我出生于
wǒ chūshēng yú
The English phrase "I was born in" is translated into Chinese as 我出生于 (wǒ chūshēng yú).
This phrase is used to introduce the place or time of one's birth.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (I), 出生 (to be born) and 于 (in/at/on).
Which one should you use?
The default form 我出生于 is more formal and is typically used in written contexts or formal introductions, whereas 我出生在 is more common in speech.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
我出生于 is a formal way to say "I was born in". Another formal option is 我的出生地是, which means "my birthplace is". Replacing 于 with 在 makes the phrase sound more colloquial and natural in everyday spoken Chinese.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase 我系喺…出世嘅 is used to say "I was born in…".
How does it change in a sentence?
The character 于 acts as a formal preposition meaning "in", "at" or "on" when used with time or location.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ chūshēng yú
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese culture, the phrase 出生 is sometimes replaced by the term 落地, which literally means 'falling to the ground'.
- The character 生 within the word for birth is also the root for the word 'raw', as in uncooked food or unprocessed materials.
- In Chinese, the phrase 出生 (to be born) is an active verb. This means you do not need a passive construction like 'was' to describe your birth.
Examples in context
- 我出生于北京I was born in Beijing
- 我出生于北京。Wǒ chūshēng yú Běijīng.I was born in Beijing.
- 我出生于一九九零年。Wǒ chūshēng yú yī jiǔ jiǔ líng nián.I was born in 1990.
Example conversation
Yuting and Wei are talking about their hometowns.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，你是在上海长大的吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ shì zài Shànghǎi zhǎngdà de ma?Yuting, did you grow up in Shanghai?
- 雨婷 Yuting不是，我出生于成都。Búshì, wǒ chūshēng yú Chéngdū.No, I was born in Chengdu.
- 伟 Wei成都是个很漂亮的地方。Chéngdū shì gè hěn piàoliang de dìfāng.Chengdu is a very beautiful place.
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，我很喜欢那里。Shì de, wǒ hěn xǐhuān nàlǐ.Yes, I like it there very much.
