(yú) - at, in, on, from, to (literary preposition) in Mandarin
yúTraditional: 於
Translation
at, in, on, from, to (literary preposition)
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Word origin
于 (yú) is a literary preposition meaning 'at, in, from'. It derives from an ancient graph; the picture is not firmly agreed, but the character has long served as a grammatical preposition introducing place or relation.
- Origin
- pictograph (early form uncertain)
- Root
- 于, an ancient graph used as a grammatical preposition
Stroke order
于
Examples
1990。
He was born in 1990.
立2005。
The company was established in 2005.
。
He was born in 1990.
程。
The project will be completed next year.
于 (yú) is a literary preposition equivalent to 在 (zài, at/in) in formal and written Mandarin. It indicates time, place, or source (生于, born at; 于...时, at the time of; 源于, originating from). In modern speech 在 is used in most cases, but 于 remains common in formal writing, official documents, and fixed phrases. Many compound prepositions built on 于 survive in everyday use: 对于 (regarding), 由于 (due to), 关于 (about).
Where this fits
Appears in 6 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 于.
Used in
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Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "于" (at, in, on, from, to (literary preposition)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free week (no card)This word is taught in chapter 8, lesson 5: 于, 作为, 狗 and 7 more words.