而

And in Chinese: 而 (ér)

ér

and

HSK 3.0 Level 42 example sentences

Definitions

  1. 1and
  2. 2as well as
  3. 3and so
  4. 4but (not)
  5. 5yet (not)
  6. 6(indicates causal relation)
  7. 7(indicates change of state)
  8. 8(indicates contrast)

Stroke order

Watch how to write 而 stroke by stroke.

而

Zhuyin

This word’s pronunciation in Bopomofo.

Learn how to read Zhuyin

ㄦˊ

ér

ㄦ/ erˊ/ second tone

Example sentences

See 而 used in real sentences with pinyin and English translations.

  • 铤而走险。

    tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn。

    Necessity knows no law.

  • 尽力而为。

    jìn lì ér wéi。

    Do your best.

Spotted a mistake?

Related words

而且

ér qiě

(not only ...) but also

然而

rán ér

however

从而

cóng ér

thus

反而

fǎn ér

on the contrary

因而

yīn ér

therefore

而是

ér shì

rather

时而

shí ér

occasionally

而已

ér yǐ

that's all

继而

jì ér

then

进而

jìn ér

and then (what follows next)

半途而废

bàn tú ér fèi

to give up halfway (idiom)

不辞而别

bù cí ér bié

to leave without saying good-bye

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 vocabulary listHSK 4 vocabulary listHSK 5 vocabulary list

Learn 而 with spaced repetition

Add 而 (ér) to your review queue and the FSRS algorithm will schedule it exactly when you're about to forget — then meet it again in a short AI-generated story written at your level.

Start learning free

No credit card required · Free tier included