Page 40 - EALC C306/505

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c. 王居於宮中 wáng ju yú gong zhong

“The king lives in the palace.”

[Voc.: 居 ju (V) to dwell; 宮 gong: (N) a palace, a mansion]

d. 鳥鳴於樹上 nǐao míng yú shù shàng

“The bird called on the tree.”

[Voc.: 鳥 nǐao: (N) bird; 鳴 míng: (V) to chirp; shù: 樹 (N) tree]

NOTE: 於 . . . 上 may generally be rendered “on” or “above”
於 . . . 下 may generally be rendered “under” or “beneath”

This type of straightforward propositional use of 於 creates few problems, so long as you
bear in mind that the English equivalent will vary with context. However, the sense of 於
is actually broader than is the range of common English prepositions. The basic meaning
of 於 is something closer to “in relation to,” in an extended sense. Thus this same
syntactical marker can also signal use of the passive voice:

e. 王治臣臣治於王 wáng zhì chén, chén zhì yú wáng

“The king rules ministers; ministers are ruled by the king.”

[Voc.: 治 zhì: (V) to regulate, to rule]

季孫受教於孔子 Jìsun shòu jìao yú Kǒngzǐ

“Jisun received teaching from Confucius.”

[Voc.: 教 jìao (N) a teaching (N.B. jiao: (V) to teach)]

Another manner in which yú relates two elements is in comparative constructions.

f. 魏強於齊而無德 Wèi qíang yú Qí ér wú dé

“Wei is stronger than Qi, but possesses no virtue.”

[Voc.: 強 qíang: (SV) strong; 德 dé (N) virtue,
character, personal power]