关于与对于 — illustrated Chinese learning guide

Useful for: Intermediate Chinese learners
**Main idea:**关于 = about a topic / content
对于 = regarding someone’s opinion, attitude, effect, or perspective

Many Chinese learners translate both 关于 and 对于 as “about” or “regarding.”

But in real Chinese, they are not used in exactly the same way.

A simple way to remember:

关于 guānyú = about / on the topic of
It often tells us what something is about.

对于 duìyú = regarding / concerning / toward
It often introduces a person, group, thing, or issue that receives an opinion, attitude, effect, or judgment.

Let’s look at the difference clearly. 😊

1. 关于 guānyú = about / on the topic of

关于 is used when you want to introduce a topic.

It is very close to “about” in English.

You can use 关于 when talking about:

books, articles, lessons, videos, questions, discussions, news, information, topics, or content.

Pattern 1

关于 + topic，comment

This pattern means:

Regarding / About + topic, comment

Examples

关于这个问题，我想再解释一下。

Guānyú zhège wèntí, wǒ xiǎng zài jiěshì yíxià.

Regarding this question, I want to explain it again.

关于中文语法，很多学生觉得最难的是词序。

Guānyú Zhōngwén yǔfǎ, hěn duō xuésheng juéde zuì nán de shì cíxù.

Regarding Chinese grammar, many students think word order is the most difficult part.

关于这件事，我们明天再讨论。

Guānyú zhè jiàn shì, wǒmen míngtiān zài tǎolùn.

About this matter, we will discuss it again tomorrow.

关于与对于 — teaching illustration 2

2. 关于 can describe the content of something

When something is “about” a topic, use 关于.

Pattern 2

关于 + topic + 的 + noun

This means:

a noun about something

Examples

我买了一本关于中国历史的书。

Wǒ mǎi le yì běn guānyú Zhōngguó lìshǐ de shū.

I bought a book about Chinese history.

她写了一篇关于中文学习的文章。

Tā xiě le yì piān guānyú Zhōngwén xuéxí de wénzhāng.

She wrote an article about learning Chinese.

老师发了一个关于HSK考试的视频。

Lǎoshī fā le yí ge guānyú HSK kǎoshì de shìpín.

The teacher posted a video about the HSK exam.

这节课是关于量词的。

Zhè jié kè shì guānyú liàngcí de.

This lesson is about measure words.

Small note

You may sometimes see 有关于, but in many cases, 关于 or 有关 sounds cleaner and more natural.

For example:

一本关于中文的书

yì běn guānyú Zhōngwén de shū

a book about Chinese

一些有关考试的信息

yìxiē yǒuguān kǎoshì de xìnxī

some information about the exam

关于与对于 — teaching illustration 3

3. 对于 duìyú = regarding / concerning / toward

对于 is different from 关于.

It does not simply tell us “what something is about.”

It often introduces the thing or person that your comment is directed toward.

You can use 对于 when talking about:

opinions, attitudes, feelings, importance, influence, effect, difficulty, or judgment.

Pattern 1

对于 + person / thing / issue，comment

Examples

对于外国学生来说，汉字可能比较难。

Duìyú wàiguó xuésheng lái shuō, Hànzì kěnéng bǐjiào nán.

For foreign students, Chinese characters may be quite difficult.

对于这个问题，我没有意见。

Duìyú zhège wèntí, wǒ méiyǒu yìjiàn.

Regarding this question, I have no opinion.

对于初学者来说，发音非常重要。

Duìyú chūxuézhě lái shuō, fāyīn fēicháng zhòngyào.

For beginners, pronunciation is very important.

对于学习中文，耐心很重要。

Duìyú xuéxí Zhōngwén, nàixīn hěn zhòngyào.

When it comes to learning Chinese, patience is very important.

关于与对于 — teaching illustration 4

4. 对于……来说 = as far as……is concerned

A very common structure is:

对于 + person / group + 来说

It means:

for someone / as far as someone is concerned

This structure is especially useful when you want to talk from one person’s or group’s perspective.

Examples

对于我来说，中文语法不难，但是汉字有点难。

Duìyú wǒ lái shuō, Zhōngwén yǔfǎ bù nán, dànshì Hànzì yǒudiǎn nán.

For me, Chinese grammar is not difficult, but Chinese characters are a little hard.

