HSK 4 · Function Words

而 ér “and” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 而 means

and
as well as
and so
but (not)
yet (not)

More meanings from CC-CEDICT

(indicates causal relation)

How to say 而

而ér2nd tone, rising

而 in a sentence

他向她求婚，而她同意了。
Tā xiàng tā qiúhūn, ér tā tóngyì le.
He asked her to marry him, and she accepted.
Sentence #7767667 from Tatoeba
她年轻，天真而又缺乏阅历。
Tā niánqīng, tiānzhēn ér yòu quēfá yuèlì.
She’s young, naive and inexperienced.
Sentence #9965492 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
批评的目的是建设而不是破坏。
Pīpíng de mùdì shì jiànshè ér bú shì pòhuài.
The purpose of criticism is to build, not to destroy.
Sentence #13949298 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 而 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

而érand

而 is a single shape of 6 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidDrawn from a beard. Today it links ideas: and, but.

How to write 而

而 6 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

而 (ér) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it — Stroke order chart for 而 (ér). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 而

Words with 而

而且érqiě · moreover 然而rán'ér · however 从而cóng'ér · thus 反而fǎn'ér · on the contrary 因而yīn'ér · therefore 时而shí'ér · sometimes 而已éryǐ · that’s all 进而jìn'ér · and then 侃侃而谈kǎnkǎn'értán · to speak with ease and confidence 锲而不舍qiè'érbùshě · to persevere

More words: Particles & Connectors

得děi · to have to 底dǐ · bottom 对面duìmiàn · (sitting) opposite 对于duìyú · regarding 份fèn · measure word for portions 否则fǒuzé · otherwise 刚gāng · just 各gè · each

FAQs

What does 而 mean in English?

而 (ér) means “and” or “as well as”. It is an HSK 4 word.

How do you pronounce 而?

Say it ér: ér with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.

Is 而 the same in Traditional Chinese?

Yes. 而 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.

How do you type 而 on a keyboard?

Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type er with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 而 from the suggestions. Typing er into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.

What HSK level is 而?

而 is an HSK 4 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.