Complex Sentences: Concession & Condition
即使…也… = 'even if…still…' — hypothetical concession (the situation may not be true, but even if it were, the result still holds). 即使明天下雨，我们也要去爬山。(Even if it rains tomorrow, we'll still go hiking.)
Contrast with 尽管…还是… (already known) — that pattern requires the situation to already be factual/true:
尽管昨天下雨，我们还是去爬山了。(Although it rained yesterday, we still went hiking.)
Review — conditional connectors pair with fixed result words:
万一/要是/一旦 + [condition]，就 + [result] (万一 = in case; 要是 = if; 一旦 = once)
宁可 + [option A]，也 + [option B] (would rather A than B)
Common mistake: using 尽管 for a not-yet-true, hypothetical situation — use 即使 instead.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 即使明天下雨，我们也要去爬山。 | Jí shǐ míng tiān xià yǔ, wǒ men yě yào qù pá shān. | Even if it rains tomorrow, we'll still go hiking. | 即使…也: hypothetical concession — it hasn't rained yet. |
| 即使他不同意，我们也会继续这个计划。 | Jí shǐ tā bù tóng yì, wǒ men yě huì jì xù zhè ge jì huà. | Even if he doesn't agree, we'll still continue this plan. | 即使…也 with different subjects in each clause (他 vs 我们). |
| 尽管昨天下雨，我们还是去爬山了。 | Jǐn guǎn zuó tiān xià yǔ, wǒ men hái shì qù pá shān le. | Although it rained yesterday, we still went hiking. | Contrast: 尽管…还是 requires a factual, already-true situation (it already rained). |
| 万一明天下雨，我们就改到室内进行；即使天气不好，也不会影响活动的举行。 | Wàn yī míng tiān xià yǔ, wǒ men jiù gǎi dào shì nèi jìn xíng; jí shǐ tiān qì bù hǎo, yě bú huì yǐng xiǎng huó dòng de jǔ xíng. | In case it rains tomorrow, we'll move indoors; even if the weather is bad, it won't affect the event happening. | Combines a review conditional (万一…就) with 即使…也 in one passage. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Complex Sentences among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
- Alternative, Conditional and Concessive Compound Sentences
- Coordinate and Sequential Compound Sentences
- Multi-Clause Compound Sentences
- Progressive and Additive Compound Sentences
- Purpose & Consequence Clauses
The same pattern at other levels
- Complex Sentences — HSK 3
Complex Sentences is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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