Usage note
“距离”表示两个地方、两个人或两件事之间相隔多远。
“jùlí” biǎoshì liǎng gè dìfang, liǎng gè rén huò liǎng jiàn shì zhījiān xiāgé duō yuǎn.
“Distance” means how far apart two places, two people, or two things are.
Context note
它常用来问路、说远近，或比较两地有多远。
Tā cháng yòng lái wènlù, shuō yuǎnjìn, huò bǐjiào liǎngdì yǒu duō yuǎn.
It is often used to ask for directions, talk about near and far, or compare how far two places are.
5 examples
学校和我家之间的距离不远。
xué xiào hé wǒ jiā zhī jiān de jù lí bù yuǎn。
The distance between the school and my home is not far.
请保持一点距离。
qǐng bǎo chí yì diǎn jù lí。
Please keep a little distance.
我们先看地图，再说距离。
wǒ men xiān kàn dì tú， zài shuō jù lí。
We first look at the map, then talk about the distance.
从这里到图书馆的距离很近。
cóng zhè lǐ dào tú shū guǎn de jù lí hěn jìn。
The distance from here to the library is very near.
跑步时，我会注意和别人保持距离。
pǎo bù shí， wǒ huì zhù yì hé bié rén bǎo chí jù lí。
When running, I will pay attention to keeping a distance from others.
5 mini stories
我和奶奶一起去超市。路上的距离很近，我们一会儿就到了。
wǒ hé nǎi nai yì qǐ qù chāo shì。 lù shang de jù lí hěn jìn， wǒ men yí huì er jiù dào le。
I went to the supermarket with Grandma. The distance on the road was very short, and we arrived in no time.
小红问老师，操场和教室的距离有多远。老师给她指了指。
xiǎo hóng wèn lǎo shī， cāo chǎng hé jiào shì de jù lí yǒu duō yuǎn。 lǎo shī gěi tā zhǐ le zhǐ。
Xiaohong asked the teacher how far the distance was between the playground and the classroom. The teacher pointed it out to her.
我们在公园散步，爸爸说要注意车和人的距离。
wǒ men zài gōng yuán sàn bù， bà ba shuō yào zhù yì chē hé rén de jù lí。
We were walking in the park, and Dad said to pay attention to the distance between cars and people.
哥哥骑车慢慢走，因为前面的距离不太大。
gē ge qí chē màn màn zǒu， yīn wèi qián miàn de jù lí bú tài dà。
My older brother rode the bike slowly because the distance ahead was not very big.
老师在黑板上画了一条线，让我们看距离。
lǎo shī zài hēi bǎn shàng huà le yì tiáo xiàn， ràng wǒ men kàn jù lí。
The teacher drew a line on the blackboard and let us look at the distance.
Mini dialogue
学校距离
A
你家到学校的距离远吗？
Nǐ jiā dào xuéxiào de jùlí yuǎn ma?
Is the distance from your home to school far?
B
不远，走路大概十分钟的距离。
Bù yuǎn, zǒulù dàgài shí fēnzhōng de jùlí.
Not far, it's about a ten-minute walking distance.
保持距离
A
看书写字的时候，眼睛和书本要保持距离。
Kànshū xiězì de shíhòu, yǎnjīng hé shūběn yào bǎochí jùlí.
When reading and writing, keep a distance between your eyes and the book.
B
我知道了，要保持多远的距离？
Wǒ zhīdào le, yào bǎochí duō yuǎn de jùlí?
I understand. How much distance should I keep?
Related words and contrasts
related
远
yuǎn
far
远 is an adjective describing a long distance.
opposite
近
jìn
near, close
近 is the opposite, meaning a short distance.
related
长度
cháng dù
length
长度 is a general term for length, while 距离 is the space between two points.