# 在 Puts the Place First in 5,895 Clauses

> 在 introduces a place standing before its verb in about 5,895 clauses of the Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified) — Chinese word order sets the scene before the action.

**Pattern:** subject + 在 + place + verb
**HSK level:** 1 — the highest HSK level of the point's own function words, as data/dict.json grades them; a word the HSK lists do not grade sends the point to 'beyond'
**Rule used to find it:** 在 read zài, then one to four words, then a word with a verb sense — the place standing before the action.
**Confidence:** approximate — 30 of 5,895 matches checked, 77% correct, by Claude Opus 5, reading each sampled clause in context; not a native speaker

Where English says he worshipped there, Chinese says 在那里敬拜 — at that place, worshipped. The location is established first and the action follows. This is one of the word-order facts that makes Bible narrative readable once it clicks, because the historical books are built out of these frames.

The Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified) uses 在 11,604 times. 5,709 of those occurrences are the same words doing something else.

The figure is approximate on purpose. 在 also follows the verb, as a complement saying where something ended up — 钉在墙上, nailed to the wall — and the rule used here does not always tell the two apart. The checked sample says how often it is right, and the number is printed with that in front of it rather than without it.

The rule is: 在 read zài, then one to four words, then a word with a verb sense — the place standing before the action. 30 of its 5,895 matches were drawn at random and checked one by one; 77% were right. Recall is not measured, so the figure is what this rule finds, not everything the translation contains.

## Examples

- **Luke 22:9** — 他们问他说：「要我们在哪里预备？」
  - tā men wèn tā shuō ：「 yào wǒ men zài nǎ lǐ yù bèi ？」
  - They said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare?”
  - construction: 在哪里预备
- **John 15:9** — 我爱你们，正如父爱我一样；你们要常在我的爱里。
  - wǒ ài nǐ men ， zhèng rú fù ài wǒ yí yàng ； nǐ men yào cháng zài wǒ de ài lǐ 。
  - Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
  - construction: 在我的爱
- **Exodus 33:21** — 耶和华说：「看哪，在我这里有地方，你要站在磐石上。
  - yē hé huá shuō ：「 kàn nǎ ， zài wǒ zhè lǐ yǒu dì fāng ， nǐ yào zhàn zài pán shí shàng 。
  - The LORD also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock.
  - construction: 在我这里有
- **Matthew 20:21** — 耶稣说：「你要什么呢？」她说：「愿你叫我这两个儿子在你国里，一个坐在你右边，一个坐在你左边。」
  - yē sū shuō ：「 nǐ yào shén me ne ？」 tā shuō ：「 yuàn nǐ jiào wǒ zhè liǎng gè ér zi zài nǐ guó lǐ ， yí ge zuò zài nǐ yòu bian ， yí ge zuò zài nǐ zuǒ bian 。」
  - He said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these, my two sons, may sit, one on your right hand and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom.”
  - construction: 在你左边
- **Ezekiel 16:46** — 你的姊姊是撒马利亚，她和她的众女住在你左边；你的妹妹是所多玛，她和她的众女住在你右边。
  - nǐ de zǐ zǐ shì sā mǎ lì yà ， tā hé tā de zhòng nǚ zhù zài nǐ zuǒ bian ； nǐ de mèi mei shì suǒ duō mǎ ， tā hé tā de zhòng nǚ zhù zài nǐ yòu bian 。
  - Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at your left hand, she and her daughters; and your younger sister, who dwells at your right hand, is Sodom with her daughters.
  - construction: 在你左边
- **Acts 14:28** — 二人就在那里同门徒住了多日。
  - èr rén jiù zài nà li tóng mén tú zhù le duō rì 。
  - They stayed there with the disciples for a long time.
  - construction: 在那里同门徒住

## The words this point is built on

| Word | Reading | HSK | Occurrences |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 在 | zài | 1 | 11,604 |

The HSK column is the level data/dict.json gives the word, and it is what puts this point at level 1.

## What those occurrences are doing

|  | Occurrences | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| the construction | 5,895 | 51% |
| the same words doing something else | 5,709 | 49% |

## Where it occurs most

| Book | Clauses |
| --- | --- |
| Ezekiel | 341 |
| Psalms | 329 |
| Jeremiah | 295 |
| Exodus | 280 |
| Leviticus | 260 |

Counted from what the rule matched, before the audit — a ranking, not a published total.

## Questions

**Does 在 ever come after the verb?**

Yes, and that is a different construction: a complement of place, saying where the action put something. 住在 is to dwell at; 放在 is to put onto. The preverbal frame sets the scene, the postverbal one names the destination.

**How often does it occur in the Chinese Bible?**

about 5,895 clauses in the Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified), out of 11,604 occurrences of the words that mark it.

**Which book of the Bible uses it most?**

Ezekiel, with 341 — followed by Psalms (329), Jeremiah (295), Exodus (280).

**How do you know the count is right?**

The rule is: 在 read zài, then one to four words, then a word with a verb sense — the place standing before the action. 30 of its 5,895 matches were drawn at random and checked one by one; 77% were right. Recall is not measured, so the figure is what this rule finds, not everything the translation contains.

Page: https://chinese-bible.com/en/grammar/zai-location

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