在于 / 取决于: lie in / depend on

动词 / verbs

Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral

A + 在于 + B (essence/cause) | A + 取决于 + B (factor)

Two key verbs for analysis:

• 在于 = "lies in, consists in": names the essence or main cause: 问题的关键在于… (the crux is…). It can also mean "is up to": 去不去在于你.

• 取决于 = "depends on": names the deciding factor: 结果取决于数据的质量.

Both take a noun phrase or clause, and are staples of debates and essays.

Examples

人工智能的价值在于帮助人，而不是代替人。
Réngōng zhìnéng de jiàzhí zàiyú bāngzhù rén, ér bú shì dàitì rén.
The value of AI lies in helping people, not replacing them.
模型的表现很大程度上取决于训练数据。
Móxíng de biǎoxiàn hěn dà chéngdù shang qǔjué yú xùnliàn shùjù.
The model's performance largely depends on its training data.
成功与否，取决于你是否坚持。
Chénggōng yǔ fǒu, qǔjué yú nǐ shìfǒu jiānchí.
Whether you succeed depends on whether you persevere.

Common mistakes

✗ 取决在 → ✓ 取决于.

✗ 在于 + 了: ✗ 问题在于了… → no aspect marker after 在于.

✗ Reading 取决于 as *qǔjuè*: ✓ *qǔjué*.