对 (duì): Toward / Regarding | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

对 (duì) is the coverb that aims a feeling, attitude, or effect at someone or something — "he's good to me," "I'm interested in history," "it's bad for your health." Like every coverb, the 对-phrase sits before the predicate that expresses the stance: 他对我很好 is literally "he / toward-me / very good." The reason English speakers need this page is that English scatters the same idea across half a dozen prepositions — to, toward, about, for, with, in — all after the adjective or verb, while Chinese collapses them into one word, 对, planted in front. Master 对 and a whole family of "attitude" sentences opens up at once.

The core idea: 对 marks the target of a stance

Whenever a predicate expresses how you feel about or behave toward someone — kind, strict, interested, satisfied, good, bad — the person or topic it's aimed at is introduced by 对, and the whole 对-phrase comes before that predicate.

他对我很好，从来不发脾气。

tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo, cónglái bù fā píqì

He's really good to me — never loses his temper. (informal) — 对我 aims the 'good' at me.

我对中国历史特别感兴趣。

wǒ duì Zhōngguó lìshǐ tèbié gǎn xìngqù

I'm especially interested in Chinese history. (neutral) — 对历史 is the target of 感兴趣.

老板对员工要求很严。

lǎobǎn duì yuángōng yāoqiú hěn yán

The boss is very strict with his staff. (neutral) — 对员工 sets who the strictness falls on.

大家对这个计划都很满意。

dàjiā duì zhège jìhuà dōu hěn mǎnyì

Everyone is very satisfied with this plan. (neutral) — 对这个计划 leads; the stance 满意 follows.

💡

English changes the preposition to match the adjective — good to, strict with, interested in, satisfied with, angry at. Chinese keeps one word, 对, and lets the adjective supply the flavour. When you want to say "adjective + at/to/with/about someone," reach for 对 and put it in front.

对 for effects: "good for" and "bad for"

The same word covers the effect something has on a thing — the English "good/bad for." Here the target is often not a person but the body, the skin, the eyes, the environment.

抽烟对身体不好。

chōu yān duì shēntǐ bù hǎo

Smoking is bad for your health. (neutral) — 对身体 = for the body; 不好 is the effect.

多喝水对皮肤好。

duō hē shuǐ duì pífū hǎo

Drinking more water is good for your skin. (informal)

每天散步对老人特别有好处。

měitiān sànbù duì lǎorén tèbié yǒu hǎochù

A daily walk is especially good for older people. (neutral) — 对老人 marks who benefits.

💡

The "good/bad for" frame is fixed: 对 + target + 好 / 不好 / 有好处 / 有害. The target can be a body part, a person, or an abstract thing (对环境好, "good for the environment"). Whenever English says "good/bad for X," the X goes right after 对.

Set phrases built on 对

A handful of extremely common expressions freeze 对 into place. Learn them as whole units:

Phrase	Reading	Meaning
对不起	duìbuqǐ	sorry (lit. "facing you, I fall short")
对…来说	duì…lái shuō	as for… / from …'s point of view
对…感兴趣	duì…gǎn xìngqù	be interested in…
对…负责	duì…fùzé	be responsible for / to…

对我来说，家人最重要。

duì wǒ lái shuō, jiārén zuì zhòngyào

For me, family matters most. (neutral) — 对…来说 frames a personal viewpoint.

对不起，我来晚了。

duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le

Sorry, I'm late. (informal) — 对不起 is frozen; you don't parse it word by word.

对 vs 跟 vs 向

The three often collide in learners' heads. 对 is one-directional — an attitude beamed at a target that doesn't beam back. 跟 (gēn, "with") is mutual — two people interacting. 向 (xiàng, "toward/from") points at the source you learn from or request from. So 对他笑 is smiling at him (he needn't smile back), 跟他聊天 is chatting with him (both talk), and 向他学习 is learning from him.

她对我笑了笑，什么也没说。

tā duì wǒ xiào le xiào, shénme yě méi shuō

She gave me a little smile and said nothing. (informal) — 对我 aims the smile; it isn't mutual.

我们都应该向他学习。

wǒmen dōu yīnggāi xiàng tā xuéxí

We should all learn from him. (neutral) — 'learn from' takes 向, not 对.

The full three-way comparison lives on the 跟 vs 对 vs 向 page.

Common Mistakes

1. Using 跟 where a one-directional attitude is meant. "He treats me well" is an attitude aimed at you — that's 对, not 跟. (跟我好 suggests mutual closeness, a different idea.)

❌ 他跟我很好。

Means 'he and I are close' — for 'he treats me well' you need 对: 他对我很好.

✅ 他对我很好。

tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo

He's very good to me. — 对 for the one-way attitude.

2. Dropping 对 in the 感兴趣 frame. 感兴趣 cannot take its topic bare; the topic must be marked with 对 and fronted.

❌ 我很感兴趣中国历史。

Incorrect — the topic needs 对 up front: 我对中国历史很感兴趣.

✅ 我对中国历史很感兴趣。

wǒ duì Zhōngguó lìshǐ hěn gǎn xìngqù

I'm very interested in Chinese history. — 对历史 leads.

3. Putting the 对-phrase after the adjective (English order). The stance-target leads; it never trails the predicate.

❌ 他很好对我。

Wrong order — the 对-phrase comes first: 他对我很好.

✅ 他对我很好。

tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo

He's very good to me. — 对我 before 很好.

4. Using 对 for "learn from / ask of." Learning from or requesting from a source takes 向, not 对.

❌ 我要对老师学习。

Incorrect — 'learn from the teacher' uses 向: 我要向老师学习.

✅ 我要向老师学习。

wǒ yào xiàng lǎoshī xuéxí

I want to learn from the teacher. — 向 for the source you draw from.

Key Takeaways

对 aims a feeling, attitude, or effect at a target, and the 对-phrase comes before the predicate: 对我很好, 对历史感兴趣.
It absorbs a whole cluster of English prepositions — good *to, strict with, interested in, bad for* — into one word.
It covers effects too: 对身体不好 ("bad for your health"), 对皮肤好 ("good for your skin").
Learn the frozen phrases whole: 对不起, 对…来说, 对…感兴趣.
Keep the trio apart: 对 = one-way attitude, 跟 = mutual interaction, 向 = the source you learn/ask from.

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