Getting around town

Adding 边 and 面

Direction words in Chinese play a crucial role in describing locations and the spatial relationships between objects or places. In Chinese, direction words are typically used in combination with other words like 边 (biān) or 面 (miàn) to specify a particular side or aspect of an object or location. For example:

东边 (dōng biān) – east side
北面 (běi miàn) – north side
左边 (zuǒ biān) – left side

The direction words in the table above can all take both 边/面. However, note that these four words tend to be paired like this commonly: 左边、右边、前面、后面.

Cardinal and intermediate directions

Cardinal directions are the four main points of the compass, representing the primary directions on the Earth’s surface. Intermediate directions are the points located halfway between each of the cardinal directions . The biggest difference between English and Chinese is that Chinese intermediate directions always start with east and west (东、西).

东北 (dōngběi) – Northeast
西北 (xīběi) – Northwest
东南 (dōngnán) – Southeast
西南 (xīnán) – Southwest

1. 我的家在学校和图书馆的中间。
Wǒ de jiā zài xuéxiào hé túshūguǎn de zhōngjiān.
My home is between the school and the library.

2. 学校的对面是市场。
Xuéxiào de duìmian shì shìchǎng.
Across from the school is a market.

3. 电影院在银行的旁边。
Diànyǐngyuàn zài yínháng de pángbian.
The cinema is next to the bank.

4. 商店的北边有一所医院。
Shāngdiàn de běibian yǒu yīsuǒ yīyuàn.
There is a hospital to the north of the store.

5. 卫生间在医院的后面。
Wèishēngjiān zài yīyuàn de hòumian.
The restroom is behind the hospital.

6. 饭店的右边有一家超市。
Fàndiàn de yòubian yǒu yī jiā chāoshì.
There is a supermarket to the right of the restaurant.

7. 商店在饭店的左边。
Shāngdiàn zài fàndiàn de zuǒbian.
The store is on the left side of the restaurant.

8. 电影院在我家的南边。
Diànyǐngyuàn zài wǒ jiā de nánbian.
The cinema is to the south of my home.

9. 商场在城市的东边。
Shāngchǎng zài chéngshì de dōngbian.
The mall is on the east side of the city.

10. 咖啡馆在书店的左边，在商店的对面。
Kāfēiguǎn zài shūdiàn de zuǒbiān, zài shāngdiàn de duìmian.
The coffee shop is on the left side of the bookstore, across from the store.

11. 我想去饭店前面的书店买书。
Wǒ xiǎng qù fàndiàn qiánmian de shūdiàn mǎi shū.
I want to go to the bookstore in front of the restaurant to buy books.

12. 你为什么不去你家旁边的图书馆借书？
Nǐ wèishénme bù qù nǐ jiā pángbian de túshūguǎn jiè shū?
Why don’t you go to the library next to your home to borrow books?

13. 商场里有很多商店和饭店。
Shāngchǎng lǐ yǒu hěnduō shāngdiàn hé fàndiàn.
There are many stores and restaurants in the mall.

14. 洗手间在机场的楼上。
Xǐshǒujiān zài jīchǎng de lóushàng.
The restroom in the airport is upstairs.

15. 那个地点在市场的外面。
Nàge dìdiǎn zài shìchǎng de wàimiàn.
That location is outside the market.

16. 学校楼下有一家小超市。
Xuéxiào lóuxià yǒu yī jiā xiǎo chāoshì.
The school has a small shop downstairs.

You may notice in sentence 13 that “商场的里面” is shortened to “商场里”. The following words can all be shortened in this way if both the suffix (边/面）and “的” are omitted:

下边、下面、上边、上面、旁边、里边、里面、外边、外面、前边、前面、后边、后面

For example:

商店的前边有一家咖啡馆。becomes -> 商店前有一家咖啡馆。