1 · Time and place
On, in, under: place words after the noun
localisers
Chinese says “the table on” rather than “on the table”: the word for the position follows the noun.
English puts the preposition before the noun: on the table, in the box. Chinese puts the word for the position after it: 桌子上, literally “table top”, 盒子里, “box inside”. These words are called localisers. 在 usually stands in front as well: 书在桌子上, “the book is on the table” — 在 says that it is somewhere, the localiser says where on or in the table.
The common ones are 上 on, 下 under, 里 in, 外 outside, 前 in front, 后 behind, and 旁边 beside. With 面 added they become words that can stand on their own: 上面, 里面, 后面, 外面. In quick speech 上 and 里 after a noun are often said lightly; this site writes their full tone.
An ordinary object — a table, a box, a bag, a room — is not a place by itself, so it needs a localiser: 在桌子 alone is wrong. Names of cities and countries are places already and take none: 在北京, never with 里. Words for institutions such as 学校, 银行 and 家 are places too and work either way.
The reference point comes first and the position second, the same big-to-small order as in a date: 我家后面, “behind my house”, 银行旁边, “next to the bank”. English speakers tend to start with the position because English does; in Chinese the thing you measure from comes first.
The form
| on the table | 桌子上 |
| in the box | 盒子里 |
| under the chair | 椅子下面 |
| next to the bank | 银行旁边 |
| the book is on the table | 书在桌子上。 |
| a city takes no localiser | 他在北京。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The localiser follows the noun: “table on”, not “on table”.
钥匙在桌子上。The keys are on the table.
An ordinary object needs a localiser before it can be a place.
猫在床下面。The cat is under the bed.
Names of cities and countries are places already and take no localiser.
我姐姐在上海。My older sister is in Shanghai.
With 面 added, a localiser becomes a word that can stand on its own.
外面很冷。It is cold outside.
A closer look
When the localiser is left out
A word that already names a place needs no localiser. City and country names never take one; words for places people go to — 学校, 银行, 医院, 家 — can do without one: 我在学校, “I am at school”.
Adding 里 to such a word stresses the inside: 学校里 is “on the school grounds, inside the school”, and 家里 is “indoors, at home”. An object word, on the other hand, has to take a localiser, because a table or a bag only becomes a location once you say which part of it you mean.
How to spot it
- 上
- 里
- 下
- 前面
- 后面
- 旁边
- 外面
Example sentences
你的书在椅子上。Your book is on the chair.
牛奶在冰箱里。The milk is in the fridge.
我家旁边有一个超市。There is a supermarket next to my home.
学校前面有很多树。There are a lot of trees in front of the school.
孩子们在房间里看电视。The children are watching TV in their room.
车在楼下。The car is downstairs.
7 more example sentences
我的钱包在包里。My wallet is in the bag.
银行在邮局旁边。The bank is next to the post office.
你的鞋在门后面。Your shoes are behind the door.
墙上有一张地图。There is a map on the wall.
飞机上不能抽烟。You can’t smoke on the plane.
公园里人很多。There are lots of people in the park.
我在大门外面等你。I’ll wait for you outside the main entrance.
Worth knowing (1)
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Shàng for books, screens and the internet
Where English says “in the newspaper” or “on the internet”, Chinese uses 上 for all of them: 网上, 报纸上, 书上. A text is thought of as a surface you read from.
书上说这个字很难写。The book says this character is hard to write.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The English order “on the table” carries over easily, and it puts the localiser in front. In Chinese it always follows the noun it belongs to: first the table, then the top of it.
First the thing, then the position: table on, box in, bank beside.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.