Difference between revisions of "Cause and effect with "yinwei" and "suoyi""

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You will often come across “因为 (yīnwèi)... , 所以 (suǒyǐ)..." in written Chinese as well as spoken Chinese. This grammar point will make your Chinese much more intricate.
 
You will often come across “因为 (yīnwèi)... , 所以 (suǒyǐ)..." in written Chinese as well as spoken Chinese. This grammar point will make your Chinese much more intricate.
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== Using 因为 by itself to explain causes ==
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 +
A common way to explain causes in Chinese is with 因为 (yīnwèi). This is almost entirely equivalent to "because" in English. Usually 因为 (yīnwèi) will begin a new phrase in a sentence.
 +
 +
=== Structure ===
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In this structure, we first state the result, and then give the reason in the next statement after the 因为 (yīnwèi).
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 +
<div class="jiegou">
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 +
Result ,因为 + Reason
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</div>
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=== Examples ===
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<div class="liju">
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 +
* 他 学习 很 好, <em>因为</em> 他 很 聪明。<span class="pinyin">Tā xuéxí hěn hǎo, <em>yīnwèi</em> tā hěn cōngming. </span> <span class="trans">He studies well because he is smart. </span>
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* 她 喜欢 你 , <em>因为</em> 你 很 帅。 <span class="pinyin">Tā xǐhuan nǐ, <em>yīnwèi</em> nǐ hěn shuài. </span> <span class="trans">She likes you because you are handsome. </span>
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* 我 在 学习 中文 , <em>因为</em> 我 想 去 中国。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài xuéxí Zhōngwén, <em>yīnwèi</em> wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó. </span> <span class="trans">I am studying Chinese because I want to go to China. </span>
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* 我 不 喜欢 她,<em>因为</em> 她 很 不 友好。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bù xǐhuan tā, <em>yīnwèi</em> tā hěn bù yǒuhǎo. </span> <span class="trans">I don't like her because she is very unfriendly. </span>
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* 爸爸 不 太 舒服,<em>因为</em> 昨天 喝 了 太 多 酒。 <span class="pinyin">Bàba bù tài shūfu, <em>yīnwèi</em> zuótiān hē le tài duō jiǔ. </span> <span class="trans">Dad is not feeling very well because he drank too much alcohol yesterday. </span>
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* 今天 他 没 去 上课 , <em>因为</em> 他 生病 了。<span class="pinyin">Jīntiān tā méi qù shàngkè, <em>yīnwèi</em> tā shēngbìng le. </span> <span class="trans">He didn't go to school today because he's sick. </span>
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* 妈妈 很 累,<em>因为</em> 家里 有 三 个 孩子。<span class="pinyin">Māma hěn lèi, <em>yīnwèi</em>  jiālǐ yǒu sānge háizi. </span> <span class="trans">Mom is exhausted because there are three kids in the house. </span>
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* 他们 没 去 杭州 ,<em>因为</em> 天气 非常 热 。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen méi qù Hángzhōu, <em>yīnwèi</em> tiānqì fēicháng rè. </span> <span class="trans">They didn't go to Hangzhou because the weather was very hot. </span>
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* 上 个 月 我 不 在 上海,<em>因为</em> 我 去 南京 出差 了。<span class="pinyin">Shàng ge yuè wǒ bù zài Shànghǎi, <em>yīnwèi</em> wǒ qù Nánjīng chūchāi le. </span> <span class="trans">I wasn't in Shanghai last month because I went to Nanjing on a business trip. </span>
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* 他 没 上 过 大学,<em>因为</em> 他家 没钱。<span class="pinyin">Tā méi shàng guo dàxué, <em>yīnwèi</em> tā jiā méiqián. </span> <span class="trans">He's never been to college because his family doesn't have the money. </span>
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</div>
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== Using 所以 by itself to explain results ==
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Just as 因为 (yīnwèi) can be used to [[Explaining causes with "yinwei"|explain causes]], 所以 (suǒyǐ) can be used to explain results. This is the equivalent of "so therefore. . ." in English.
 +
 +
=== Structure ===
 +
 +
This structure is a simple statement of "cause and effect." This is similar to expressing using both 因为 (yīnwèi) and 所以 (suǒyǐ), but it leaves out the beginning 因为 (yīnwèi). This structure is more informal.
 +
 +
<div class="jiegou">
 +
 +
Reason ,所以 + Result
 +
 +
</div>
 +
 +
=== Examples ===
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 +
<div class="liju">
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 +
* 汉字 太 难 了,<em>所以</em> 我 不 想 学。<span class="pinyin">Hànzì tài nán le, <em>suǒyǐ</em> wǒ bù xiǎng xué. </span> <span class="trans">Chinese characters are too hard, so I don't want to study them. </span>
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* 她 很 漂亮,<em>所以</em> 很 多 男孩 喜欢 她。<span class="pinyin">Tā hěn piàoliang, <em>suǒyǐ</em> hěn duō nánhái xǐhuan tā. </span> <span class="trans">She is beautiful, so a lot of boys like her. </span>
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* 我 很 想 去 美国,<em>所以</em> 我 要 学 英文。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ hěn xiǎng qù Měiguó, <em>suǒyǐ</em> wǒ yào xué Yīngwén. </span> <span class="trans">I want to go to America, so I want to study English. </span>
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* 上 个 周末 空气 不 好,<em>所以</em> 我 没 出去。<span class="pinyin">Shàng ge zhōumò kōngqì bù hǎo, <em>suǒyǐ</em> wǒ méi chūqù. </span> <span class="trans">Last weekend the air was bad, so I didn't go out. </span>
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* 老师 很 累,<em>所以</em> 要 休息。<span class="pinyin">Lǎoshī hěn lèi, <em>suǒyǐ</em> yào xiūxī.</span> <span class="trans">The teacher is tired so she needs to rest. </span>
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* 他 找到 工作 了 , <em>所以</em> 他 很 高兴。<span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎo dào gōngzuò le, <em>suǒyǐ</em> tā hěn gāoxìng. </span> <span class="trans">He found a job so he's happy. </span>
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* 太 忙 了,<em>所以</em> 没有 给 你 打 电话。<span class="pinyin">Tài máng le, <em>suǒyǐ</em> méiyǒu gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà. </span> <span class="trans">I was very busy, so I didn't give you a call. </span>
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* 你 的 口语 不 太 好,<em>所以</em> 你 要 多 说。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de kǒuyǔ bù tài hǎo, <em>suǒyǐ</em> nǐ yào duō shuō. </span> <span class="trans">Your spoken Chinese is not so good, so you need to speak more. </span>
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* 我们 公司 有 很 多 外国人,<em>所以</em> 我们 说 英文。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu hěn duō wàiguórén, <em>suǒyǐ</em> wǒmen shuō Yīngwén. </span> <span class="trans">There are a lot of foreigners in our company, so we speak English. </span>
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* 他 要 结婚 了, <em>所以</em> 有点 忙。<span class="pinyin"> Tā yào jiéhūn le, <em>suǒyǐ</em> yǒudiǎn máng. </span> <span class="trans">He is getting married so he's been a little too busy. </span>
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</div>
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== Using 因为 and 所以 together ==
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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==See also==
 
