Expressing "even if…" with "napa"

哪怕 (nǎpà) means "even if", and has a slightly stronger tone than 即使 or 就算. It is therefore often used to disregard hypothetical statements of a more serious nature. It is also used in conjunction with 也.

Structure

哪怕 + hypothetical statement + 也 + action.

Examples

• 哪怕 你 的 病情 再 怎么 严重，也 不 要 灰心。Even if your condition gets worse, don't be discouraged.
• 她 是 个 乐观主义 者，哪怕 遭受 挫折，她 也 会 继续 奋斗。She's an optimist. Even if she suffers a setback, she'll still keep working at it.
• 哪怕 困难 再 多，我 也 会 坚持 到底，永 不 放弃！Even if there are a lot of challenges, I will persevere to the end. I'll never give up!

哪怕 is often followed by 再 to give further emphasis to the severity of situation the speaker is disregarding.

Note that the clause used after 哪怕 must be hypothetical, otherwise 虽然 should be used：

• 现在 虽然 是 高峰期，但 我 无论如何 都 要 出去
• 哪怕 现在 是 高峰期，我 也要 出去

In the first sentence, it being rush hour is not a hypothetical statement, so it is incorrect to use 哪怕.

See also

• Expressing "even if…" with "jishi"
• Expressing "even if…" with "jiushi"
• Expressing "even if…" with "jiusuan"

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 5 (新实用汉语课本5) (pp. 113) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 556)→buy

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