介词「向」 jiècí "xiàng"
介词「向」（jiècí "xiàng"）means “向: toward (a direction) / to (a person) — direction or target of an action”. 向 marks the direction or target an action faces, placed before the verb: '向 + target + verb'. Formation: 向 + 对象/方向 + 动词
向: toward (a direction) / to (a person) — direction or target of an action
HSK3Formation
向 + 对象/方向 + 动词
Explanation
向 marks the direction or target an action faces, placed before the verb: '向 + target + verb'. It works both for physical direction (向前看 look ahead) and for a person as target (向老师学习 learn from the teacher, 向他道歉 apologize to him). 向 is a bit more formal/abstract than 往, and unlike 往 it readily takes a person as its object.
Examples
Note
向 can take a person (向他学习); 往 usually cannot. 向 is a bit more formal than 往.
FAQ
介词「向」 — what does it mean and how is it used?
向: toward (a direction) / to (a person) — direction or target of an action. 向 marks the direction or target an action faces, placed before the verb: '向 + target + verb'. It works both for physical direction (向前看 look ahead) and for a person as target (向老师学习 learn from the teacher, 向他道歉 apologize to him). 向 is a bit more formal/abstract than 往, and unlike 往 it readily takes a person as its object.
介词「向」 — how do you form it?
向 + 对象/方向 + 动词
介词「向」 — any usage notes?
向 can take a person (向他学习); 往 usually cannot. 向 is a bit more formal than 往.