於

yú

Preposition indicating location, direction, or comparison; interjection "alas!"

Meaning

Locative/Spatial: In, at, on.
Directional (Allative): To, unto, towards.
Ablative: From, out of.
Emotive exclamation: Alas!

Grammar and usage

Preposition/Coverb: Marks various relationships between an action and its object or location; the specific meaning is typically determined by the governing verb.
Comparative Marker: Used in the construction [A] 於 [B] + [Adjective] to indicate that A is more [adj] than B.

Distinctions

Contrast with 在 (zài): While 在 usually functions as a verb ("to be at/in"), 於 serves as the preposition specifying the location. In instances where both appear, 在 typically serves as the anchor and 於 provides specific spatial detail.

History and forms

Variants: The forms 于 (U+4E8E) and 𡵟 are functionally interchangeable with 於 in classical texts.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.