Definitions
(preposition)
in; at; to; from; by; than
(particle)
sentence-final interrogative particle
Etymology
Pictograph of a musical wind instrument with a reed, which is now written as 竽. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "于" originated from early pictorial forms that conveyed the concept of an exhalation or sigh, which initially endowed it with a verbal meaning associated with breathing or passage. This concrete sense gradually shifted as the character was adopted for grammatical functions, evolving into a preposition used to indicate locations, directions, or temporal frames in classical Chinese literature. Structurally, it is a minimal form composed of two basic strokes, and it serves as the simplified variant of the traditional character "於", which incorporates the components "方" and "人" to create a more complex graphic representation. Throughout its history, the semantic transformation of "于" from a word denoting physical action to a particle expressing relational concepts reflects a broader linguistic tendency where pictographic origins become subsumed by abstract grammatical roles.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他出生于北京
这本书关于历史
由于下雨比赛取消了
对于这个问题我有意见
他的成绩高于平均分
这项发明归于他的努力
公司成立于一九九零年
这项决策基于大量数据分析