The Mandarin 于 (yú) Family: 对于, 关于, 由于, 至于, 属于, 位于, 终于

What 于 (yú) is doing

In classical Chinese 于 (yú) was a general-purpose preposition covering 'at', 'in', 'to', 'from' and 'with respect to'. Modern Mandarin replaced it in speech with 在 (zài), 给 (gěi), 对 (duì) and the rest, but it never threw it away. It froze into compounds, and in every one of them it still marks the same thing: the relation between the sentence and something outside it.

Read the family as verb-plus-relation and each one explains itself.

Notice that some of these are prepositions and some are full verbs. 属于 (shǔ yú), 位于 (wèi yú) and 等于 (děng yú) are verbs: they take a subject and need no other verb in the clause. 关于 (guān yú), 对于 (duì yú), 由于 (yóu yú) and 至于 (zhì yú) are prepositions: they open a phrase that sits in front of the real clause. 终于 (zhōng yú) is neither, it is an adverb. Sorting them by what they are is half the battle.

对于 (duì yú) against 关于 (guān yú)

English gives you 'about' and 'regarding' for both, so this is the pair to fix first.

关guān于yú (guān yú) marks subject matter. It says what a text, a discussion, a report or a question is ON. Its object is a topic, and the phrase very often modifies a noun.

• 我看了一本关于历史的书。 (Wǒ kàn le yì běn guān yú lì shǐ de shū.) - I read a book about history.
• 这是一份关于公司未来的报告。 (Zhè shì yí fèn guān yú gōng sī wèi lái de bào gào.) - This is a report on the company's future.
• 关于这件事，我们下次再谈。 (Guān yú zhè jiàn shì, wǒ men xià cì zài tán.) - As to this matter, let us talk next time.

对duì于yú (duì yú) marks the target of an attitude, an effect or a judgement. It says who is affected, or in whose eyes something is true. Its object is not a topic but a party or a thing that something lands on.

• 对于学生来说，时间很重要。 (Duì yú xué shēng lái shuō, shí jiān hěn zhòng yào.) - For students, time matters a great deal.
• 对于这个决定，他很不满意。 (Duì yú zhè ge jué dìng, tā hěn bù mǎn yì.) - He is very unhappy about this decision.
• 这个消息对于我们很重要。 (Zhè ge xiāo xi duì yú wǒ men hěn zhòng yào.) - This news is very important to us.

The test that settles it: try 'on the subject of' in English. If it fits, 关于 (guān yú). Then try 'as it affects' or 'in the eyes of'. If that is what you mean, 对于 (duì yú).

Two places where only one is possible:

• Modifying a noun with 的 (de): only 关于. 关于历史的书 (guān yú lì shǐ de shū) is a book about history. 对于历史的书 is not Mandarin.
• In front of an attitude or importance word (重要, 满意, 有用, 有帮助): only 对于. 对于我们很重要 (duì yú wǒ men hěn zhòng yào) works; 关于我们很重要 does not.

There is an overlap in the topic-fronting slot at the head of a sentence, where both 关于这件事 and 对于这件事 are heard. Even there they are not the same: 关于这件事 announces the subject of what follows, 对于这件事 announces the thing you are about to react to.

对 (duì) against 对于 (duì yú)

Once you have 对于 (duì yú), do not throw 对 (duì) away. 对 is the shorter, spoken, more flexible one and it is still the default.

• 他对我很好。 (Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.) - He is very good to me. RIGHT.
• 他对于我很好。 - WRONG. Personal treatment of a person takes 对, never 对于.

The dividing lines:

• People being treated a certain way take 对duì (duì). 对我好, 对你说, 对他笑.
• 对duì (duì) can sit after the subject; 对duì于yú (duì yú) much prefers the front of the sentence. 我对这件事很有兴趣 is normal. 我对于这件事很有兴趣 is stiff, and 对于这件事，我很有兴趣 is the natural formal version.
• Anywhere 对duì于yú (duì yú) works, 对duì (duì) also works. The reverse is not true. If in doubt, 对 is the safer choice; 对于 is the one you reach for when the register is formal and the phrase is fronted.

