在于 meaning in English

zàiyú

to rest with; to lie in; to be due to (a certain attribute); (of a matter) to be determined by; to be up to (sb)

HSK 4verbTraditional 在於9 strokes

Meaning of 在于

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zàiyú

to rest with; to lie in; to be due to (a certain attribute)
(of a matter) to be determined by; to be up to (sb)

How to use 在于

在于 links a topic to its key reason or deciding factor, and it is common in writing, speeches and discussions. The object is usually a noun phrase or a clause. Example: 问题在于时间不够。(Wèntí zàiyú shíjiān bú gòu.) The problem lies in not having enough time.

在 (zài) means to be located at, and 于 (yú) means at or in. Together 在于 says where something really sits: the key lies in this point.

Common mistake: Learners often use 在于 for a physical location, as in 书在于桌子上, but for place you only need 在 (书在桌子上). Also, 在于 always needs an object after it, so do not end a sentence with it.

在于 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

不bù同tóng之zhī处chù在zài于yú: 他tā比bǐ你nǐ更gèng努nǔ力lì工gōng作zuò。

The difference is this: he works harder than you.

问wèn题tí在zài于yú，金jīn钱qián没méi有yǒu时shí间jiān那nà样yàng重zhòng要yào。

The problem is that the money is not of such importance as the time.

快kuài乐lè存cún在zài于yú过guò去qù和hé未wèi来lái，唯wéi独dú不bù存cún在zài于yú现xiàn在zài。

Pleasure is always in the past or in the future, never in the present.

感gǎn情qíng最zuì重zhòng要yào的de是shì在zài于yú他tā对duì你nǐ的de好hǎo，而ér不bú是shì他tā自zì己jǐ有yǒu多duō好hǎo。

The most important thing in a relationship lies in how good your partner is to you, and not in how good they are themselves.

你nǐ的de问wèn题tí在zài于yú，你nǐ认rèn为wéi你nǐ必bì须xū听tīng从cóng父fù母mǔ的de一yī切qiè指zhǐ示shì。

Your problem is that you think you have to do everything your parents tell you to do.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

在 zài · to exist · 6 strokes

于 yú · to go · 3 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 在于.

现在	xiànzài	now; at present; currently
正在	zhèngzài	to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing
在家	zàijiā	to be at home; (at a workplace) to be in (as opposed to being away on official business 出差
实在	shízài	really; actually
等于	děngyú	to equal; to be tantamount to
存在	cúnzài	to exist; to be
终于	zhōngyú	at last; in the end
属于	shǔyú	to belong to; to fall under (a category)
由于	yóuyú	due to; as a result of
关于	guānyú	pertaining to; concerning
对于	duìyú	regarding; as far as (sth) is concerned; with regard to
不在乎	bùzàihu	not to care

Questions about 在于

What does 在于 mean?

在于 (zàiyú) means "to rest with; to lie in; to be due to (a certain attribute); (of a matter) to be determined by; to be up to (sb)" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 在于?

在于 is made of 2 characters: 在 (6 strokes), 于 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.

Is 在于 an HSK word?

Yes. 在于 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 在于 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 在于 is written 在於.

What is the difference between 在于 and 是 when explaining a reason?

是 simply identifies or equates, while 在于 points to the key factor or root of something. 关键在于坚持 (guānjiàn zàiyú jiānchí) stresses that persistence is where the key lies, which sounds more natural than 关键是坚持 in formal writing, though both are acceptable.

Can 在于 mean it is up to someone?

Yes. It can show who decides, as in 去不去在于你 (qù bú qù zàiyú nǐ), whether to go is up to you. In casual speech people more often say 看你 (kàn nǐ) or 由你决定 (yóu nǐ juédìng).