Chinese Conjunctions — Linking Ideas in Complex Sentences (关联词)

Chinese links two or more clauses into one complex sentence with paired conjunctions called 关联词 (guān lián cí). Unlike English, where "because" or "although" often appear once, Chinese frequently uses a pair: the first word opens the first clause and the second opens the second clause (因为…所以…, 虽然…但是…).

Learning these pairs is the fastest way to make your Chinese longer, more natural, and more precise. Instead of short choppy sentences, you can connect reasons, contrasts, conditions, and choices just like a native speaker.

Each pair below has a clear meaning and a fixed pattern. Once you recognize the pairs, you can build complex sentences with confidence.

These pairs link two actions or qualities that happen together or hold at the same time. 一边…一边… (yì biān … yì biān …) means "do two actions at once": 我一边吃饭一边看电视 (wǒ yì biān chī fàn yì biān kàn diàn shì) — I eat while watching TV.

又…又… (yòu … yòu …) joins two qualities or actions, often positive: 这个房间又大又亮 (zhè ge fáng jiān yòu dà yòu liàng) — this room is both big and bright. 她又会唱歌又会跳舞 (tā yòu huì chàng gē yòu huì tiào wǔ) — she can both sing and dance.

既…又… (jì … yòu …) is a more formal "both… and…": 这家餐厅既便宜又好吃 (zhè jiā cān tīng jì pián yi yòu hǎo chī) — this restaurant is both cheap and tasty. Note that 一边…一边… links actions, while 又…又… and 既…又… usually link adjectives or abilities.

因为…所以… (yīn wèi … suǒ yǐ …) is the basic "because… therefore…" pair: 因为下雨，所以我们没去公园 (yīn wèi xià yǔ, suǒ yǐ wǒ men méi qù gōng yuán) — because it rained, we did not go to the park. In speech, speakers often drop one half: 因为下雨，我们没去公园.

由于…因此… (yóu yú … yīn cǐ …) is more formal and common in writing or news: 由于天气原因，因此航班取消了 (yóu yú tiān qì yuán yīn, yīn cǐ háng bān qǔ xiāo le) — due to weather, the flight was canceled.

之所以…是因为… (zhī suǒ yǐ … shì yīn wèi …) reverses the order to stress the reason: 我之所以学中文，是因为我喜欢中国文化 (wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ xué zhōng wén, shì yīn wèi wǒ xǐ huan zhōng guó wén huà) — the reason I study Chinese is that I love Chinese culture. This pattern puts the result first and the cause last.

虽然…但是… (suī rán … dàn shì …) means "although… but…": 虽然很贵，但是我还是买了 (suī rán hěn guì, dàn shì wǒ hái shì mǎi le) — although it was expensive, I still bought it. Chinese always pairs 虽然 with 但是 (unlike English, where "although" and "but" do not appear together).

尽管…还是… (jǐn guǎn … hái shì …) is "despite… still…", a bit stronger: 尽管下雨了，他还是去跑步了 (jǐn guǎn xià yǔ le, tā hái shì qù pǎo bù le) — despite the rain, he still went running.

Single-word contrast words also link clauses: 不过 (bú guò, "though/but"), 却 (què, "yet", placed before the verb), and 然而 (rán ér, "however", formal). Example: 我想去，不过我没时间 (wǒ xiǎng qù, bú guò wǒ méi shí jiān) — I want to go, but I have no time. 他很有钱，却很节约 (tā hěn yǒu qián, què hěn jié yuē) — he is rich, yet very frugal.

如果…就… (rú guǒ … jiù …) is the basic "if… then…": 如果你有时间，我们就去看电影 (rú guǒ nǐ yǒu shí jiān, wǒ men jiù qù kàn diàn yǐng) — if you have time, we will go see a movie. 要是…就… (yào shì … jiù …) is the same meaning but more colloquial: 要是下雨，我们就不去了 (yào shì xià yǔ, wǒ men jiù bú qù le) — if it rains, we will not go.

只要…就… (zhǐ yào … jiù …) means "as long as… then…" (a sufficient condition): 只要你努力，就能学会 (zhǐ yào nǐ nǔ lì, jiù néng xué huì) — as long as you work hard, you can learn it. 只有…才… (zhǐ yǒu … cái …) means "only if… then…" (a necessary condition): 只有多练习，才能说好中文 (zhǐ yǒu duō liàn xí, cái néng shuō hǎo zhōng wén) — only by practicing more can you speak Chinese well.

无论…都… (wú lùn … dōu …) means "no matter…": 无论多忙，我都会学习 (wú lùn duō máng, wǒ dōu huì xué xí) — no matter how busy I am, I will study. It often pairs with question words like 多 or 什么 to express "no matter how/what".

不但…而且… (bú dàn … ér qiě …) means "not only… but also…": 他不但会说中文，而且会写汉字 (tā bú dàn huì shuō zhōng wén, ér qiě huì xiě hàn zì) — he not only speaks Chinese but also writes characters.

不仅…还… (bù jǐn … hái …) is the same meaning, slightly less formal: 她不仅漂亮，还很聪明 (tā bù jǐn piào liang, hái hěn cōng míng) — she is not only pretty but also smart.

甚至 (shèn zhì) means "even", adding an extreme example: 他工作很忙，甚至周末也不休息 (tā gōng zuò hěn máng, shèn zhì zhōu mò yě bù xiū xi) — he is so busy at work that he does not even rest on weekends. Use 甚至 to push a point to its surprising limit.

与其…不如… (yǔ qí … bù rú …) means "rather than… it is better to…": 与其坐车，不如走路 (yǔ qí zuò chē, bù rú zǒu lù) — rather than take the bus, it is better to walk. It compares two options and favors the second.

宁可…也不… (nìng kě … yě bù …) means "would rather… than…": 我宁可走路，也不坐出租车 (wǒ nìng kě zǒu lù, yě bú zuò chū zū chē) — I would rather walk than take a taxi. It shows a strong preference for the first option even at a cost.

除了…以外 (chú le … yǐ wài) means "besides/except": 除了中文以外，他还会说日语 (chú le zhōng wén yǐ wài, tā hái huì shuō rì yǔ) — besides Chinese, he also speaks Japanese. To mean "except", add 都 or 只: 除了我以外，大家都去了 (chú le wǒ yǐ wài, dà jiā dōu qù le) — everyone went except me.

Do not drop the second half of paired conjunctions in formal writing. 虽然 must be answered by 但是, 不但 by 而且, and 如果 by 就. In casual speech one half may be dropped, but in writing the full pair is clearer and more correct.

Do not copy English word order. English says "although… (no but)" and "because… (no so)"; Chinese pairs 虽然…但是 and 因为…所以. Writing 虽然很贵，我买了 without 但是 sounds incomplete to native ears.

Watch the 就 vs 才 contrast in conditionals. 只要…就 (as long as, a sufficient and easy condition) differs from 只有…才 (only if, a necessary and harder condition). Saying 只要多练习才能说好中文 mixes the two — use either 只要…就 or 只有…才, not a blend.