当着: In Someone's Presence in Chinese
当着
当着 introduces the person or group in whose presence an action is performed, commonly in the frame 当着某人的面. The complete prepositional phrase stands before the main verb and often signals social exposure or directness. It does not mean facing a physical direction, and 面 cannot precede the person it belongs to.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 当着 + Person + 的面 + Verb Phrase
Read the structure
当着 introduces the person or group in whose presence an action is performed, commonly in the frame 当着某人的面. The complete prepositional phrase stands before the main verb and often signals social exposure or directness. It does not mean facing a physical direction, and 面 cannot precede the person it belongs to. Keep the model Subject + 当着 + Person + 的面 + Verb Phrase visible while you compare each sentence.
当着我的面，你把话说清楚。
Say it clearly in my presence.
Choose the right context
Emphasize that speech occurs in someone's presence. Describe an action performed openly before a group. Highlight the social significance of witnesses to an action.
我当着大家的面拆开了礼物。
I opened the gift in front of everyone.
Respect the boundary
Do not place the 当着 phrase after the main verb. Do not reverse the internal order to 面 + person. Do not use it for literal movement toward a person or direction.
我拆开了礼物当着大家的面。
(I opened the gift in everyone's presence.)
Repair the pattern
The prepositional phrase follows the completed verb: The 当着 phrase is an adverbial setting and must precede the verb it modifies. The person and 面 are reversed inside the phrase: The fixed internal order is 当着 + person + 的面; 孩子的面 must remain together.
我当着大家的面拆开了礼物。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
当着我的面，你把话说清楚。
Say it clearly in my presence.
当
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
着
当着
This part occupies the 当着 position in the model pattern.
我的
Person
This part occupies the Person position in the model pattern.
面
的面
This part occupies the 的面 position in the model pattern.
，
Verb Phrase
This part occupies the Verb Phrase position in the model pattern.
你
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
把
当着
This part occupies the 当着 position in the model pattern.
话说
Person
This part occupies the Person position in the model pattern.
清楚
的面
This part occupies the 的面 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
当着我的面，你把话说清楚。
Say it clearly in my presence.
我当着大家的面拆开了礼物。
I opened the gift in front of everyone.
他不愿意当着孩子的面争论。
He is unwilling to argue in front of the child.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Emphasize that speech occurs in someone's presence.
- Describe an action performed openly before a group.
- Highlight the social significance of witnesses to an action.
Do not use it when
- Do not place the 当着 phrase after the main verb.
- Do not reverse the internal order to 面 + person.
- Do not use it for literal movement toward a person or direction.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
我拆开了礼物当着大家的面。
我当着大家的面拆开了礼物。
The prepositional phrase follows the completed verb
The 当着 phrase is an adverbial setting and must precede the verb it modifies.
他不愿意当着面的孩子争论。
他不愿意当着孩子的面争论。
The person and 面 are reversed inside the phrase
The fixed internal order is 当着 + person + 的面; 孩子的面 must remain together.
我拆开了礼物当着大家的面。
The 当着 phrase is an adverbial setting and must precede the verb it modifies.
他不愿意当着面的孩子争论。
The fixed internal order is 当着 + person + 的面; 孩子的面 must remain together.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 当着.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 当着. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
当着: In Someone's Presence Questions
Is 的面 always required?
It is the standard full form and makes the presence meaning explicit. Some contexts allow 当着 + person directly, but the full frame is safest.
How is 当着 different from 对着?
当着 emphasizes someone's presence as witness; 对着 can describe literal facing or direction.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, combined Levels 7–9 item 【七—九049】, 介词当着引出对象 (printed p. 241; PDF page 247)
Supports placement in the official combined Levels 7-9 band; the exact site level remains an internal difficulty label; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceA Reference Grammar of Chinese
Huang, Shi and Li · Cambridge University Press · 2022
Locator: Chapter 6, §6.6, prepositional phrases as adverbials before the predicate, pages 151–164; full text body opened
States that a preposition precedes its object and the resulting adverbial phrase normally precedes the main predicate.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
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