于 yú at
at; in; on; to; than
How to remember 于: 一 one + 𬺰 hooked cross = at. One climber clips onto the hooked cross of the summit marker and waves down, happy to be at the top at last.
Component breakdown
于 = 一 one + 𬺰 hooked cross
- 一 one
- 𬺰 hooked cross
One climber clips onto the hooked cross of the summit marker and waves down, happy to be at the top at last.
How it came to be
Breath drawn coming out of something and bending as it goes, the same idea as a small family of shapes. It has been a linking word for as long as anybody has written it down.
How it is used
- A formal preposition "at/in/on; to; than", the written cousin of 在 and 比 - it glues onto verbs and adjectives: 位于 (wèiyú) located at, 低于 (dīyú) lower than, 用于 (yòngyú) used for.
- Very high-frequency in fixed connectors: 关于 (guānyú) about, 由于 (yóuyú) because of, 对于 (duìyú) regarding, 终于 (zhōngyú) at last, 于是 (yúshì) thereupon.
- Rarely stands alone in speech; its presence lifts the register toward formal/written.
Characters built with 于
Words with 于
- 关于guānyúaboutHSK 3
- 终于zhōngyúat lastHSK 3
- 对于duìyúregardingHSK 4
- 于是yúshìas a resultHSK 4
- 由于yóuyúdue toHSK 4
- 低于dīyúto be lower thanHSK 4
- 便于biànyúeasy toHSK 4
- 用于yòngyúto use inHSK 4
- 高于gāoyúgreater thanHSK 4
- 位于wèiyúto be located atHSK 5
- 善于shànyúto be good atHSK 5
- 在于zàiyúto rest withHSK 5
- 处于chǔyúto be inHSK 5
- 大于dàyúgreater thanHSK 5
- 小于xiǎoyúless than, <HSK 5
- 属于shǔyúto belong toHSK 5
- 敢于gǎnyúto have the courage to do somethingHSK 5
- 有助于yǒuzhùyúto contribute toHSK 5
- 等于děngyúto equalHSK 5
- 过于guòyúexcessivelyHSK 5
- 不至于búzhìyúunlikely to go so far as toHSK 6
- 乐于lèyúwilling (to do something)HSK 6
- 出于chūyúdue toHSK 6
- 勇于yǒngyúto dare toHSK 6
- 易于yìyúvery likelyHSK 6
- 源于yuányúhas its origins inHSK 6
- 至于zhìyúas forHSK 6
- 限于xiànyúto be limited toHSK 6
- 不亚于búyàyúno less thanHSK 7
- 介于jièyúbetweenHSK 7
- 以至于yǐzhìyúdown toHSK 7
- 基于jīyúbecause ofHSK 7
- 居于jūyúto be in (a position)HSK 7
- 急于jíyúeager toHSK 7
- 急于求成jíyú-qiúchénganxious for quick results (idiom)HSK 7
- 无济于事wújìyúshìto no availHSK 7
- 归于guīyúto belong toHSK 8
- 忠于zhōngyúto be loyal toHSK 8
- 无动于衷wúdòngyúzhōngaloofHSK 8
- 致力于zhìlìyúto work forHSK 9
Example sentences
- 对于电脑我一点也不懂。 Duìyú diànnǎo wǒ yìdiǎn yě bù dǒng.I know nothing about computers.
- 我喜欢看关于历史的书。 Wǒ xǐhuan kàn guānyú lìshǐ de shū.I like to read books about history.
- 他完成了工作，于是回家了。 Tā wánchéngle gōngzuò, yúshì huíjiā le.He finished the work and then went home.
- 由于下雨，比赛取消了。 Yóuyú xiàyǔ, bǐsài qǔxiāo le.Due to the rain, the game has been canceled.