In Chinese, prepositions are called 介词 (jiècí). Their job is to connect nouns, pronouns, or other phrases to the rest of the sentence. Think of them as linking words that provide context. They answer questions like when, where, how, or why an action takes place.

These words help specify different kinds of relationships:

• Time: When something happens. (e.g., from Monday, at three o'clock)
• Place: Where something is or happens. (e.g., at home, in Beijing)
• Direction: Where something is going. (e.g., towards the school)
• Manner: How something is done. (e.g., with chopsticks)
• Cause: Why something happens. (e.g., for this reason)

The most important rule for Chinese prepositions is their placement in a sentence. In English, prepositional phrases often come after the verb. In Chinese, they almost always come before the verb.

A preposition combines with a noun to create a prepositional phrase. For example, the preposition 在 (zài), meaning "at," combines with the noun 家 (jiā), meaning "home," to form the phrase 在家 (zài jiā), or "at home."

This phrase then acts as a single unit to describe the verb. Let's look at a simple sentence.

Notice the order. In English, the action "eat" comes before the location "at home." In Chinese, the location 在家 (zài jiā) comes before the action 吃饭 (chī fàn). This structure—Subject + Prepositional Phrase + Verb—is a fundamental pattern in Mandarin.

Getting this word order right is a huge step toward speaking more naturally. Always remember to place the information about where, when, or how before you state the action itself.