Towards/About (对)

对 (duì) is one of the most versatile prepositions in Chinese. Its core meaning is "towards" or "directed at," and it indicates the target or object of an action, feeling, or attitude. The "对 + Object" phrase is placed before the verb.

Common uses include: expressing attitudes and feelings toward someone or something ("我对中文很感兴趣" — "I'm interested in Chinese"), indicating the target of speech ("她对我说..." — "She said to me..."), and expressing effects on someone ("这对你有好处" — "This is beneficial to you").

对 appears in many fixed phrases at this level: 对...感兴趣 (interested in), 对...有好处 (good for), 对...有帮助 (helpful to), 对不起 (sorry, literally "can't face"). Learning these collocations will naturally expand your use of 对.

The "对 + Object" phrase functions as a prepositional phrase and must come before the verb in a sentence. It cannot come after the verb. "我对他很好" (I treat him well) is correct, but "我很好对他" is not. This follows the general Chinese rule that prepositional phrases precede the verb.