The Chinese word 而 is a conjunction that is commonly used to connect two clauses in a sentence. It is often translated to English as “and”, “but”, or “while”. However, 而 has a more nuanced meaning than simply connecting two ideas. It can also be used to indicate contrast, emphasis, or continuation of a thought. For example, in the sentence “他很聪明，而他不努力”, the 而 indicates a contrast between the speaker’s opinion of the person’s intelligence and their lack of effort.
Translation
Conjunction: and, but, yet
Pronunciation
Example Sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | Engish |
|---|---|---|
| 他很聪明，而且很有耐心 | tā hěn cōngmíng, érqiě hěn yǒu nàixīn | He is very smart, and also very patient |
| 我们需要努力工作，而不是放弃 | wǒmen xūyào nǔlì gōngzuò, ér bùshì fàngqì | We need to work hard, and not give up |
| 她很漂亮，而且很有自信 | tā hěn piàoliang, érqiě hěn yǒu zìxìn | She is very beautiful, and also very confident |
| 这个问题很复杂，而且需要仔细考虑 | zhège wèntí hěn fùzá, érqiě xūyào zǐxì kǎolǜ | This problem is very complex, and requires careful consideration |
| 我们需要保护环境，而且要节约能源 | wǒmen xūyào bǎohù huánjìng, érqiě yào jiéyuē néngyuán | We need to protect the environment, and also conserve energy |
| 他很有才华，而且很努力工作 | tā hěn yǒu cáihuá, érqiě hěn nǔlì gōngzuò | He is very talented, and also works very hard |
HSK
而 is part of HSK Level 4 in both HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0.
Learning Card
