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Using 据 (jù) to Introduce Sources and Evidence in Chinese
据 (jù) can introduce an information source or the grounds used for a statement or action. Source-reporting phrases often open a sentence, while concise written forms such as 据此 can also follow the subject.
据最新报告，今年新能源汽车的销量增长了百分之三十。
据最新报告 names the claimed report source. It does not certify the report’s authority or accuracy. The percentage here is invented for grammar practice, not a current market statistic.
Read the full explanation and examples
Core Function: Citing a Source or Basis
In the HSK 5 grammar outline, the preposition 据 (jù) is classified under prepositions that introduce a basis, reliance, or source of evidence. In practical communication, speakers and writers use 据 to show where a piece of information comes from rather than claiming direct personal certainty.
据 is concise and common in reporting and written explanation. Source attribution can limit what the speaker claims personally, but the word does not make a statement objective or trustworthy. 据 also appears in action-basis uses such as 我们据此修改了方案.
Common Sentence Structures with 据
The two source-reporting patterns below commonly open a sentence, with a comma separating them from the main statement. These are useful models, not all possible uses of 据. In concise written Chinese, a phrase such as 据此 can also appear after the subject and before an action.
In the first pattern, 据 is followed directly by a noun phrase representing a document, medium, or statistical activity, such as 最新报告 (the latest report), 新华社消息 (Xinhua News Agency dispatch), or a two-syllable word like 统计 (statistics) or 调查 (survey).
据最新报告，今年新能源汽车的销量增长了百分之三十。
据最新报告 names the claimed report source. It does not certify the report’s authority or accuracy. The percentage here is invented for grammar practice, not a current market statistic.
据统计，超过一半的受访者更喜欢居家办公。
据统计 is a common three-syllable expression for attributing a statement to statistics. This sample survey claim is for language practice; no real survey is being cited.
In the second pattern, 据 takes a short clause or verb phrase consisting of a person or organization plus a verb of knowing, observing, or reporting—such as 介绍 (introduce/explain), 透露 (reveal), 观察 (observe), or 了解 (understand/find out). It also forms highly common four-character or semi-fixed expressions like 据我所知 (as far as I know).
据我所知，他已经把那套老房子卖掉了。
Correct: 据我所知 is a natural, widely used expression in both speech and writing to qualify personal knowledge.
据负责该项目的工程师介绍，新大桥将在年底通车。
Correct: 据 frames a person plus a communication verb (介绍) before the comma.
High-Frequency Collocations and Register
Learn familiar reporting expressions as chunks so that you can recognize their sources and use them fluently. The examples below are useful expressions, not proof of a rule that single-syllable prepositions cannot introduce other bases.
- 据报道 (jù bàodào) — according to media reports
- 据统计 (jù tǒngjì) — according to statistics
- 据调查 (jù diàochá) — according to a survey or investigation
- 据有关人士透露 (jù yǒuguān rénshì tòulù) — according to disclosures by relevant personnel
- 据我所知 (jù wǒ suǒ zhī) / 据我了解 (jù wǒ liǎojiě) — as far as I know / to my understanding
Contrast and Limits: 据 vs. 根据
Learners often wonder whether 据 is simply a shorter version of 根据 (gēnjù, on the basis of / according to). While both share the character 据 and can overlap when citing a written report at the start of a sentence, they have very different grammatical limits.
- 据 and 根据 can both introduce grounds. 据报道 and 据专家介绍 are familiar source-reporting frames. 据此修改方案 or 据实际情况调整 also introduce grounds for actions. 根据 often provides a clearer full form with longer basis phrases.
- Sentence-initial source frames are common with 据, but they do not prohibit post-subject use. Compare 据专家介绍，…… with 我们据此调整了计划. 根据 also works sentence-initially or before an action after the subject.
- Complement type: 据 easily accepts a subject-verb reporting phrase without nominalization (such as 据专家分析, according to experts' analysis). 根据 typically requires a noun phrase or nominalized object rather than a bare clause.
老师会根据每个学生的水平调整教学计划。
Correct: 根据 stands after the subject and modal verb to indicate the basis for a concrete action (调整).
A Written Alternative, Not an Automatic Error
The two design-plan examples below preserve the same people, feedback and action. 根据 is the recommended neutral model for this longer basis phrase. 据 is more concise and written in tone, and need not be marked ungrammatical merely because it follows 我们 or precedes 修改. Choose for clarity and context.
我们据客户的意见修改了设计方案。
A concise written use of 据 before the basis for 修改. 根据 in the next example is a clearer neutral learner model, but the use of 据 here is not an automatic grammar error.
我们根据客户的意见修改了设计方案。
根据 offers an explicit, neutral way to introduce the same feedback as the basis for revision. It is a stylistic alternative here, not a repair of an impossible word order.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use 据 in everyday spoken Chinese?
In casual conversation, full phrases like 据我所知 (as far as I know) or 据我了解 (from what I understand) are completely natural. However, patterns like 据报道 or 据某人介绍 belong to formal speech, news broadcasts, and written prose; in casual chat, speakers usually prefer 听说 (I heard that) or 听……说 (I heard from someone that).
Is a comma always used after the 据 phrase?
No. A comma is useful after a sentence-initial source frame such as 据专家介绍，……, especially when it is long. It is not a required suffix of 据: 我们据此修改了方案 normally has no comma inside the sentence.
