于

• Pinyin: yú
• Hanzi breakdown: 于 = ancient pictograph, simplified from 亏, a grammatical particle with no decomposable meaning

Meaning

In; at; to; from; than. A versatile literary preposition indicating time, place, or comparison.

One of the most important classical particles, still widely used in formal Chinese. Common patterns: 生于 (born in), 位于 (located at), 属于 (belong to), 对于 (regarding), 关于 (about), 由于 (due to), 至于 (as for). More literary than 在.

Examples

1. 这座桥建于一九五零年，至今仍在使用。 This bridge was built in 1950 and is still in use today.
2. 公司总部位于北京市中心，交通十分便利。 The company headquarters is located in central Beijing, with very convenient transportation.
3. 这款产品优于市场上的其他同类产品。 This product is superior to other similar products on the market.

Usage Guide

Context: written, official, literary

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 他毕业于北京大学。(He graduated from Peking University.)
• 这种情况有别于以往。(This situation differs from before.)

Don't Say

• 我于家 — 日常口语用'在'，于只用于书面或正式场合，说'我在家'

Origin & History

An ancient preposition from Classical Chinese, originally written as 亏. One of the most enduring function words, maintaining its use from ancient texts to modern formal Chinese.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal