向 (xiàng) and 往 (wǎng) are directional prepositions in Mandarin that tell someone which way to move. You place either one before a direction word and a verb, so the direction always comes before the action — the opposite of English word order.
The structure is simple: 向/往 + Direction + Verb. For example, 请往前走 (qǐng wǎng qián zǒu) means "Please go forward," and 向左转 (xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn) means "Turn left." The key sentence puts both together:
请往前走，到路口向左转。 (qǐng wǎng qián zǒu, dào lù kǒu xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn) — "Please walk forward and turn left at the intersection."
In English you'd say "go forward" with the action first, but Mandarin reverses that: direction first, then verb.
This is a live conversation lesson where you talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin. You'll practice Giving Directions — telling someone how to get somewhere by saying go forward, turn left, turn right, and head in a compass direction. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation and adapts to your level. Each lesson targets one specific grammar pattern and takes roughly 10 minutes. You can try the first lesson free.
Ready for more? Browse the full set of HSK 3 lessons, or try another HSK 3 live lesson on 先...然后 (xiān...ránhòu) and a lesson on 像...一样 (xiàng...yíyàng). To reinforce the characters from this lesson, you can print handwriting sheets with the free Chinese worksheet generator.
Both 向 (xiàng) and 往 (wǎng) are Directional Prepositions that work the same way in the structure 向/往 + Direction + Verb. In this lesson's example, 请往前走 (qǐng wǎng qián zǒu) uses 往, while 向左转 (xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn) uses 向. You can use them interchangeably in most direction-giving contexts, and Mei Lin will help you sound natural with either choice.
You talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin, practicing sentences like 请往前走，到路口向左转 (qǐng wǎng qián zǒu, dào lù kǒu xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn). Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you speak, so you learn to say go forward, turn left, turn right, and head in a compass direction in real conversation. The lesson takes about 10 minutes and targets this one pattern.
In Mandarin, the pattern 向/往 + Direction + Verb means the direction always precedes the action — the opposite of English. So instead of "go forward," you say 往前走 (wǎng qián zǒu), literally "toward forward walk." This word order feels natural once you practice it in conversation, and the lesson reinforces it through spoken repetition with Mei Lin.