Chinese word

即使

Pronunciation

Pinyinjí shǐ

Meaning

  • conjunctioneven if

Example

即使天再晚，我也会等你。jí shǐ tiān zài wǎn wǒ yě huì děng nǐ

Even if it gets very late, I will still wait for you.

Illustration for 即使 (even if)

More examples

即使没有钱，她也坚持上学。jí shǐ méi yǒu qián tā yě jiān chí shàng xué

Even if she has no money, she keeps going to school.

Core concept

The condition may change, but the expected action or result stays fixed.

Common phrases

  • 即使...也...jí shǐ yě

    even if ___, still ___

  • 即使再忙也要...jí shǐ zài máng yě yào

    even if very busy, still ___

Similar words

就算jiù suàn: Sets up a hypothetical condition while showing that the later action or result still holds.
即便jí biàn: Shows that a later action or result stays the same even when a condition becomes true.
哪怕nǎ pà: Stresses that the later action or result stays the same under an extreme condition.
尽管jín guǎn: Shows that a later situation remains unchanged despite an existing fact or condition.

Definition in Chinese

表示在假设或不利条件下，尽管存在某种阻碍或相反事实，但主句的行为或结论仍然成立，常用于“即使……，也……”的结构。biǎo shì zài jiǎ shè huò bú lì tiáo jiàn xià jín guǎn cún zài móu zhǒng zǔ ài huò xiāng fǎn shì shí dàn zhǔ jù de xíng wéi huò jié lùn réng rán chéng lì cháng yòng yú jí shǐ yě de jié gòu

Word origin

即使 (jíshǐ, "even if") joins 即 (jí, "even") and 使 (shǐ, "if"), putting an even force on a hypothetical if-clause and giving the compound its concessive meaning.

Usage tips

  • This word usually introduces a possible or imagined situation, so it does not automatically replace the English "even though" when the situation is already known to be true.

Opposites

Word lists with this word