对: Directing an Attitude or Action in Chinese
对……
The preposition 对 introduces the person or thing toward which an attitude, description, or non-motion action is directed. The complete 对 phrase normally stands before the main predicate. It can introduce the recipient of speech, the target of an attitude, or the thing affected by an evaluation.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 对 + Person / Thing + Predicate
Read the structure
The preposition 对 introduces the person or thing toward which an attitude, description, or non-motion action is directed. The complete 对 phrase normally stands before the main predicate. It can introduce the recipient of speech, the target of an attitude, or the thing affected by an evaluation. Keep the model Subject + 对 + Person / Thing + Predicate visible while you compare each sentence.
她对每位顾客都很热情。
She is warm and welcoming to every customer.
Choose the right context
Name the target of an attitude: 她对每位顾客都很热情。 Name the person addressed: 我想对你说一件事。 Name what an evaluation concerns: 这个消息对大家很重要。
我想对你说一件事。
I want to tell you something.
Respect the boundary
Do not put the object before 对; the preposition must introduce its object. Do not leave 对 without an object noun phrase before the main predicate. Use 往 or 向 for literal movement toward a direction rather than this non-motion relation.
她顾客对很热情。
(She customers toward is very warm.)
Repair the pattern
The object is placed before its preposition: 对 is a preposition here and must come before its object 顾客; the full 对顾客 phrase then precedes the predicate. 对 is left without its object and the recipient is misplaced after the verb: The recipient 我 must be the object of 对, producing the complete prepositional phrase 对我 before 说.
她对顾客很热情。
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.
她对每位顾客都很热情。
She is warm and welcoming to every customer.
她
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
对
对
This part occupies the 对 position in the model pattern.
每位
Person / Thing
This part occupies the Person / Thing position in the model pattern.
顾客
Predicate
This part occupies the Predicate position in the model pattern.
都很
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
热情
对
This part occupies the 对 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.
她对每位顾客都很热情。
She is warm and welcoming to every customer.
我想对你说一件事。
I want to tell you something.
这个消息对大家很重要。
This information is important to everyone.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Name the target of an attitude: 她对每位顾客都很热情。
- Name the person addressed: 我想对你说一件事。
- Name what an evaluation concerns: 这个消息对大家很重要。
Do not use it when
- Do not put the object before 对; the preposition must introduce its object.
- Do not leave 对 without an object noun phrase before the main predicate.
- Use 往 or 向 for literal movement toward a direction rather than this non-motion relation.
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.
她顾客对很热情。
她对顾客很热情。
The object is placed before its preposition
对 is a preposition here and must come before its object 顾客; the full 对顾客 phrase then precedes the predicate.
他对说了我这个消息。
他对我说了这个消息。
对 is left without its object and the recipient is misplaced after the verb
The recipient 我 must be the object of 对, producing the complete prepositional phrase 对我 before 说.
她顾客对很热情。
对 is a preposition here and must come before its object 顾客; the full 对顾客 phrase then precedes the predicate.
他对说了我这个消息。
The recipient 我 must be the object of 对, producing the complete prepositional phrase 对我 before 说.
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 对…….
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 对……. 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
对: Directing an Attitude or Action Questions
Where does a 对 phrase go in a sentence?
It normally appears before the main predicate: subject + 对 + object + predicate. The object stays directly after 对.
How is 对 different from 向 or 往?
对 commonly marks a non-motion target of speech, attitude, or evaluation. 向 and 往 can point toward a physical 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: Appendix A, Level 2 grammar inventory, item 25 (A.2.1.7.3): preposition 对 introducing an object
Supports placement in HSK 2; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 14, sections 14.1 and 14.2.2, pages 81-83
States that a preposition precedes its object noun phrase, that the resulting phrase precedes the main verb, and that 对 marks a target without motion, as in 对你说.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
跟跟 for Doing Something Together
Compare this lesson with 跟 introducing a companion in an action; both belong to participants introduced around an action, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
替替: Acting on Someone's Behalf
Compare this lesson with 替 introducing the person on whose behalf an action occurs; both belong to participants introduced around an action, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
当着当着: In Someone's Presence
Compare this lesson with 当着 introducing people in whose presence an action occurs; both belong to participants introduced around an action, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Continue learning
地点Place Word Placement
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
RECOMMENDED NEXT
Continue learning
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.