Learn how to express distance between two places in Chinese using 离 (lí), 远 (yuǎn), and 近 (jìn)
1 Basic Sentence Pattern
To express “A is far/near from B” in Chinese, use the word 离 (lí) to connect the two places, and add 远 (yuǎn) for “far” or 近 (jìn) for “near” after the second place.
Distance Visualization
Complete Sentence: 中国离美国很远。
(China is very far from the United States.)
The Function of 离 (lí)
离 (lí) means “from” or “away from” when expressing distance. It connects the two places being compared.
Key point: 离 is the preposition that connects the two locations.
Distance Words: 远 and 近
远 (yuǎn) means “far” and 近 (jìn) means “near.” They come at the end of the sentence to describe the distance.
Position: Always at the end of the sentence
2 Adverbs for Describing Distance
Adverbs can be used to express how far or near the distance is. The extent adverbs should always come before 远 (yuǎn) and 近 (jìn), not after them.
Examples with Adverbs
很 (hěn)
Meaning: very, quite
Most common adverb for distance
非常 (fēicháng)
Meaning: extremely, very
Stronger than 很
不 (bù)
Meaning: not
Used for negation
有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr)
Meaning: a little, somewhat
For slight distance
Important Rule: Adverb Position
Adverbs must come before 远 and 近, never after. This is a fixed grammatical rule in Chinese.
This rule applies to all adverbs when describing distance with 离.
3 Chinese vs. English Structure
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4 Common Usage and Examples
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Practice Exercises
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