HSK 5 · Function Words

则 zé “then” in Chinese

Traditional 則

What 则 means

then
in that case (conjunction)
standard
(bound form) standard
norm

More meanings from CC-CEDICT

(bound form) principle
classifier for written items

How to say 则

则zé2nd tone, rising

则 in a sentence

动物需要食物和饮料，而植物则需要雨水和阳光。
Dòngwù xūyào shíwù hé yǐnliào, ér zhíwù zé xūyào yǔshuǐ hé yángguāng.
Animals need food and drink, whereas plants need rain and sunshine.
Sentence #520102 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted
我若能，则谁都能。
Wǒ ruò néng, zé shéi dōu néng.
If I can do it, anyone can.
Sentence #13210517 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters
欲速则不达。
Yù sù zé bù dá.
More haste, less speed.
Sentence #806181 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 则 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.

The character 则 (zé) with each of its parts in a different colour

则zébut; then

贝sea shell · bèi
刂knife form of 刀 · dāo

How to write 则

则 6 strokes

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

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

Words related to 则

Words with 则

否则fǒuzé · otherwise 规则guīzé · rule 原则yuánzé · principle 准则zhǔnzé · principle

More words: Function Words & Grammar

一再yízài · again and again 与其yǔqí · rather than (与其 A，不如 B: B rather than A)再三zàisān · over and over again 在于zàiyú · to lie in 照常zhàocháng · as usual 阵zhèn · measure word for short bursts (of rain 整个zhěnggè · whole 正zhèng · just (in the middle of doing something)

FAQs

What does 则 mean in English?

则 (zé) means “then” or “in that case (conjunction)”. It is an HSK 5 word.

How do you pronounce 则?

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

How do you write 则 in Traditional Chinese?

In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 则 is written 則. The pronunciation is the same.

How do you type 则 on a keyboard?

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

What HSK level is 则?

则 is an HSK 5 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.