在 (zai) is quite frequently used word in both spoken and written Chinese. Its original meaning is existence. However, to most students of Chinese language, 在 is introduced first as a verb indicating a location of somebody or something in relation to a reference point. This is one of the important meanings, but how many more meanings of 在 are there?
1. Original meaning: used as a verb, means to exist or to live.
Examples:
我父母健在。My parents are living in good health.
他父母不在了。His parents passed away.
上海的很多老房子已经不在了。Many old buildings in Shanghai were already gone.
2. Verb 在, means to lie in, to depend on.
Examples:
生命在于运动。Life lies in movement.
幸福不在钱多少。Happiness doesn’t depend on how much money you have.
他的成功在于他的坚持。His success depends on his persistence.
3. Verb 在，means to stay, to remain.
Examples:
他在位十年。He reigned ten years.
前总统在职多长时间？How long did the ex-president remain in power?
4. Verb 在 is used to indicate a location of somebody or something in relation to a reference point(s).
The basic structure and examples:
Somebody/something + 在 + reference point + location.
| Sombody/something | 在 | reference point(s) | location | English Translation |
| 手机 | 在 | 桌子 | 上。 | The mobile phone is on the table. |
| 书 | 在 | 桌子 | 下。 | The book is under the table. |
| 我家 | 在 | 公司 | 附近。 | My home is near the company. |
| 我家 | 在 | 学校和公司 | 中间。 | My home is between the school and the company. |
| 手机 | 在 | 包 | 里。 | The mobile phone is in the bag. |
Special notes on how to express “Somebody/something is in somewhere.”
a. When somewhere is a geographical unit such as a country or a city, 里 has to be omitted.
Examples:
I’m in China.
我在中国里。（incorrect）
我在中国。（correct）
I’m in Beijing.
我在北京里。（incorrect）
我在北京。（correct）
b. When somewhere is a container, 里 has to be kept.
Examples:
The book is in the drawer.
书在抽屉。（incorrect）
书在抽屉里。(correct)
5. 在 is used as a preposition, indicates time, locality, range, etc.
Examples:
她出生在1988年。
She was born in 1988.
他经常在家吃晚饭。
He often has dinner at home.
他在音乐家中有很好的名声。
He has a good reputation among musicians.
6. Adding adverb 在 before a verb can express the processing of an action, here 在 has same meaning and function as 正在.
Examples:
我在吃午饭。 I am having lunch.
他在打篮球。He is playing basketball.
外面在下雨。It is raining outside.
When adding 没 or 没有 before 在 to deny the processing action (in negative processing sentences) 正在 cannot be used.
Examples:
I’m not reading a book now.
我现在没正在看书。（incorrect）
我现在没在看书。(correct)
It was not raining when I came back home.
我回家时，天没正在下雨。（incorrect）
我回家时，天没在下雨。（correct）
It is necessary to point out: when 在 is used as a verb, it has a real meaning and can be used as a sentence constituent alone. When 在 is used as a preposition, it doesn’t have a real meaning and can not be used as a sentence constituent alone, it has to be placed before a pronoun, a noun or a noun phrase, to become a sentence constituent. When 在 is used as an adverb, it can be placed before a verb to imply the processing of an action.
As you can see there are many meanings to 在, all of which are important in understanding the Chinese language more in-depth. I hope this article has provided you with some useful tips to break through the intermediate Chinese level and reach your learning goals.
Image by Alpha (CC BY-SA 2.0)
