之
go to; pronoun; structural particle
Meanings
7 senses · 35 examplesverb
to go to; to proceed to
literaryUsed exclusively in classical Chinese or formal written Chinese, rarely used in modern spoken Mandarin.
Travel from Beijing to Shanghai
Where will you go?
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That maiden is going to her marriage
Escort him to the riverside
Flock to something like ducks
pronoun
personal pronoun (as object)
literaryOnly used as an object of a verb or preposition, equivalent to "it", "him", "her" in modern Mandarin.
Long for something but cannot obtain it
Infinite supply that can never be exhausted
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Act too hastily
One's words are reasonable and well-founded
Surpass and go beyond, with no shortage
pronoun
empty dummy pronoun
literaryUsed as a grammatical placeholder without actual referential meaning, to adjust sentence structure.
As time passes; in the long run
Unconsciously start dancing with hands and feet
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Let things take their own course
So vivid it seems to step out of the painting
Ignore something completely
pronoun
demonstrative pronoun: this; that
literaryUsed to point out specific people or things, equivalent to "this" or "that" in modern English.
These two creatures
That man is fishing
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This is exactly what is meant
Loyal until death, no other thoughts
Stop at this river
structural particle
possessive structural marker
literaryEquivalent to modern Mandarin 的 (de) when indicating possession or attribution.
A pure and innocent heart
The sound of bells and drums
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Use your own spear to attack your own shield
The kindness of one's parents
The interests of the nation
structural particle
modifier structural marker
literaryConnects descriptive modifiers to the following noun, equivalent to modern 的 (de).
A family of honor
A priceless treasure
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A delaying tactic
Thousands of li away
Within expectations
structural particle
subject-marker to cancel sentence independence
literaryAttaches between a subject and predicate to turn a complete sentence into a noun phrase used as part of another sentence.
The vastness of China
The intensity of the battle
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When the Great Way is practiced, the world belongs to all
Water flowing downward naturally
When a person is about to die, their words are kind