旁边
beside; next to
pángbiān
What does 旁边 mean?
旁边 (pángbiān) means 'the side / beside / next to' — a location word indicating something is immediately adjacent to something else, on the left or right (not in front, behind, above, or below). Grammatically it's a place noun, so it follows the standard Chinese pattern: [reference object] + 的 + 旁边 = 'next to [object].' 'Next to the door' = 门的旁边 (or simply 门旁边 — the 的 is often dropped). To say where something IS, use 在: 桌子在床的旁边 ('the table is next to the bed'). To say what is next to something, put the location at the front: 桌子旁边有一把椅子 ('next to the table there is a chair'). 旁边 specifically means lateral adjacency — directly to the side. For 'in front of' use 前面, 'behind' 后面, 'inside' 里面. Casual speakers often shorten to just 旁 or 边上 in spoken Mandarin.
Character breakdown
side; beside
side; edge
Memory hook: 旁 'side' + 边 'edge' — both characters mean 'side,' so the compound is unmistakably about being beside something.
Example sentences
学校旁边有一个商店。
Xuéxiào pángbiān yǒu yí ge shāngdiàn.
There's a shop next to the school.
neutral
请坐在我旁边。
Qǐng zuò zài wǒ pángbiān.
Please sit next to me.
spoken, polite
医院在饭店的旁边。
Yīyuàn zài fàndiàn de pángbiān.
The hospital is next to the restaurant.
neutral
我家旁边有一条小路。
Wǒ jiā pángbiān yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo lù.
There's a small road next to my house.
spoken
旁边那个人是谁？
Pángbiān nàge rén shì shéi?
Who is that person next to (us/you)?
spoken
Common phrases with 旁边
Synonyms
边上 is the casual spoken equivalent of 旁边 — 'on the side, by the edge.' 旁边 is more standard and works in any register; 边上 is conversational.
附近 means 'nearby / in the vicinity' — within walking distance but not necessarily touching. 旁边 means directly adjacent. The bank is 学校附近 if it's a few blocks away; it's 学校旁边 only if it's right next door.
隔壁 specifically means 'next door' — the room or house immediately adjacent, sharing a wall. 旁边 is more general 'beside' for any object.
Don't confuse 旁边 with
旁 alone means 'side' but is rarely used as a standalone word in modern Mandarin — it usually appears in compounds (旁边, 旁人 'bystander'). For 'next to,' use the full 旁边.
前面 means 'in front of,' not beside. Same locational grammar (place + 前面) but different direction. 旁边 = side; 前面 = front; 后面 = back.
对面 means 'opposite / across from,' as in 'on the other side of the road / table.' 旁边 is right next to; 对面 is facing across.