Distance with 离
介词 / prepositions
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
A + 离 + B + 很近 / 很远 / 不远
离 (lí) expresses the distance between two points (in space or time). A 离 B 很近 = "A is close to B".
The order is fixed: place 1 + 离 + place 2 + adjective (近, 远) or an amount (一公里, 五分钟). 离 is not the main verb: something must follow it.
It also works for time: 离春节还有三天 ("there are still three days until Spring Festival").
Examples
我家离地铁站很近。
Wǒ jiā lí dìtiězhàn hěn jìn.My place is very close to the subway station.
公司离这儿远不远？
Gōngsī lí zhèr yuǎn bu yuǎn?Is the company far from here?
学校离我家只有五分钟。
Xuéxiào lí wǒ jiā zhǐ yǒu wǔ fēnzhōng.The school is only five minutes from my home.
离考试还有一个星期。
Lí kǎoshì hái yǒu yí ge xīngqī.There's still a week until the exam.
Common mistakes
Don't confuse 离 (distance) and 从 (starting point): ✗ 我家从公司很近 → ✓ 我家离公司很近.
No 是 before the adjective: ✗ 我家离公司是很近 → ✓ 我家离公司很近.