挨着

• Pinyin: āi zhe
• Hanzi breakdown: 挨 = 扌(hand) + 矣 (phonetic); 着 = 羊 (sheep) + 目 (eye)

Meaning

Next to; close to; adjacent to. Indicates physical proximity between objects or people.

Used to describe spatial relationships where things are positioned immediately beside each other. Can describe furniture arrangement, seating positions, or geographical locations. Often used in everyday descriptions of where things are placed.

Examples

1. 我家挨着一个很大的公园，每天早上都能听到鸟叫。 My home is next to a large park, and I can hear birds singing every morning.
2. 他们俩挨着坐，整个会议都在小声聊天。 The two of them sat next to each other, whispering throughout the entire meeting.
3. 超市挨着银行，你去取钱的时候顺便买点东西吧。 The supermarket is next to the bank — you can pick up some things when you go to withdraw money.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, description

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我的座位挨着窗户，阳光特别好。(My seat is next to the window, the sunlight is really nice.)
• 这两栋楼挨着，中间只有一条小路。(These two buildings are adjacent, with only a small path between them.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'挨着很远' (Don't say 'next to but far away' — 挨着 implies closeness, so this is contradictory)

Origin & History

Formed from 挨 (to be next to) plus the aspect particle 着, indicating a continuous state of being adjacent.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal