HSK 4 · VERSION 2.0#42
Idiomatic Phrases with “zài”
在
How it works
At HSK4 level, students begin to meet more fixed expressions using 在 (zài). In these expressions, 在 (zài) is not just the basic location word “at / in.”
Common examples include:
在乎 (zàihu) = to care about
在意 (zàiyì) = to mind / to care about
在于 (zàiyú) = to lie in
These should often be learned as complete expressions.
Example sentences
我不太在乎别人怎么说。
I do not care too much about what others say.
他很在意自己的发音。
He cares a lot about his pronunciation.
这个问题的关键在于方法。
The key to this problem lies in the method.
Key point
These are not simple grammar combinations you can freely build word by word. They are mostly fixed expressions and should be learned as vocabulary-grammar units.