以便 meaning in English

yǐbiàn

so that; so as to

HSK 5conjunction13 strokes

Meaning of 以便

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yǐbiàn

so that
so as to
in order to

How to use 以便

以便 links two clauses. The first clause is an action, and the second clause, after 以便, states the goal that action makes easier. It sounds a bit formal and is common in writing, instructions and workplace Chinese. Example: 请留下电话，以便我们联系你。(Qǐng liúxià diànhuà, yǐbiàn wǒmen liánxì nǐ.) Please leave your phone number so that we can contact you.

以 (yǐ) means "by means of" and 便 (biàn) means "convenient" or "easy." Do the first thing by means of which the next thing becomes easy, so that it can happen.

Common mistake: Learners often put 以便 at the start of the sentence, like English "so that." It must come at the start of the second clause, after the action is stated. Also, 便 here is read biàn, not pián as in 便宜 (piányi).

以便 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ爸bà爸bà退tuì休xiū了le，以yǐ便biàn为wèi更gèng年nián轻qīng的de人rén让ràng路lù。

My father retired to make way for younger people.

她tā在zài国guó外wài学xué习xí以yǐ便biàn提tí升shēng她tā的de英yīng语yǔ。

She studied abroad in order to brush up her English.

他tā想xiǎng成chéng为wéi有yǒu钱qián人rén，所suǒ以yǐ便biàn从cóng早zǎo到dào晚wǎn不bù断duàn地dì工gōng作zuò。

He worked day and night so that he might become rich.

他tā失shī恋liàn了le，所suǒ以yǐ便biàn尝cháng试shì自zì杀shā。

He tried to kill himself because he lost her love.

可kě以yǐ便pián宜yi一yì点diǎn吗ma？

Can you cut it down a bit?

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

以 yǐ · to use · 4 strokes

便 biàn · plain · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 以便.

可以	kěyǐ	can; may
所以	suǒyǐ	therefore; as a result
以为	yǐwéi	to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless refe
以前	yǐqián	before; formerly
以后	yǐhòu	after; later
随便	suíbiàn	as one wishes; as one pleases
方便	fāngbiàn	convenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy
便宜	piányi	convenient
以上	yǐshàng	that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned
以外	yǐwài	apart from; other than
以下	yǐxià	that level or lower; that amount or less
方便面	fāngbiànmiàn	instant noodles

Questions about 以便

What does 以便 mean?

以便 (yǐbiàn) means "so that; so as to" and is used as a conjunction.

How do you write 以便?

以便 is made of 2 characters: 以 (4 strokes), 便 (9 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.

Is 以便 an HSK word?

Yes. 以便 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 以便 and 为了?

为了 (wèile) usually introduces the purpose first, as in 为了学中文，他去了北京. 以便 comes after the action and introduces the purpose in the second clause. 以便 also suggests the action makes the goal easier or more convenient.

Can I use 以便 in casual speech?

You can, but it sounds somewhat formal. In everyday conversation people often use 好 (hǎo) or 这样 (zhèyàng) instead, for example 早点走，好赶上车 (Zǎo diǎn zǒu, hǎo gǎnshàng chē), meaning "Leave early so you catch the bus."