25 Disyllabic prepositions
Everyday purpose or intention is usually expressed by a second verb (phrase) following the first: wi jìn chéng qù mfi ddngxi I went shopping in town. (lit. I went into town to shop.) ta lái sùshè zhfo wi He came to the dormitory to look for me. duìyú ‘as to; about’, guanyú ‘regarding; as regards’ and zhìyú ‘as for; as far as . . . is concerned’, yóuyú ‘because of’, all refer to a matter or person brought up for discussion.
C
duìyú zhèi jiàn shì | wi ycdifnr yg bù zhcdao As to this matter I know nothing./I know nothing about this matter. guanyú zhèi gè wèntí | wimen zài yánjie ycxià Regarding this matter, we will have more discussions./We will consider this matter further. zhìyú jiégui rúhé | wimen míngtian jiù zhcdao le As to how the results will come out, we will know tomorrow./We will know the results by tomorrow. / yóuyú tianqì bù hfo | wimen juédìng dai zài jia li We decided to stay at home because of the bad weather.
Note 1: duì (see Unit 24) can in fact be used interchangeably with duìyú, but in sentences where the verb specifically indicates ‘attitude’, duì is preferred:
wimen duì ta de shèngqíng kufndài bifoshì gfnxiè We expressed thanks for her generosity/hospitality.
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