而 meaning and stroke order
And; as well as; and so
How to write 而, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 而
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- and
- as well as
- and so
- but (not)
- yet (not)
- (indicates causal relation)
How to remember 而
The shape of 而 (ér) looks like a face with a beard hanging down, with the top stroke as the nose and the lines below as whiskers. Picture an old man stroking his beard and saying "and then..." as he connects one thought to the next.
而 is mostly a written or formal connector that links two ideas, often showing contrast or a result. In speech it appears most often inside words like 而且 (érqiě), 然而 (rán'ér) and 而是 (ér shì). Example: 他不是老师，而是学生。(Tā bú shì lǎoshī, ér shì xuésheng.) He is not a teacher, but a student.
Common mistake: Learners often use 而 to join two nouns, as in 我而你, but that job belongs to 和 (hé). 而 links clauses, verbs or adjectives, not simple lists of nouns. Also do not confuse it with 面 (miàn), which has a similar top but a boxed middle.
Common words with 而
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 而且 | érqiě | (not only ...) but also; moreover; in addition; furthermore | HSK 2 |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather | HSK 4 |
| 然而 | rán'ér | however; but; yet | HSK 4 |
| 反而 | fǎn'ér | on the contrary; instead | HSK 4 |
| 从而 | cóng'ér | thus; thereby | HSK 5 |
| 因而 | yīn'ér | therefore; as a result | HSK 5 |
| 时而 | shí'ér | occasionally; from time to time | HSK 6 |
| 而已 | éryǐ | that's all; nothing more | HSK 7-9 |
| 显而易见 | xiǎn'éryìjiàn | clearly and easy to see (idiom); obviously; clearly | HSK 7-9 |
| 轻而易举 | qīng'éryìjǔ | easy; with no difficulty | HSK 7-9 |
| 总而言之 | zǒng'éryánzhī | in short; in a word | HSK 7-9 |
| 自然而然 | zìrán'érrán | (idiom) natural; unforced; (idiom) naturally; as a matter of course; in the natural course | HSK 7-9 |
| 进而 | jìn'ér | and then; and thereby; and in turn | HSK 7-9 |
| 半途而废 | bàntú'érfèi | to give up halfway (idiom); leave sth unfinished | HSK 7-9 |
而 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 而
Learning 而 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 而
How many strokes are in 而?
而 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 而 mean?
而 (ér) means and; as well as; and so. A common word with it is 而且 (érqiě), meaning "(not only ...) but also; moreover; in addition; furthermore".
How do you pronounce 而?
而 is pronounced ér, in the second tone (rising).
Is 而 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 而 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 而是 and 但是?
而是 (ér shì) corrects a statement and usually follows a negative, as in 不是A，而是B (not A, but B). 但是 (dànshì) simply introduces a contrast or exception and does not need a negative before it.
How do I use 而已 at the end of a sentence?
而已 (éryǐ) means "that's all" and downplays what came before. It often pairs with 只 or 不过, as in 我只是问问而已。(Wǒ zhǐshì wènwen éryǐ.) I was just asking, that's all.