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conjunction / particle HSK 4
ér
and · but · yet · while · as well as

Meaning

而 is a versatile classical conjunction that connects clauses or phrases. It can show contrast (but, yet), addition (and, as well as), or sequential relationship. While more common in written Chinese, it appears in everyday speech in certain fixed expressions and formal contexts.

Usage

而 is more literary than 和 (and) or 但是 (but). Native speakers use it frequently in writing, formal speech, and set phrases like 而且 (moreover) and 反而 (on the contrary). In casual conversation, simpler connectors are preferred, but 而 adds elegance and sophistication to expression.

Examples

  1. 01
    他很聪明而努力。
    Tā hěn cōngmíng ér nǔlì.
    He is intelligent and hardworking.
  2. 02
    我想去，而他不想去。
    Wǒ xiǎng qù, ér tā bù xiǎng qù.
    I want to go, but he doesn't want to go.

Common collocations

  • 而且
    ér qiě
    moreover; furthermore
  • 然而
    rán ér
    however; yet
  • 反而
    fǎn ér
    on the contrary
  • 从而
    cóng ér
    thus; thereby

Origin

而 is an ancient character depicting a beard, originally meaning beard or whiskers. Its grammatical function as a conjunction developed in Classical Chinese and has been used this way for over two thousand years.

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