对于很多学生来说，听力比阅读难。

Duìyú hěn duō xuésheng lái shuō, tīnglì bǐ yuèdú nán.

For many students, listening is harder than reading.

对于老师来说，清楚的例句很重要。

Duìyú lǎoshī lái shuō, qīngchu de lìjù hěn zhòngyào.

For teachers, clear example sentences are very important.

In daily Chinese, 对……来说 is often more natural and common than 对于……来说.

Example:

对我来说，这个方法很有用。

Duì wǒ lái shuō, zhège fāngfǎ hěn yǒuyòng.

For me, this method is very useful.

关于与对于 — teaching illustration 5

5. 关于 vs. 对于: The key difference

Use 关于 when the main meaning is:

What is this about?

Use 对于 when the main meaning is:

Who or what is this comment, opinion, attitude, or effect directed toward?

Compare these two sentences

这是一篇关于中文语法的文章。

Zhè shì yì piān guānyú Zhōngwén yǔfǎ de wénzhāng.

This is an article about Chinese grammar.

Here, 关于 tells us the topic of the article.

对于很多学生来说，中文语法很有用。

Duìyú hěn duō xuésheng lái shuō, Zhōngwén yǔfǎ hěn yǒuyòng.

For many students, Chinese grammar is very useful.

Here, 对于 introduces the group of people affected by the comment.

6. Common mistakes

Mistake 1

❌ 这本书是对于中国文化的。
Zhè běn shū shì duìyú Zhōngguó wénhuà de.

This sounds unnatural because the sentence means “the book is about Chinese culture.”

Use 关于.

✅ 这本书是关于中国文化的。

Zhè běn shū shì guānyú Zhōngguó wénhuà de.

This book is about Chinese culture.

Mistake 2

❌ 关于我来说，学中文很有意思。
Guānyú wǒ lái shuō, xué Zhōngwén hěn yǒuyìsi.

When you mean “for me,” use 对……来说 or 对于……来说.

✅ 对我来说，学中文很有意思。

Duì wǒ lái shuō, xué Zhōngwén hěn yǒuyìsi.

For me, learning Chinese is very interesting.

✅ 对于我来说，学中文很有意思。

Duìyú wǒ lái shuō, xué Zhōngwén hěn yǒuyìsi.

For me, learning Chinese is very interesting.

Mistake 3

❌ 我买了一本对于HSK的书。
Wǒ mǎi le yì běn duìyú HSK de shū.

If the book is “about HSK,” use 关于.

✅ 我买了一本关于HSK的书。

Wǒ mǎi le yì běn guānyú HSK de shū.

I bought a book about HSK.

7. A simple memory trick

Think of 关于 as:

📌 topic / content

A book about Chinese
A lesson about grammar
A discussion about this question

Think of 对于 as:

🎯 perspective / attitude / effect

For beginners
Regarding this problem
As far as I am concerned
Important for students

8. Mini practice

Choose 关于 or 对于.

  1. 这是一篇____中国节日的文章。

    Zhè shì yì piān ____ Zhōngguó jiérì de wénzhāng.

    This is an article about Chinese festivals.

  2. ____初学者来说，声调很重要。

    ____ chūxuézhě lái shuō, shēngdiào hěn zhòngyào.

    For beginners, tones are very important.

  3. 老师讲了一个____量词的视频。

    Lǎoshī jiǎng le yí ge ____ liàngcí de shìpín.

    The teacher made a video about measure words.

  4. ____这个问题，我想听听你的看法。

    ____ zhège wèntí, wǒ xiǎng tīngting nǐ de kànfǎ.

    Regarding this question, I want to hear your opinion.

关于与对于 — teaching illustration 6

Answers

  1. 关于
  2. 对于
  3. 关于
  4. 对于 / 关于

For sentence 4, both can be possible, but the feeling is slightly different.

关于这个问题 = about this question / on this topic
对于这个问题 = regarding this question, especially your attitude or opinion toward it

Final summary

关于 guānyú is usually used for topics and content.

Use it when you want to say:

about this topic
a book about Chinese
an article about HSK
a lesson about grammar

对于 duìyú is usually used for perspective, attitude, effect, or judgment.

Use it when you want to say:

for beginners
as far as I am concerned
regarding this problem
important for students

So remember:

关于 = What is it about?
对于 = Who or what is this comment directed toward?

Once you understand this difference, 关于 and 对于 become much easier to use. 😊