + who or what
Adjective or verb

对…来说 (duì ... lái shuō): for someone, in their view

对 duì (points at someone)来说 lái shuō (closes the frame)What do the colours mean?

The frame is (duì) + person or group + (lái shuō), then a comma, then the statement. It says the statement is true from that person's side: hard for them, important to them, a problem for them.

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Duì wǒ lái shuō, lìshǐ hěn nán.For me, history is hard
，。Duì xuésheng lái shuō, shíjiān hěn zhòngyào.For students, time matters
，。Duì tā lái shuō, qián bú shì wèntí.Money is no problem for him
。Zhège duì háizi lái shuō tài nán le.This is too hard for children

The frame can open the sentence or sit after the subject, as in the last row. Either way it comes before the adjective. Two slips break it:

WrongRightWhy
，。，。 (lái shuō) closes the frame
，。，。 (wèi) means "for the benefit of"

(duì wǒ shuō lái) also exists, but it is rarer and a little bookish, and formal writing often uses 言 (duì wǒ ér yán). Recognise them; say .

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Duì wǒ lái shuō, zhè hěn zhòngyào.This matters to me
。Wǒ juéde zhè hěn zhòngyào.I think this is important
。Wǒ juéde tā míngtiān huì lái.I think he will come tomorrow

对 (duì) + person: to, towards

对 duì (points at someone)What do the colours mean?

Put (duì) and a person before an adjective or verb, and it says how someone treats or reacts to that person. English uses "to", "with" or "at"; Mandarin uses (duì) for all three.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.He is very good to me
。Lǎoshī duì xuésheng hěn kèqi.The teacher is polite to students
。Wǒ duì tā hěn shēngqì.I am angry with him
。Tā duì wǒ xiào le.He smiled at me
：。Tā duì wǒ shuō: nǐ hǎo.He said to me: hello

The (duì) phrase goes before the adjective or verb, never after: is English word order in Chinese characters.

Both (tā duì wǒ shuō) and (tā gēn wǒ shuō) mean "he told me". (gēn) is the everyday spoken choice and can mean talking with someone; (duì) is one-way, words aimed at the listener. Never use (shuō tā) for "say to him": it means "talk about him" or "tell him off".

One more pair to keep apart: (tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo) says how he treats me, while (wǒ gēn tā guānxi hěn hǎo) says he and I get on well, both ways.

对 (duì) in fixed phrases

对 duì (points at someone)What do the colours mean?

Some adjectives and verbs need a (duì) phrase to say what they are about. The thing goes after (duì), and the adjective or verb comes last.

FramePinyinEnglish
…duì ... gǎn xìngqùbe interested in
…duì ... yǒu xìngqùbe interested in
…duì ... mǎnyìbe satisfied with
…duì ... yǒu hǎochùbe good for
… / duì ... hǎo / bù hǎobe good / bad for
…duì ... yǒu bāngzhùbe helpful for
HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ duì yīnyuè hěn gǎn xìngqù.I am very interested in music
。Tā duì lìshǐ méiyǒu xìngqù.He has no interest in history
。Wǒ duì zhège gōngzuò hěn mǎnyì.I am very happy with this job
。Zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ duì shēntǐ yǒu hǎochù.Early to bed, early to rise is good for you
。Hējiǔ duì shēntǐ bù hǎo.Drinking is bad for your health

(gǎn xìngqù) takes no object after it. It is already a verb plus its own object, 感 (gǎn, feel) + (xìngqù, interest), so is the classic slip with this whole family. The negative goes before : 。 (wǒ duì lìshǐ bù gǎn xìngqù), I'm not interested in history.

关于 (guānyú) vs 对 (duì) and 对于 (duìyú)

对 duì (points at someone)关于 guānyú (about a topic)What do the colours mean?

English says "about" for both, which is why learners swap them. They point at different things.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Zhè shì yì běn guānyú Zhōngguó lìshǐ de shū.This is a book about Chinese history
。Wǒ duì lìshǐ gǎn xìngqù.I'm interested in history
。Wǒ duì zhè jiàn shì méiyǒu yìjiàn.I have no objection to this

(guānyú) names a topic; (duì) points at what a feeling lands on. (guānyú) also goes in fewer places: at the very front, before (de) and a noun, or after (shì).

