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Collins Chinese-English Dictionary

然而 [rán'ér]
  1. 1. conjunction however
    他发了财,然而生活依然俭朴。
    Even after he'd made it, he led a simple and thrifty life.

Comprehensive Chinese-English Dictionary

然而 [rán'ér]
  1. 1. but; however; yet; where
    我失败了,然而还要试试。
    I have failed, yet I shall try again.
    这篇文章写得不错,然而还可以改进。
    The composition is all right, there is room for improvement, however.

Contemporary Standard Chinese Dictionary

然而 [rán'ér]
  1. 1. 连接分句或句子,也连接词、词组或段落,表示转折,多用于书面
    他原先答应得很好,然而没过几天就变卦了
    还是少说些冠冕堂皇然而不切实际的空话吧。

Examples

《聊斋志异》所记鬼怪故事诚属荒诞不经,然而却能引人入胜,多年来为无数读者所喜爱。
Though admittedly wild and fanciful, the ghost stories of the Liao Zhai Zhi Yi have a beauty that has captivated countless readers over the years.
我失败了,然而还要试试。
I have failed, yet I shall try again.
然而笑。
然而返。
还是少说些冠冕堂皇然而不切实际的空话吧。
She seems happy, yet she is troubled.
她似乎很愉快,然而她是忧虑的。

Collocations

然而我错了
however, i was wrong
沉默然而坚定
silent but determined
然而意想不到的是
to one's surprise

Word Decomposition


[rán]
+
[ér]

nciku Note

Paired conjunctions as Conveyors of alternatives

Paired conjunctions as Conveyors of alternatives

A conjunction is a word or expression that acts as a transition between clauses and phrases in a complex sentence. For example: "不但……而且……" búdàn...érqiě... (not only … but also …), "如果……就……" rúguǒ...jiù... (if… then…), and "总而言之" zǒng'éryánzhī (all in all), where the first clause or phrase is connected to the following clause or phrase by a conjunction.

The paired conjunctions such as "不是……就是……" búshì...jiùshì..., "或者……或者……" huòzhě...huòzhě, "要么……要么……" yàome...yàome..., "是……还是……" shì...háishi indicate alternatives in a complex sentence.
(1) 这本书不是小刘的,就是小王的。
(2) 这本书要么是小刘的,要么是小王的。
(3) 这本书小刘的,还是小王的?
(4) 这本书或者是小刘的,或者是小王的。

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不过 and 然而


by anonymous

2009.08.17 2 0 Good 0 / Bad 0

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