由于 (yóu yú): the formal cause

由于 (yóu yú) is the written 因为 (yīn wèi). It heads its clause, it is answered by 因此 (yīn cǐ) or 所以 (suǒ yǐ), and it can take either a full clause or a bare noun phrase.

• 由于下雨，比赛改到了星期天。 (Yóu yú xià yǔ, bǐ sài gǎi dào le xīng qī tiān.) - Owing to rain, the match was moved to Sunday.
• 由于时间不够，我们只讲了一半。 (Yóu yú shí jiān bú gòu, wǒ men zhǐ jiǎng le yí bàn.) - As there was not enough time, we only covered half.
• 由于天气原因，飞机晚了两个小时。 (Yóu yú tiān qì yuán yīn, fēi jī wǎn le liǎng ge xiǎo shí.) - Owing to the weather, the plane was two hours late.

That last one, 由于…原因 (yuán yīn = reason), is boilerplate: airports, train stations and official announcements run on it.

The restriction to remember is that 由于 (yóu yú) cannot trail. 因为 (yīn wèi) can come second, English-style; 由于 cannot, and it cannot stand alone as an answer to 为什么 (wèi shén me) either. 我没去，因为下雨了 is right; 我没去，由于下雨了 is not.

至于 (zhì yú): the topic switch

至于 (zhì yú) does not mean 'about' and it does not mean 'because'. It moves the discussion on. You have dealt with one item; 至于 introduces the next.

• 结果我已经说了。至于原因，请看下面。 (Jié guǒ wǒ yǐ jīng shuō le. Zhì yú yuán yīn, qǐng kàn xià miàn.) - I have given the result. As for the reasons, see below.
• 这件事就说到这里。至于明天的安排，我们晚点再说。 (Zhè jiàn shì jiù shuō dào zhè lǐ. Zhì yú míng tiān de ān pái, wǒ men wǎn diǎn zài shuō.) - That is enough on this. As for tomorrow's arrangements, we will come back to them later.

Because it switches, 至于 (zhì yú) needs something before it. Opening a paragraph with 至于 out of nowhere reads as though a page is missing. Its job is the seam between two topics, which is exactly why written Mandarin uses it so heavily and spoken Mandarin barely does.

A related expression worth knowing: 不至于 (bú zhì yú), 'it will not go that far, it will not come to that'.

• 他很生气，不过不至于打人。 (Tā hěn shēng qì, bú guò bú zhì yú dǎ rén.) - He is angry, but not to the point of hitting anyone.

属于 (shǔ yú) and 位于 (wèi yú): the verbs

These two are full verbs, so they carry the clause on their own. No 是 (shì) in front of them.

属shǔ于yú (shǔ yú) is 'belong to', for ownership and for category membership.

• 这本书属于图书馆。 (Zhè běn shū shǔ yú tú shū guǎn.) - This book belongs to the library.
• 这个问题属于历史，不属于语言。 (Zhè ge wèn tí shǔ yú lì shǐ, bù shǔ yú yǔ yán.) - This question belongs to history, not to language.

位wèi于yú (wèi yú) is 'be located at'. It is the map-and-news word for where something is, and it takes a place, never a person.

• 这所大学位于城市的北部。 (Zhè suǒ dà xué wèi yú chéng shì de běi bù.) - The university is in the north of the city.
• 这家银行位于车站旁边。 (Zhè jiā yín háng wèi yú chē zhàn páng biān.) - The bank is next to the station.

Compare 在 (zài), which does the same job in speech and everywhere else. 这所大学在城市的北部 is correct and normal. The difference is register and subject: 位于 (wèi yú) wants a fixed thing on a map - a city, a building, a country - and it wants to be written down. You would not say 我位于家里 for 'I am at home'; that is 我在家.

• 是 (shì) and 位于 (wèi yú) do not stack. 这家银行是位于车站旁边 is wrong. Drop the 是.

等děng于yú (děng yú) rounds the verbs off: 'equals', in arithmetic and in argument. 二加二等于四 (èr jiā èr děng yú sì). Figuratively: 不说话等于同意 (bù shuō huà děng yú tóng yì) - saying nothing amounts to agreeing.

终于 (zhōng yú): the odd one out

终 (zhōng) is 'end', so 终于 (zhōng yú) is 'arriving at the end'. It is an adverb, it sits before the verb, and it carries feeling: relief that something long awaited has finally happened.