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Guānyú zhège wèntí, wǒmen míngtiān zài shuō.On this question, we will talk about it tomorrow
。Zhè běn shū shì guānyú lìshǐ de.This book is about history

It cannot sit between the subject and the verb: 。 is wrong. (duìyú) is a more formal (duì), as in (duìyú xuésheng lái shuō), but it does not do the "treating someone" job: 。 is wrong.

The whole (yú) family is in 对于, 关于 and the rest.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。the thing goes after (duì)
，。，。 (wèi) means "for the benefit of"
，。，。 (lái shuō) closes the frame
，。。an opinion, not a viewpoint
。。the (duì) phrase goes before the adjective
。。 (guānyú) can't go before the verb
。。 (duìyú) is not for people you treat

Nearly all of these come from one habit: translating "to", "for" and "about" word by word in English order. Find what is being pointed at, put (duì) in front of it, and put the phrase before the adjective or verb.

What to do next

  1. Say two things that are hard or easy for you, with (duì wǒ lái shuō).
  2. Name three things you are interested in, with … (wǒ duì ... gǎn xìngqù).
  3. Do the drill below, then see co-verbs for (gēn), (gěi) and the other words that sit before the verb.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick 对 or 关于. 对 points at the person or thing a feeling, an effect or a viewpoint lands on; 关于 names the topic something is about.

  1. 我历史很感兴趣。

    wǒ ___ lì shǐ hěn gǎn xìng qù 。

  2. 这是一本中国历史的书。

    zhè shì yì běn ___ zhōng guó lì shǐ de shū 。

  3. 学生来说，时间很重要。

    ___ xué shēng lái shuō ， shí jiān hěn zhòng yào 。

  4. 老师我们很好。

    lǎo shī ___ wǒ men hěn hǎo 。

  5. 他看了很多电影的书。

    tā kàn le hěn duō ___ diàn yǐng de shū 。

  6. 他我笑了。

    tā ___ wǒ xiào le 。

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order. The 对 phrase goes before the adjective or verb.

  1. I am very interested in music.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. He is very good to me.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. This is too hard for children.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. wǒ gǎn xìng qù lì shǐ 。

  2. tā hěn hǎo duì wǒ 。

  3. wèi wǒ lái shuō ， lì shǐ hěn nán 。

  4. wǒ guān yú zhè jiàn shì méi yǒu yì jiàn 。

Matching

0/6

Match each Mandarin sentence to its meaning. Watch what 对 is pointing at in each one.

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Frequently asked questions

What does (duì wǒ lái shuō) mean?
It means 'for me' or 'as far as I am concerned'. It frames the rest of the sentence as true from your side: ， (duì wǒ lái shuō, lìshǐ hěn nán), history is hard for me. The frame is + person + , and the cannot simply be dropped (formal writing has 言, duì wǒ ér yán).
What is the difference between and ?
(duì wǒ lái shuō) says how something is for you: hard for you, important to you. (wǒ juéde) gives your opinion about anything at all. 'I think he will come tomorrow' is (wǒ juéde tā míngtiān huì lái); makes no sense there, because his coming is not hard or easy for you.
How do you say 'interested in' in Chinese?
Put the thing after (duì) and (gǎn xìngqù) at the end: (wǒ duì yīnyuè gǎn xìngqù), I am interested in music. (wǒ duì yīnyuè yǒu xìngqù) means the same. is wrong, because cannot take an object after it.
What is the difference between (guānyú) and (duì)?
(guānyú) means 'about', the topic of a book, a talk or a question: (guānyú lìshǐ de shū), a book about history. (duì) means 'towards', the person or thing a feeling or an effect lands on: (wǒ duì lìshǐ gǎn xìngqù). A phrase cannot sit between the subject and the verb; a phrase can.
Is it or ?
Both are correct for 'say to him' or 'tell him'. (gēn tā shuō) is the everyday spoken choice and can mean 'talk with him'. (duì tā shuō) is one-way, speech aimed at him, and is common before a quotation in writing: ：'。' Do not use (shuō tā) for 'say to him': it means 'talk about him' or 'tell him off'.