Expressing "thanks to" with "duokui"

多亏 (duōkuī) can be translated as "thanks to" and is used to express that, due to somebody's help, a negative result has been averted. 了 is often placed after it as it's about something that has been completed.

Basic Pattern with 多亏 (了)

Structure

[Good Outcome] ，多亏 (了) + [Lucky Incident]

Examples

• 我 能 这么 快 做完 ，多亏 了 你 帮 我 。Wǒ néng zhème kuài zuò wán, duōkuī le nǐ bāng wǒ.I was able to finish so quickly thanks to your help.
• 我 没 迟到 ，多亏 了 你 开车 送 我 。Wǒ méi chídào, duōkuī le nǐ kāichē sòng wǒ.I wasn't late, thanks to you giving me a ride.
• 我的 病 很 快 好 了 ，多亏 了 妈妈 仔细 照顾 我。Wǒ de bìng hěn kuài hǎo le, duōkuī le māma zǐxì zhàogù wǒ.I got well quickly, thanks to my mother's care and attention.
• 项目 可以 顺利 进行，多亏 了 你。谢谢你。Xiàngmù kěyǐ shùnlì jìnxíng, duōkuī le nǐ. xièxie nǐ.Because of you, the project is going smoothly. Thank you.

Pattern with 多亏 and 才

When the good outcome comes before 多亏 (as in the pattern above), there is no need to add in 才. But if the good outcome comes after 多亏, you need to add in 才 to indicate "as a result...(the good outcome happened)." (才 gives the sense that the good outcome wouldn't have happened without that extra help.)

Structure

多亏 (了) + [Lucky Incident] ，Subj. 才 + [Good Outcome]

Examples

• 多亏 了 你 开车 送 我 ，我 才 没 迟到 。Duōkuī le nǐ kāichē sòng wǒ, wǒ cái méi chídào.Thanks to your ride, I'm not late to get here.
• 多亏 你 的 伞 ，我 才 没 淋湿 。Duōkuī nǐ de sǎn, wǒ cái méi línshī.Thanks to your umbrella, I didn't get wet.
• 多亏 你 帮 我，我 才 能 这么 快 做完 。Duōkuī nǐ bāng wǒ, wǒ cái néng zhème kuài zuò wán.Thanks to your help, I was able to complete it so quickly.

Advanced Pattern with 多亏 and 不然

If you want to add in 不然 (bùrán) for an "otherwise... (this really bad thing would have happened)" explanation, use this structure.

Structure

多亏 (了) + [Lucky Incident] ，不然 + [Bad Outcome]

Examples

When translating to English, "thanks to" doesn't always work as well when you have to add in "otherwise."

• 这 件 事情 多亏 了 你 的 提醒 ，不然 我 肯定 忘 了 。Zhè jiàn shìqing duōkuī le nǐ de tíxǐng, bùrán wǒ kěndìng wàng le.Thank you for reminding me about this matter! Otherwise I would definitely have forgetten.
• 多亏 你 送 她 去 医院 ，不然 情况 会 很 严重 。Duōkuī nǐ sòng tā qù yīyuàn, bùrán qíngkuàng huì hěn yánzhòng.It was a good thing you took her to the hospital, otherwise her condition could have gotten really serious.
• 多亏 了 你 的 建议 ，不然 我 真 不 知道 怎么 办 。Duōkuī le nǐ de jiànyì, bùrán wǒ zhēn bù zhīdào zěnme bàn.It was a good thing you gave me that suggestion, otherwise I really wouldn't have known what to do.

Difference between 多亏 and 幸亏

多亏 (duōkuī) is similar to 幸亏 (xìngkuī) in meaning, the major grammatical similarity being that both can be used with 不然 or 才. But there are a few difference between them:

1. Meaning: 多亏 emphasizes a feeling of gratitude towards a specific person for the outcome, rather than attributing it purely to fortune as 幸亏 does.
2. Collocations: 多亏 can combine with just a noun phrase, but 幸亏 can't.
3. Patterns: 多亏 can be placed in the beginning or the middle of a sentence, while 幸亏 can be only placed in the beginning of the sentence.

See also

• Expressing good luck with "haihao"

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 5上 (pp. 109) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 350) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

HSK5