▎從 A 往 B, (cóng (Prep) A wǎng (Prep) B), go B from A

 

Function This pattern expresses directions of movements. 從 marks the beginning point and 往 marks the ending point of the movement.

1 你從這裡往前一直走，就到師大了。

Nǐ cóng zhèlǐ wǎng qián yìzhí zǒu, jiù dào Shīdà le.

Walk straight from here and you will arrive at NTNU.

2 從這個路口往右轉，你可以到學校宿舍。

Cóng zhè ge lùkǒu wǎng yòu zhuǎn, nǐ kěyǐ dào xuéxiào sùshè.

Turn right at this intersection and you will arrive at the school dorms.

3 從學校大門往裡面走十分鐘，可以到語言中心。

Cóng xuéxiào dàmén wǎng lǐmiàn zǒu shí fēnzhōng, kěyǐ dào yǔyán zhōngxīn.

Walk straight in from the school gate for 10 minutes and you will arrive at the language center.

 

Structures If the beginning point of the movement is clear from the context, ‘從…’ can often be omitted while ‘往…’ is used alone. E.g.,

A：請問，圖書館怎麼走？

Qǐngwèn, túshūguǎn zěnme zǒu?

Excuse me. How do I get to the library?

B：你往前一直走，就到了。

Nǐ wǎng qián yìzhí zǒu, jiù dào le.

Just walk straight and you’ll get there.

Negation：

1 你不能（從這裡）往前走，前面沒有路了。

Nǐ bù néng (cóng zhèlǐ) wǎng qián zǒu, qiánmiàn méi yǒu lù le.

You can’t keep going straight, there’s a dead end up ahead.

2 你不可以從這個路口往左轉，只可以往右轉。

Nǐ bù kěyǐ cóng zhè ge lùkǒu wǎng zuǒ zhuǎn, zhǐ kěyǐ wǎng yòu zhuǎn.

You can’t turn left at this intersection. You can only turn right.

3 這公車不是往師大，是往火車站的。

Zhè gōngchē búshì wǎng Shīdà, shì wǎng huǒchē zhàn de.

This bus doesn’t go to NTNU, it goes to the train station.

Questions：

1 我是不是從這裡往前面一直騎，就可以到花蓮？

Wǒ shìbúshì cóng zhèlǐ wǎng qiánmiàn yìzhí qí, jiù kěyǐ dào Huālián?

If I keep riding my bike straight ahead, will I end up in Hualien?

2 請問從師大，有沒有往故宮博物院的公車？

Qǐngwèn cóng Shīdà, yǒu méi yǒu wǎng Gùgōng Bówùyuàn de gōngchē?

Excuse me, are there any buses that go from NTNU to the Palace Museum?

3 請問，我要到銀行去，是從這裡往前一直走嗎？

Qǐngwèn, wǒ yào dào yínháng qù, shì cóng zhèlǐ wǎng qián yìzhí zǒu ma?

Excuse me. I want to go to the bank. Do I keep going straight from here?