• 我们等了很久，他终于来了。 (Wǒ men děng le hěn jiǔ, tā zhōng yú lái le.) - We waited a long time, and he finally came.
• 他终于找到了工作。 (Tā zhōng yú zhǎo dào le gōng zuò.) - He has finally found a job.

Two constraints. First, 终于 (zhōng yú) is for things that have actually happened, so it lives with 了 (le) and does not go with plans or requests. Second, it wants an outcome someone was hoping for. A run of bad luck ending badly does not take 终于; use 最后 (zuì hòu).

Compare with 最后 (zuì hòu), which simply means 'last in the sequence' and is emotionally flat:

• 我们最后去了那家饭馆。 (Wǒ men zuì hòu qù le nà jiā fàn guǎn.) - In the end we went to that restaurant. (Just the last item.)
• 我们终于找到了那家饭馆。 (Wǒ men zhōng yú zhǎo dào le nà jiā fàn guǎn.) - We finally found that restaurant. (After effort, at last.)

Why formal writing runs on this family

Look at how a news sentence is built. It states its relation to the world first, then says the thing.

• 由于天气原因，机场今天关闭。 (Yóu yú tiān qì yuán yīn, jī chǎng jīn tiān guān bì.) - Owing to weather conditions, the airport is closed today.
• 关于这次会议的报告已经发出。 (Guān yú zhè cì huì yì de bào gào yǐ jīng fā chū.) - The report on this meeting has been issued.
• 对于这个结果，很多人并不满意。 (Duì yú zhè ge jié guǒ, hěn duō rén bìng bù mǎn yì.) - Many people are far from satisfied with this result.
• 这家公司位于城市南部，属于一家大公司。 (Zhè jiā gōng sī wèi yú chéng shì nán bù, shǔ yú yì jiā dà gōng sī.) - The company is in the south of the city and belongs to a large group.

Spoken Mandarin does the same jobs with 因为, 说的是, 对, 在 and 是…的. The formal version front-loads the relation, and that front-loading is what makes a paragraph sound like a document rather than a conversation. It is also, conveniently, why these four openings are worth learning as fixed shapes: 由于…, 关于…, 对于…, 至于… will start a very large fraction of the formal sentences you ever write.

Common mistakes

1. 关guān于yú (guān yú) for an attitude. 关于我很重要 is wrong. Importance, satisfaction and usefulness land on somebody, so they take 对于 (duì yú) or 对 (duì).
2. 对duì于yú (duì yú) modifying a noun. 对于历史的书 is wrong. A book about something takes 关于 (guān yú) plus 的 (de).
3. 对duì于yú (duì yú) with a person you treat well or badly. 他对于我很好 is wrong; it is 他对我很好. Personal treatment always takes bare 对 (duì).
4. Trailing 由yóu于yú (yóu yú). 由于 heads its clause and never follows one. If the reason comes second, switch to 因为 (yīn wèi).
5. 至zhì于yú (zhì yú) used as 'about'. It is not a topic marker, it is a topic switch, and it needs a previous topic to switch away from.
6. 是shì (shì) in front of 位wèi于yú (wèi yú) or 属shǔ于yú (shǔ yú). They are verbs already. 这家银行位于车站旁边, not 这家银行是位于车站旁边.
7. 位wèi于yú (wèi yú) for people or temporary positions. 我位于家里 is wrong. Use 在 (zài) for anything that can walk away.
8. 终zhōng于yú (zhōng yú) for a neutral final item. If nobody was waiting and nobody is relieved, you want 最后 (zuì hòu). 终于 always carries the relief.

See also

• Formal connectives - 然而, 因此, 于是 and 尽管, the other half of the written register, and 由于's partner 因此.
• Conjunctions - the spoken 因为…所以 pairing that 由于…因此 replaces on the page.
• Co-verbs - 对, 给, 跟 and 用 in front of the main verb, which is the pattern 对于 grew out of.
• Location and existence - 在 and 有 for where things are, the everyday alternative to 位于.
• Topic-comment fronting - why Mandarin likes to name the topic first, which is what every 关于 and 至于 phrase is doing.