Chinese word

那么

Pronunciation

Pinyinnà me

Meaning

  • conjunctionthen

Example

那么，我们明天再说。nà me wǒ men míng tiān zài shuō

Then let's talk again tomorrow.

Illustration for 那么 (then)

More examples

如果你累了，那么就休息一下。rú guǒ nǐ lèi le nà me jiù xiū xī yí xià

If you are tired, then rest for a while.

Core concept

A signpost that turns an earlier fact or condition into the next step, answer, or matching description.

Common phrases

  • 如果...，那么...rú guǒ nà me

    if ___, then ___

  • 那么就...nà me jiù

    then ___

Similar words

那nà: In casual speech, connects a previous point with the resulting conclusion or next step.
如果rú guǒ: Sets out a possible condition and introduces what happens or should happen if it holds.
既然jì rán: Builds a conclusion or action on a fact or situation already accepted as true.

Definition in Chinese

承接上文并引出结论、建议或处理意见的连接词，在口语中常缩为“那”，用于表示“如果那样的话”或“既然如此”。chéng jiē shàng wén bìng yǐn chū jié lùn jiàn yì huò chú lǐ yì jiàn de lián jiē cí zài kóu yǔ zhōng cháng suō wèi nà yòng yú biǎo shì rú guǒ nà yàng de huà huò jì rán rú cǐ

Word origin

那么 (nàme, "then") is formed from 那 (nà, "that") + 么 (me, "grammatical suffix"), and the combination extends pointing to "that" into the meaning "in that case."

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this connector is often shortened to one syllable, while the full two-syllable form helps make the link clear in careful speech.

Other meanings

  • soadverb
  • suchadjective

Word lists with this word