Some position words are inherently localizers: they already carry a 边 or 面 (or are simply lexicalized as place words) and so are complete on their own. The five workhorses are 旁边 (pángbiān) "beside, next to," 中间 (zhōngjiān) "in the middle, between," 对面 (duìmiàn) "opposite, across from," 附近 (fùjìn) "nearby, in the vicinity," and 周围 (zhōuwéi) "around, surrounding." Like all localizers, they follow the noun they anchor to — 银行旁边 "next to the bank," 学校对面 "across from the school" — and pair naturally with 在 and 有. The reframe for English speakers: these come after the noun, and because they are already whole words, you must not bolt an extra 面 or 边 onto them.
旁边 (beside) and 对面 (opposite)
旁边 is your everyday "next to / beside," and 对面 is "directly opposite / across from." Both slot in after the noun and take 在 for "is located at" or 有 for "there is."
银行旁边有一家咖啡店。
yínháng pángbiān yǒu yì jiā kāfēidiàn
There's a coffee shop next to the bank. (neutral)
我就坐在你旁边，别紧张。
wǒ jiù zuò zài nǐ pángbiān, bié jǐnzhāng
I'm sitting right next to you, don't be nervous. (informal)
邮局在学校对面。
yóujú zài xuéxiào duìmiàn
The post office is across from the school. (neutral)
对面那栋楼是我们公司。
duìmiàn nà dòng lóu shì wǒmen gōngsī
That building opposite is our company. (informal)
中间 (in the middle / between)
中间 covers both "in the middle of" a single space and "between" two things. For "between A and B," the natural frame is A 和 B 中间 — the two items joined by 和, with 中间 closing the phrase.
桌子放在客厅中间。
zhuōzi fàng zài kètīng zhōngjiān
The table is placed in the middle of the living room. (neutral)
他站在两个人中间。
tā zhàn zài liǎng ge rén zhōngjiān
He's standing between the two people. (informal)
学校和医院中间有一条小河。
xuéxiào hé yīyuàn zhōngjiān yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo hé
Between the school and the hospital there's a little river. (neutral)
For "between" as an abstract range of numbers or times ("between five and six o'clock"), formal writing prefers 之间 (zhījiān) rather than 中间 — that pattern is covered on the formal ranges page.
附近 (nearby) and 周围 (around)
附近 means "nearby, in the vicinity" — a loose area around a point — and 周围 means "around, surrounding, on all sides." Both follow the anchor noun, and 附近 also happily stands after 这 / 那 as "around here / there."
我家附近有一个很大的公园。
wǒ jiā fùjìn yǒu yí ge hěn dà de gōngyuán
There's a big park near my house. (informal)
这附近有地铁站吗？
zhè fùjìn yǒu dìtiězhàn ma?
Is there a subway station around here? (informal)
房子周围都是树。
fángzi zhōuwéi dōu shì shù
There are trees all around the house. (neutral)
| Localizer | Reading | Sense | Frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 旁边 | pángbiān | beside, next to | noun + 旁边 |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | in the middle / between | noun + 中间; A 和 B 中间 |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite, across from | noun + 对面 |
| 附近 | fùjìn | nearby, vicinity | noun + 附近; 这/那附近 |
| 周围 | zhōuwéi | around, surrounding | noun + 周围 |
Common Mistakes
1. Adding a redundant suffix. These words already end in a localizer element; don't stack another on.
❌ 银行旁边面有一家店。
Incorrect — 旁边 is already complete; drop the extra 面: 银行旁边.
✅ 银行旁边有一家店。
yínháng pángbiān yǒu yì jiā diàn
There's a shop next to the bank.
2. Fronting the localizer. It follows the noun, not the other way round.
❌ 我坐在旁边你。
Incorrect — the anchor noun comes first: 在你旁边.
✅ 我坐在你旁边。
wǒ zuò zài nǐ pángbiān
I'm sitting next to you.
3. Using 对 instead of 对面 for a physical location. Bare 对 is the attitude coverb, not "opposite."
❌ 邮局在学校对。
Incorrect — 'opposite the school' is 学校对面, not bare 对.
✅ 邮局在学校对面。
yóujú zài xuéxiào duìmiàn
The post office is across from the school.
4. Putting 中间 before the two nouns. In "between A and B," 中间 comes last.
❌ 中间学校和医院有一条河。
Incorrect — the localizer follows: 学校和医院中间.
✅ 学校和医院中间有一条河。
xuéxiào hé yīyuàn zhōngjiān yǒu yì tiáo hé
Between the school and the hospital there's a river.
Key Takeaways
- 旁边 / 中间 / 对面 / 附近 / 周围 are complete two-syllable localizers — no extra 边/面 needed.
- They follow the noun: 银行旁边, 学校对面, 我家附近.
- "Between A and B" = A 和 B 中间; for numeric ranges, formal 之间 is preferred.
- 附近 works after 这/那 for "around here / there"; 周围 stresses "on all sides."
- Don't confuse localizer 对面 "opposite" with coverb 对 "toward / regarding."
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- 前 / 后 (qián / hòu): In Front / BehindHSK 1 — 前 (qián) and 后 (hòu) are one localizer pair covering both space — 学校前面 'in front of the school', 房子后面 'behind the house' — and time — 三天前 'three days ago', 下课后 'after class' — always placed AFTER the noun or event.
- 左 / 右 (zuǒ / yòu): Left / RightHSK 1 — 'Left' and 'right' work as localizers almost always in the fuller forms 左边 (zuǒbian) and 右边 (yòubian): 银行在左边 'the bank is on the left', 往右拐 'turn right'; bare 左/右 live in compounds, and 左右 (zuǒyòu) after a number means 'approximately'.
- 以上 / 以下 / 以内 / 之间: Formal RangesHSK 4 — A formal family of localizers bounds a number or a point — 以上 (over/and up), 以下 (under), 以内 (within), 以外 (beyond), 之间 (between). They trail the quantity — 三十岁以上, 一周以内, 两者之间 — and 以上/以下 conventionally include the boundary number.
- 桌子上有一本书: Existence with a LocalizerHSK 1 — To say something exists at a place, Chinese uses Place(+localizer) + 有 + indefinite thing: 桌子上有一本书 (there's a book on the table). The place is the subject, 有 means 'there is/are', and object-nouns need a localizer to become a place.