離 lí离 lí is a preposition meaning “away from” or “from.” Use it to say how far one place (or time, or goal) is from another.
一 Near or Far
A + 離离 + B + 近 / 遠远
A is close to or far from B. Put degree words like 很 hěn or 不太 bú tài before 近 jìn / 遠 yuǎn远 yuǎn.
日本離离韓國韩国非常近
Japan is really close to Korea.
加拿大離离墨西哥不太遠远
Canada isn’t too far from Mexico.
我公司離离車站车站很近
My office is really close to the station.
為什麼为什么我離离成功那麼那么遠远？
Why am I so far from success? 😭
B can be something abstract, like a goal.
雖然虽然你就站在我眼前，但是我感覺感觉你離离我好遠远
You’re standing right in front of me, but you feel so far away.
你離离我遠远一點一点！
Stay away from me!
二 How Far: Numbers
A + 離离 + B + Number + Measure Word
Give the exact distance, or how much time is left until something.
我家離离學校学校五公里
My house is 5 km from school.
媽媽妈妈家離离我公司三百公尺米
Mom’s place is 300 meters from my office.
現在现在離离聖誕節圣诞节還有还有一個个月
Christmas is still a month away.
With time, use 還有 háiyǒu还有 háiyǒu (“still have”).
你想去的咖啡店離离這裡这里差不多七百公尺米
The café you want to go to is about 700 meters from here.
我離离適婚适婚年齡年龄只剩三天！
I’m only three days away from “marrying age”!
你離离成功只剩一步的距離距离
You’re just one step away from success.
Marrying age in TaiwanTaiwanese people love to say “age is just a number” when it comes to love. But when it comes to marriage, age can be a pretty important number! In 2024, the average age at first marriage in Taiwan was about 32 for men and about 30 for women, quite high compared to many countries.
Why? Many young people live with their parents until they marry, and housing prices are high, so lots of people put off marriage until they can afford a home, or skip it altogether.
English
Chinese
kilometer
公里 gōnglǐ
mile
英里 yīnglǐ
meter
公尺 gōngchǐ米 mǐ
foot
英尺 yīngchǐ
centimeter
公分 gōngfēn厘米 límǐ
Meters and centimetersTaiwan says 公尺 gōngchǐ and 公分 gōngfēn; mainland China usually says 米 mǐ and 厘米 límǐ.
三 How Long It Takes
A + 離离 + B + Method + Time
Say how long it takes to get there, and how: walking, driving, by bike.
我家離离咖啡店走路五分鐘分钟
My place is a 5-minute walk from the café.
這裡这里離离海邊海边開車开车一個个小時小时
From here, it’s an hour’s drive to the beach.
公司離离我租的房子騎骑腳踏車自行车二十分鐘分钟
The office is a 20-minute bike ride from my apartment.
學校学校離离你家開車开车要多久？
How long is the drive from your house to school?
四 Common Mistakes
❌ 我家很近離离學校学校
✅ 我家離离學校学校很近
English says “close to school,” but Chinese puts 離 lí离 lí + B first, then 近 jìn.
❌ 我家從从學校学校很遠远
✅ 我家離离學校学校很遠远
從 cóng从 cóng means “from” as a starting point. For distance, use 離 lí离 lí.
❌ 我家離离學校学校五分鐘分钟走路
✅ 我家離离學校学校走路五分鐘分钟
The method (walking, driving) comes before the time.
五 Practice
Tap the words below in the right order to build the sentence, then check your answer. If it’s wrong, you can try again as many times as you like, or hit “Show answer” if you get stuck. Careful: some tiles are traps and are not needed!
Question 1 of 10
“The night market is really close to my house.”
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夜市離离我家很近
我家離夜市很近我家离夜市很近 is also correct.
A + 離 lí离 lí + B + 近 jìn. 🍢
“Is the airport far from here?”
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機場机场離离這裡这里遠远嗎吗？
Add 嗎 ma吗 ma for a yes/no question.
“Taipei is about 350 km from Kaohsiung.”
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台北離离高雄差不多三百五十公里
差不多 chàbùduō (“about”) goes before the number.
“It’s a ten-minute walk from the station to my house.”
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車站车站離离我家走路十分鐘分钟
Method first, then time.
“My birthday is still two weeks away.”
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現在现在離离我的生日還有还有兩两個个星期
With time, 現在離现在离 + 還有 háiyǒu还有 háiyǒu.
“How long does it take to drive from here to the mountains?”
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這裡这里離离山上開車开车要多久？
Method + 要 yào + 多久 duōjiǔ.
“Stay away from that dog!”
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你離离那隻只狗遠远一點一点！
離⋯遠一點离⋯远一点 = “keep away from.” 🐕
“The hotel is only 200 meters from the beach.”
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飯店酒店離离海邊海边只有兩百两百公尺米
Taiwan says 飯店 for “hotel”; mainland China says 酒店.
