Expressing "in this way" with "zheyang"

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这样 (zhèyàng) is used at the beginning of a phrase to express "this way" or "in this way."

Used as a Adverb

Structure

这样 + Verb

The predicate part of the pattern can be a verb or an adjective.

Examples

  • 这样 做 不 对 。Zhèyàng zuò bù duì.It's not right to do so.
  • 这样 说 不 礼貌 。Zhèyàng shuō bù lǐmào.It's not polite to say so.
  • 这样 走 过去 更 近 。Zhèyàng zǒu guòqù gèng jìn.It's closer to walk this way over there.
  • 你们 真的 是 这样 想 的 吗 ?Nǐmen zhēnde shì zhèyàng xiǎng de ma?Do you really think so?
  • 他 是 这样 认为 的 。Tā shì zhèyàng rènwéi de.He believes so.

Used as a Conjunction

This use of 这样 corresponds to "in this way," another way of expressing "so that" or "thus."

Structure

⋯⋯ ,这样 ⋯⋯

Examples

  • 坐 地铁 吧, 这样 更 方便。Wǒmen háishì zuò dìtiě ba, zhèyàng gèng fāngbiàn.We'd better take the metro. It's more convenient this way.
  • 你 要 多 吃 蔬菜,这样 对 身体 更 好。Nǐ yào duō chī shūcài, zhèyàng duì shēntǐ hǎo.You should eat more vegetables. It's better for your body this way.
  • 你 要 多 说,这样 才 能 提高 汉语 口语。Nǐ yào duō shuō, zhèyàng cái néng kǒuyǔ.You need to speak more. You can improve your spoken Chinese this way.
  • 你 要 让 他 自己 做,只有 这样 他 才 能 学会。Nǐ yào ràng tā zìjǐ zuò, zhǐyǒu zhèyàng tā cái néng xuéhuì.You should let him do it by himself. Only in this way can he learn.

这样的话

This use of 这样 corresponds to "this way," as in if we do it this way, the 的话 giving the pattern more of an "if" flavor.

Structure

To make the "if" even more explicit, you can even add 如果是 before 这样.

(如果 是 +) 这样的话 ,……

Examples

  • 这样 的话 ,你 还 怕 什么 呢 ?Zhèyàng de huà, nǐ hái pà shénme ne?What are you afraid of in this case?
  • 如果 真的 是 这样 的话 ,那 麻烦 就 更 大 了 。If this is the real case, I think we're going to have a bigger trouble.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books