Expressing "although" with "jinguan"

尽管 (jǐnguǎn) means "although," and is a little stronger than 虽然, perhaps more like "despite" or "even though" in English.

Structure

尽管⋯⋯ ，(可是 / 但是 +) Subj. + 还是⋯⋯

可是 or 但是 can be added to further emphasize the shift in meaning in the second phrase.

Examples

• 尽管 很 多 人 批评 他 ，他 还是 坚持 这么 做。Jǐnguǎn hěn duō rén pīpíng tā, tā háishì jiānchí zhème zuò.Despite the fact that many people criticize him, he still insists on doing it.
• 尽管 老板 最近 不 在 ，我们 还是 不 能 偷懒。Jǐnguǎn lǎobǎn zuìjìn bù zài, wǒmen háishì bù néng tōulǎn.Despite the fact that the boss hasn't been around lately, we still can't get lazy.
• 尽管 困难 很 多 ，但是 我们 不能 放弃。Jǐnguǎn kùnnan hěn duō, dànshì wǒmen bù néng fàngqì.Even though there are many difficulties, we can't just give up.
• 尽管 我 很 生气 ，但是 我 没 发脾气。Jǐnguǎn wǒ hěn shēngqì, dànshì wǒ méi fā píqì.Even though I was angry, I didn't lose my temper.
• 尽管 警察 已经 找到 了 一些 证据 ，但是 他们 还是 不能 抓 那个 嫌疑人。Jǐnguǎn jǐngchá yǐjīng zhǎodào le yīxiē zhèngjù, dànshì tāmen háishì bù néng zhuā nàge xiányírén.Even though the police have already found some evidence, they still can't arrest the suspect.
• 尽管 他 的 书 很 有 争议 ，但 它 还是 出版 了。Jǐnguǎn tā de shū hěn yǒu zhēngyì, dàn tā háishì chūbǎn le.Even though his book is very controversial, it was still published.
• 尽管 当时 很 危险 ，消防员 还是 勇敢 地 冲 了 进去。Jǐnguǎn dāngshí hěn wēixiǎn, xiāofángyuán háishì yǒnggǎn de chōng le jìnqù.Even though it was very dangerous, the firefighters still bravely charged right in.

A Note on Pronunciation

You may hear the word 尽管 pronounced as both "jǐnguǎn" and "jìnguǎn." Although "jǐnguǎn" is technically correct and "jìnguǎn" is incorrect, many educated native speakers will pronounce 尽量 exclusively as "jìnguǎn."

See also

• "Although" with "suiran" and "danshi"
• "Not… But Rather…" with "er shi"

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 4上 (pp. 19) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 206) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 5) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Websites

• Pronunciation variant (尽管)

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