==See also==
*[[Explaining results with "suoyi"]]
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*[[Stating the effect before the cause]] (advanced article)
 
*[[Stating the effect before the cause]] (advanced article)
  
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===Websites===
 
===Websites===
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* Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: [http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0201.html How to use 因为 and 由于]
 
* Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: [http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0201.html How to use 因为 and 由于]
  

Revision as of 01:44, 4 March 2016

You will often come across “因为 (yīnwèi)... , 所以 (suǒyǐ)..." in written Chinese as well as spoken Chinese. This grammar point will make your Chinese much more intricate.

Using 因为 by itself to explain causes

A common way to explain causes in Chinese is with 因为 (yīnwèi). This is almost entirely equivalent to "because" in English. Usually 因为 (yīnwèi) will begin a new phrase in a sentence.

Structure

In this structure, we first state the result, and then give the reason in the next statement after the 因为 (yīnwèi).

Result ,因为 + Reason

Examples

  • 他 学习 很 好, 因为 他 很 聪明。Tā xuéxí hěn hǎo, yīnwèi tā hěn cōngming. He studies well because he is smart.
  • 她 喜欢 你 , 因为 你 很 帅。 Tā xǐhuan nǐ, yīnwèi nǐ hěn shuài. She likes you because you are handsome.
  • 我 在 学习 中文 , 因为 我 想 去 中国。Wǒ zài xuéxí Zhōngwén, yīnwèi wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó. I am studying Chinese because I want to go to China.
  • 我 不 喜欢 她,因为 她 很 不 友好。Wǒ bù xǐhuan tā, yīnwèi tā hěn bù yǒuhǎo. I don't like her because she is very unfriendly.
  • 爸爸 不 太 舒服,因为 昨天 喝 了 太 多 酒。 Bàba bù tài shūfu, yīnwèi zuótiān hē le tài duō jiǔ. Dad is not feeling very well because he drank too much alcohol yesterday.
  • 今天 他 没 去 上课 , 因为 他 生病 了。Jīntiān tā méi qù shàngkè, yīnwèi tā shēngbìng le. He didn't go to school today because he's sick.
  • 妈妈 很 累,因为 家里 有 三 个 孩子。Māma hěn lèi, yīnwèi jiālǐ yǒu sānge háizi. Mom is exhausted because there are three kids in the house.
  • 他们 没 去 杭州 ,因为 天气 非常 热 。Tāmen méi qù Hángzhōu, yīnwèi tiānqì fēicháng rè. They didn't go to Hangzhou because the weather was very hot.
  • 上 个 月 我 不 在 上海,因为 我 去 南京 出差 了。Shàng ge yuè wǒ bù zài Shànghǎi, yīnwèi wǒ qù Nánjīng chūchāi le. I wasn't in Shanghai last month because I went to Nanjing on a business trip.
  • 他 没 上 过 大学,因为 他家 没钱。Tā méi shàng guo dàxué, yīnwèi tā jiā méiqián. He's never been to college because his family doesn't have the money.

