Expressing "as much as possible" with "jinliang"

尽量 (jǐnliàng) is an adverb meaning "as much as possible" or "to the greatest extent." In this article, we will do our best to explain how to use it!

Structure

Using 尽量 is as simple as adding it before a verb (or adjective).

尽量 + Verb / Adj.

Examples

• 我 会 尽量 想 办法 帮 你 的。Wǒ huì jǐnliàng xiǎng bànfǎ bāng nǐ de.I will try my best to figure out something to help you.
• 你 看 书 吧，我 尽量 不 打扰 你。Nǐ kànshū ba, wǒ jǐnliàng bù dǎrǎo nǐ.Go ahead and study, I'll do my best to not disturb you.
• 你 是 哥哥，要 尽量 照顾 好 妹妹。Nǐ shì gēge, yào jǐnliàng zhàogù hǎo mèimei .You are the big brother and you should try your best to look after your little sister.
• 我们 要 尽量 避免 问 这 种 问题，有的 客户 会 感觉 很 不 舒服 的。Wǒmen yào jǐnliàng bìmiǎn wèn zhè zhǒng wèntí, yǒude kèhù huì gǎnjué hěn bù shūfu de.We should avoid asking this kind of questions, which could make some clients very uncomfortable.
• 父母 应该 尽量 多 陪 陪 孩子。 Fùmǔ yīnggāi jǐnliàng duō péi péi háizi.Parents should spend as much time as possible with their children.
• 我 尽量 在 这个 星期天 以前 完成 这个 项目 。 Wǒ jǐnliàng zài zhège xīngqītiān yǐqián wánchéng zhège xiàngmù.I will try to complete the project by this Sunday.
• 我们 要 尽量 满足 客户 的 需求 。 Wǒmen yào jǐnliàng mǎnzú kèhù de xūqiú.We have to try our best to meet the client's needs.
• 这 个 项目 预算 很 紧张 ， 我们 要 控制 成本 ， 尽量 不 要 超出 预算。 Zhè gè xiàngmù yùsuàn hěn jǐnzhāng, wǒmen yào kòngzhì chéngběn, jǐnliàng bù yào chāochū yùsuàn.The budget for this project is very tight, so we have to control the cost and try not to exceed the budget.
• 老板 生气 了 ， 你 和 他 说话 要 尽量 委婉 点 。 Lǎobǎn shēngqì le, nǐ hé tā shuōhuà yào jǐnliàng wěiwǎn diǎn.If the boss is angry, you should be as tactful as possible with him.
• 我 会 把 我 知道 的 尽量 告诉 你 。 Wǒ huì bǎ wǒ zhīdào de jǐnliàng gàosu nǐ.I'll tell you what I know.

A Note on Pronunciation

You may hear the word 尽量 pronounced as both "jǐnliàng" and "jìnliàng." Although "jǐnliàng" is technically correct and "jìnliàng" is supposed to be a verb (not an adverb like the word above), many educated native speakers will pronounce 尽量 exclusively as "jìnliàng."

Sources and further reading

• Pronunciation variant (尽量)

Books

• Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) (pp. 212) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 308) [ →buy]

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 709) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Websites

• ChinesePod Jinliang

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