Dictionary › 既然

既然

jì rán

Old HSK 4 HSK 3.0 level 4 2-character word

既然 (jì rán) means "since". It is an HSK 3.0 level 4 word, and was HSK 4 in the old six-level list.

What 既然 means

1. since; as; this being the case

How 既然 is used in grammar

既然 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• 既然…就…: since/given that (HSK 4)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 4, conjunctions (连接分句或句子).

The characters in 既然

• 既jìalready; since; both... (and...)
• 然ráncorrect; right; so

Example sentences

• 你既然已经知道了，还问什幺？
  If you already know, why are you still asking?
• 既然你们这么说，那让我再想想。
  Jìrán nǐmen zhème shuō, nà ràng wǒ zài xiǎng xiǎng.
  Since you all say that, I must think again.
• 既然你们这幺说，那让我再想想。
  Since you all say that, I must think again.
• 既然你在这里, 那我们就开始吧。
  As long as you are here, we might as well begin.
• 既然雨已经停了, 我们可以回家了.
  Now that it has stopped raining, we can go home.
• 既然你要去超市，那就顺便买些鸡蛋吧。
  Jìrán nǐ yào qù chāoshì, nà jiù shùnbiàn mǎi xiē jīdàn ba.
  Since you're going to the supermarket, buy some eggs while you're there.

Sounds the same

Read jì rán, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 寂然silent; quiet

Where 既然 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Logical connectives & conjunctions (HSK 4), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 4 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read jì rán correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.