video1.0<iframe src="https://www.loom.com/embed/00ac361eb335416ea5442326bc1818a4" frameborder="0" width="1368" height="1026" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>10261368Loomhttps://www.loom.com10261368https://cdn.loom.com/sessions/thumbnails/00ac361eb335416ea5442326bc1818a4-00001.gif317之之 zhī derives from ancient Chinese, and it is most often found in the *written* language. However, while many of 之’s usages are purely literary, modern Chinese inherited many words &amp; idioms that include 之. Those modern words tend to have one of two usages:Usage 1&nbsp;- A possessive, just like 的百分之 + Number = PercentageIf you saw 百分*的*八十, can you see how that&nbsp;already&nbsp;makes things clear? ‘Hundred Divisions 的 80,’ aka 80%. To be clear, you&nbsp;DO NOT&nbsp;say 百分的, you say 百分之, but the former helps conceptualize how 之 works.80%? 百分之八十&nbsp;66%？百分之六十六43.5%？百分之四十三点五 (note that . is pronounced 点 in decimals)之间 - We know that 间 means ‘interval,’ and if we think of 之 as 的, we can understand why 之间 means “between; among; inter-“:这两个同事之间的差别很大。There’s a big difference between the colleagues.他们之间的关系非常特别。The relationship between them is exceptional.之后 - 之前These two are very similar to 以后 after/future &amp; 以前 before/past. While it is not correct to say “的后“ or “的前,” if you think of 之前 &amp; 之后 that way the sentences make sense:吃完饭之后我就要去上班了。After I finish eating, I’ll go to work.It’s as if the idea of finishing the meal *possesses* the ‘后’ or ‘after’ in the context of the sentence.在他们睡觉之前，中国人经常会洗澡 xízǎo - ‘to shower.’Chinese people often shower before going to bed.Other common words that use this 之=的 usage:之中 - among; in the midst of之外 - outside; excluding之内 - within; inside; among之下 - under; beneath; less than之上 - above之所以 - the reason why. If you start with 我之所以..., it’s as if you are saying ‘我的所以’ or “My ’so’ is…”&nbsp;之一 - one of (something).之 Usage 2&nbsp;- A catch-all pronoun, much like 他她它This usage will come up more often in idioms, so no need to give it too much attention at the moment, but here are some examples:一笑置之yíxiàozhìzhīLiterally: One Laugh Set ItTranslation: dismiss with a laugh (or smile), laugh off.&nbsp;Like most idioms, it’s so refreshing to see how the language conceptualizes something like “laughing off” something like a mean comment. “I set this as a laugh!”不了了之 bùliǎoliǎozhīLiterally: Not Concluded Conclude ItTranslation: leave a matter unsettled; end up with nothing definite; loose endsWhen it isn’t in the -得/不- construction (e.g., 受不了), 了 liǎo means “to finish; conclude; settle; dispose of.” That makes this idiom so cool! The truth is that ‘loose ends’ are&nbsp;not concluded&nbsp;(不了), but sometimes we never&nbsp;finish them&nbsp;(了之). Frikkin’ gosh darn it Chinese is incredible.刻意为之 kèyìwéizhīLiterally: Take pains (刻意) for it.Translation: to make a conscious effort, to do something deliberately.We haven’t learned 刻 kè yet, but its primary definition is “to cut, carve or engrave.” That makes 刻意 a dang cool word, eh? “Take pains” = “Engrave meaning.” Wicked.