HSK · Level 35
120 words
Chinese word
就是说
Pronunciation
Pinyinjiù shì shuō
Meaning
- conjunctionthat is
Example
他不来了，就是说我们要自己去。tā bù lái le jiù shì shuō wǒ men yào zì jǐ qù
He isn't coming; that is, we have to go ourselves.
More examples
他拒绝了那个提议，也就是说我们得另想办法。tā jù jué le nà ge tí yì yě jiù shì shuō wǒ men děi lìng xiǎng bàn fǎ
He rejected that proposal; in other words, we have to think of another way.
Core concept
A spoken bridge that turns an earlier statement toward a clearer restatement.
Common phrases
也就是说yě jiù shì shuō
in other words
Similar words
也就是说yě jiù shì shuō: Signals that the next words clearly explain what the previous statement means.
换句话说huàn jù huà shuō: Puts the preceding idea into different words without changing its meaning.
换言之huàn yán zhī: Presents the preceding idea again in a more formal written expression.
也就是yě jiù shì: Gives a simple restatement that sums up the meaning of the earlier words.
Definition in Chinese
用来对前述内容作进一步解释或换言，使意思更明白，常用作口语连词。yòng lái duì qián shù nèi róng zuò jìn yí bù jiě shì huò huàn yán shǐ yì si gèng míng bái cháng yòng zuò kóu yǔ lián cí
Word origin
就 (jiù, "then") + 是 (shì, "be") + 说 (shuō, "say") combine into a phrase that frames the next words as an explanation of what came before.
Usage tips
- When a speaker pauses and then uses this connector, the following clause normally narrows or restates the previous point rather than introducing a separate topic.
Other meanings
- in other wordsconjunction