Qing Wen suggestion: When 之 alone is used, not part of a word.

he2xu4

February 21, 2013, 03:47 PM posted in General Discussion

I get 之后, 之一, 之前, 之间, 之外. It's when it is used alone when I don't understand why it's used.

Examples:

文学出版界总是有一些出人意料之举

http://news.xinmin.cn/rollnews/2012/02/22/13753317.html

 

“We all agreed on the fact that we refuse to enter any currency war,” the French finance minister, Pierre Moscovici, told reporters at the conference, which was held in a meeting center just a short walk from the Kremlin and Red Square. (cn.nytimes)

法国财政部长皮埃尔·莫斯科维奇(Pierre Moscovici)在会议上告诉记者，“我们都同意这样一个事实，我们拒绝加入任何货币战争。”此次会议在距离克里姆林宫和红场只有几步之遥的一个会议中心举行。