Chinese word

无论

Pronunciation

Pinyinwú lùn

Meaning

  • conjunctionno matter

Example

无论天气如何，我们都要去野餐。wú lùn tiān qì rú hé wǒ men dōu yào qù yě cān

No matter what the weather is like, we are going on a picnic.

Illustration for 无论 (no matter)

More examples

无论别人怎么想，你应该坚持自己的决定。wú lùn bié rén zěn me xiǎng nǐ yīng gāi jiān chí zì jǐ de jué dìng

No matter what others think, you should stick to your decision.

Core concept

Sets aside the condition and keeps the main outcome on one steady line.

Common phrases

  • 无论...都wú lùn dōu

    no matter ___, ___

  • 无论与否wú lùn yú fǒu

    regardless of whether ___

  • 无论怎么wú lùn zěn me

    no matter how ___

Similar words

不管bù guǎn: Marks in everyday speech that the outcome stays the same regardless of the condition.
不论bú lùn: Marks in a formal or neutral way that the outcome stays the same in every possible case.
无论如何wú lùn rú hé: States firmly that the intended result or course of action stays the same no matter what happens.

Definition in Chinese

作连词，置于状语从句或条件从句开头，表示不论前项如何变化，主句结论不变，常见结构为“无论...，（都/也）...”或“无论A还是B...”。zuò lián cí zhì yú zhuàng yǔ cóng jù huò tiáo jiàn cóng jù kāi tóu biǎo shì bú lùn qián xiàng rú hé biàn huà zhǔ jù jié lùn bú biàn cháng jiàn jié gòu wèi wú lùn dōu yě huò wú lùn A hái shì B...

Word origin

无 (wú, "not") + 论 (lùn, "discuss or judge") presents each condition as irrelevant to the final judgment, which gives the compound its across-the-board meaning.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often marks the unchanged main result with 都 (dōu, "all") or 也 (yě, "also"), even when English leaves that idea unspoken.

Other meanings

  • wheneverconjunction

Opposites

Word lists with this word