▎由, yóu, (Prep), Introducing an Agent, an Actor

 

Function 由 is a literary preposition ‘by’, which marks an agent, or doer of an action.

1 今天晚上的演講，我們請到張主任，由他來介紹語言學最新的發展。

Jīntiān wǎnshàng de yǎnjiǎng, wǒmen qǐngdào Zhāng zhǔrèn, yóu tā lái jièshào yǔyánxué zuì xīn de fāzhǎn.

We've asked Director Zhang to speak tonight. He will be telling us about the latest developments in linguistics.

2 今天我們來包餃子。餃子餡兒，你準備，至於包呢，由我來吧。

Jīntiān wǒmen lái bāo jiǎozi. Jiǎozi xiànr, nǐ zhǔnbèi, zhìyú bāo ne, yóu wǒ lái ba.

Let’s make dumplings tonight. You prepare the stuffing. As to the wrapping, I'll be responsible for that.

3 外交方面的問題，當然還是由專業的外交人員處理比較合適。

Wàijiāo fāngmiàn de wèntí, dāngrán háishì yóu zhuānyè de wàijiāo rényuán chǔlǐ bǐjiào héshì.

It is obviously more appropriate for professional diplomats to handle foreign affairs issues.

4 張先生嗎？今天由我為您檢查身體。現在請您躺下。

Zhāng xiānshēng ma? Jīntiān yóu wǒ wèi nín jiǎnchá shēntǐ. Xiànzài qǐng nín tǎngxià.

Mr. Zhang? I'll be giving you a health checkup today. Could you lie down please.

5 李先生退休以後，他的公司就由兩個女兒經營。

Lǐ xiānshēng tuìxiū yǐhòu, tā de gōngsī jiù yóu liǎng ge nǚ’ér jīngyíng.

After Mr. Li retired, his two daughters took over running his company.

 

Usage

(1) The order is generally thus: 由＋ agent ＋來. The 來lái introduces the verb. E.g., 由他來照顧這片土地。Yóu tā lái zhàogù zhè piàn tǔdì. ‘He is responsible for taking care of this piece of land.’ But if the verb consists of two syllables, the 來 can be omitted. If it consists of just one syllable, then the 來 is required to form the four character combination 由 S 來 V, e.g., 由我來做 yóu wǒ lái zuò ‘I’ll do it.’ More examples follow:

1 既然是選民的意見，還是由民意代表來反映吧。

Jìrán shì xuǎnmín de yìjiàn, háishì yóu mínyì dàibiǎo lái fǎnyìng ba.

Since it’s the view of the voters, let it be voiced by our elected representative.

2 在傳統的華人社會，孩子念什麼科系多半不是由孩子自己決定，而是由父母決定。

Zài chuántǒng de Huá rén shèhuì, háizi niàn shénme kēxì duōbàn búshì yóu Háizi zìjǐ juédìng, ér shì yóu fùmǔ juédìng.

In traditional Chinese society, what department children studied generally wasn’t decided by the children; rather, it was decided by the parents.

3 車禍受傷後的整型，一般來說，不是由外科醫生來做，而是請整型醫生處理。

Chēhuò shòushāng hòu de zhěngxíng, yìbān láishuō, búshì yóu wàikē yīshēng lái zuò, ér shì qǐng zhěngxíng yīshēng chǔlǐ.

Reconstructive surgery after car accidents isn’t generally performed by general surgeons; rather, a plastic surgeon is called upon to handle it.

4 下一屆的電腦展應該由誰來舉辦？

Xià yí jiè de diànnǎo zhǎn yīnggāi yóu shéi lái jǔbàn?

Who should organize the next computer exhibition?

5 這些公共議題是不是由當地人來投票決定比較合適？

Zhèxiē gōnggòng yìtí shìbúshì yóu dāngdì rén lái tóupiào juédìng bǐjiào héshì?

Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to have locals decide by vote on these public issues?

6 等一下是不是能由您代表說明大家的意見？

Děng yíxià shìbúshì néng yóu nín dàibiǎo shuōmíng dàjiā de yìjiàn?

Can you act as a representative and explain everybody’s view in just a minute?

(2) 由 and 被 are related in that they both mark actor, but 被 has a wider range and can mark other nouns, e.g., 他被人發現了。Tā bèi rén fāxiàn le. ‘His body was found.’ vs. ＊他由人發現了。＊Tā yóu rén fāxiàn le. 由 can only be used with action verbs, but 被 can be used with various verbs.

(3) Lastly, in terms of semantic meaning, 被 suggests something unfortunate or unpleasant happened. 由 doesn’t. E.g., 手機被人買走了。Shǒujī bèi rén mǎizǒu le. ‘someone bought the cellphone.’ (a real loss for the speaker). For more information on 被, refer to the 被 entry.