5 · Written Chinese
Spoken and written Chinese side by side
the same idea in two registers
Many spoken words have a written partner — yóuyú for yīnwèi, rán'ér for dànshì, yīncǐ for suǒyǐ, ruò for rúguǒ — and a text keeps to one of the two.
Chinese has a clearly marked written register, 书面语, beside the spoken one, 口语. The grammar is the same; the words differ. A text in one register sounds wrong the moment a word from the other slips in — a news report with 但是…啊, or a message to a friend with 然而.
The pairs that matter most are the linking words: 因为 and 由于, because; 但是 and 然而, however; 所以 and 因此, therefore; 如果 and 若, if; 虽然 and 尽管 or 虽, although; 和 and 与, and. The written word is often shorter — a single character — or more abstract.
Some written words also sit differently. 然而 and 因此 like to open a new sentence, often after a full stop. 若 often takes 则 in the second half: 若…，则…, if …, then …. 与, like 和, joins nouns and never whole clauses.
In practice: in an email to a company, an essay or a report, choose the written words; in conversation and messages, the spoken ones. Mixing them in one sentence is like writing “Whereupon, mate” — every word is correct, and the sentence is not.
The form
| because: spoken, written | 因为、由于 |
| however: spoken, written | 但是、然而 |
| therefore: spoken, written | 所以、因此 |
| if: spoken, written | 如果、若 |
| and (between nouns): spoken, written | 和、与 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Yóuyú is the written yīnwèi and stands in the first half of the sentence.
由于天气恶劣，航班被迫取消。Owing to severe weather, the flight had to be cancelled.
Rán’ér is the written dànshì and often opens a new sentence.
大家都以为他会赢。然而，结果正好相反。Everyone thought he would win. The result, however, was the exact opposite.
Yīncǐ is the written suǒyǐ and can open a sentence or a clause.
这条路正在维修，因此请绕行。This road is under repair; please therefore take a detour.
Ruò is the written rúguǒ, typical of notices and formal letters.
若有疑问，请与我们联系。If you have any questions, please contact us.
Yǔ joins nouns as hé does, never whole clauses.
本书介绍了中国的历史与文化。This book introduces China’s history and culture.
A closer look
How to recognise written style
Four signs mark a written text. One-character words where speech has two: 已, 未, 均, 于, 若, 与. Classical function words: 之, 其, 所, 而. Four-character expressions. And verbs turned into nouns after a light verb: 进行讨论, “carry out a discussion”, where speech simply says 讨论.
Just as telling is what is missing. Written prose has almost none of the sentence-final particles — 吧, 啊, 呢, 嘛 — that give speech its tone of voice. A text full of them reads as a transcript of talk, however formal its vocabulary.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the situation is formal although it is spoken — a presentation, a meeting, the news
written words are spoken aloud as a matter of course.
下面由我来介绍一下公司的情况。I will now give a short introduction to the company.
Register follows the situation, not the medium: a formal talk is written Chinese read out, and a text message is speech typed in.
How to spot it
- 由于
- 然而
- 因此
- 若
- 则
- 与
Example sentences
由于资金不足，工程被迫暂停。Owing to a lack of funds, the building work had to be suspended.
他曾经很有名。然而，今天已经很少有人记得他了。He was once very famous. Today, however, few people remember him.
这个地区雨水充足，因此非常适合种水稻。This region has plenty of rain, and is therefore very well suited to growing rice.
若需要发票，请在付款时说明。If you need a receipt, please say so when you pay.
会议讨论了教育与就业的问题。The conference discussed questions of education and employment.
我今天有点儿事，所以去不成了，不好意思啊！I have got something on today, so I cannot make it — sorry!
8 more example sentences
若温度过高，则机器会自动停止运行。If the temperature is too high, the machine stops automatically.
尽管困难很多，他们仍然按时完成了任务。Although there were many difficulties, they still completed the task on time.
此次活动得到了学校与家长的支持。This event had the support of the school and the parents.
市场需求下降，因此价格也随之下跌。Demand fell, and prices therefore fell with it.
这种方法简单有效，然而成本较高。This method is simple and effective; its cost, however, is relatively high.
如果你明天有空，我们一起去爬山吧！If you are free tomorrow, let us go hiking together!
因为堵车，所以我来晚了，对不起！Sorry I am late — the traffic was terrible!
该计划虽有风险，但收益可观。Although this plan carries risks, the returns are considerable.
Worth knowing (1)
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Gāi and běn: the written “this”
Written Chinese has two words for “this” that speech does without. 本 means “this, our own”: 本店, this shop; 本次列车, this train. 该 means “the said, the one just mentioned”: 该公司, the company in question. Both are common in news reports.
该公司成立于上世纪末。The company was founded at the end of the last century.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
然而 belongs to essays and the news. In a message to a friend, next to a chatty 啊, it sounds like a newspaper editorial. Speech says 可是 or 但是.
Same grammar, different words: choose one register and keep to it.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.