Using 所以 by itself to explain results

Just as 因为 (yīnwèi) can be used to explain causes, 所以 (suǒyǐ) can be used to explain results. This is the equivalent of "so therefore. . ." in English.

Structure

This structure is a simple statement of "cause and effect." This is similar to expressing using both 因为 (yīnwèi) and 所以 (suǒyǐ), but it leaves out the beginning 因为 (yīnwèi). This structure is more informal.

Reason ,所以 + Result

Examples

  • 汉字 太 难 了,所以 我 不 想 学。Hànzì tài nán le, suǒyǐ wǒ bù xiǎng xué. Chinese characters are too hard, so I don't want to study them.
  • 她 很 漂亮,所以 很 多 男孩 喜欢 她。Tā hěn piàoliang, suǒyǐ hěn duō nánhái xǐhuan tā. She is beautiful, so a lot of boys like her.
  • 我 很 想 去 美国,所以 我 要 学 英文。Wǒ hěn xiǎng qù Měiguó, suǒyǐ wǒ yào xué Yīngwén. I want to go to America, so I want to study English.
  • 上 个 周末 空气 不 好,所以 我 没 出去。Shàng ge zhōumò kōngqì bù hǎo, suǒyǐ wǒ méi chūqù. Last weekend the air was bad, so I didn't go out.
  • 老师 很 累,所以 要 休息。Lǎoshī hěn lèi, suǒyǐ yào xiūxī. The teacher is tired so she needs to rest.
  • 他 找到 工作 了 , 所以 他 很 高兴。Tā zhǎo dào gōngzuò le, suǒyǐ tā hěn gāoxìng. He found a job so he's happy.
  • 太 忙 了,所以 没有 给 你 打 电话。Tài máng le, suǒyǐ méiyǒu gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà. I was very busy, so I didn't give you a call.
  • 你 的 口语 不 太 好,所以 你 要 多 说。Nǐ de kǒuyǔ bù tài hǎo, suǒyǐ nǐ yào duō shuō. Your spoken Chinese is not so good, so you need to speak more.
  • 我们 公司 有 很 多 外国人,所以 我们 说 英文。Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu hěn duō wàiguórén, suǒyǐ wǒmen shuō Yīngwén. There are a lot of foreigners in our company, so we speak English.
  • 他 要 结婚 了, 所以 有点 忙。 Tā yào jiéhūn le, suǒyǐ yǒudiǎn máng. He is getting married so he's been a little too busy.

Using 因为 and 所以 together

Structure

"因为 (yīnwèi)... , 所以 (suǒyǐ)..." are used to indicate cause and effect. They are often thought of as being: "Since ___ happened, so ___ happened."

因为 + Cause , 所以 + Effect

This expresses that because of cause, therefore there is a result.

Examples

  • 因为 我 有 一个 中国 女朋友,所以 我 要 学 中文。Yīnwèi wǒ yǒu yī gè Zhōngguó nǚpéngyou, suǒyǐ wǒ yào xué Zhōngwén. Since I have a Chinese girlfriend, I am going to study Chinese.
  • 因为 我 不 想 迟到,所以 应该 打车。Yīnwèi wǒ bùxiǎng chídào, suǒyǐ yīnggāi dǎchē. Since I don't want to be late, I should take a cab.
  • 因为 他 没有 钱,所以 找 不 到 女朋友。Yīnwèi tā méiyǒu qián, suǒyǐ zhǎo bù dào nǚpéngyou. He doesn't have any money, so he can't find a girlfriend.
  • 奶奶 因为 太 老 了,所以 不能 坐 飞机。Nǎinai yīnwèi tài lǎo le, suǒyǐ bù néng zuò fēijī. Since grandma is too old, she can't take an airplane.
  • 老师 因为 生病 了,所以 不能 来 上课。Lǎoshī yīnwèi shēngbìng le, suǒyǐ bù néng lái shàngkè. Since the teacher is sick, she can't come to the class.
  • 因为 我 很 累,所以 想 休息。Yīnwèi wǒ hěn lèi, suǒyǐ xiǎng xiūxi. I'm very tired, so I want to rest.
  • 因为 你 不 是 我,所以 你 不 明白。Yīnwèi nǐ bù shì wǒ, suǒyǐ nǐ bù míngbai. Since you aren't me, you don't understand.
  • 因为 老板 今天 不 在,所以 请 你 明天 来。Yīnwèi lǎobǎn jīntiān bù zài, suǒyǐ qǐng nǐ míngtiān lái. Since the boss isn't here, please come tomorrow.
  • 因为 他爸爸 死了,所以 他 很 难过。Yīnwèi tā bàba sǐ le, suǒyǐ tā hěn nánguò. His dad is dead, so he is very sad.
  • 因为 太忙, 所以 我们 都 没有 时间 吃 中饭。 Yīnwèi tài máng, suǒyǐ wǒmen dōu méiyǒu shíjiān chī zhōngfàn. We were too busy, so none of us had time to eat lunch.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites