而 Stroke Order — How to Write 而
而 is written in 6 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 而, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
而 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- ér
Meanings of 而 in Chinese
1
ér而
An archaic pronoun, equivalent to 'you' or 'your'.
而父病愈，吾心甚慰。
Your father has recovered from his illness, which greatly comforts my heart.
A versatile conjunction indicating coordination, sequence, progression, contrast, or condition; often translated as 'and', 'but', 'then', 'moreover', or 'if'.
花草树木郁郁葱葱，而空气也格外清新。
The flowers and trees are lush and green, and the air is also exceptionally fresh.
Used in the structure "从...而..." to indicate a range or sequence, meaning "from...to...".
从早而晚，他都在图书馆学习
From morning till night, he was studying in the library.
Common Words and Phrases with 而
1
then; after that
他先是仔细阅读了说明书，而后才开始组装家具。
He first carefully read the instructions, and afterward began to assemble the furniture.
2
sometimes
在繁忙的生活中，人们而或会忘记停下来欣赏周围的美景。
In their busy lives, people sometimes forget to pause and appreciate the beauty around them.
3
now; at present
而今，科技发展日新月异，给我们的生活带来了巨大变化。
Now, technological development is changing with each passing day, bringing enormous changes to our lives.
4
let alone; to say nothing of
她平时就不喜欢出门，而况今天下着大雨呢？
She usually doesn't like going out, let alone when it's raining heavily today?
5
Thirty years of age; to have established oneself.
在而立之年，他决定辞去稳定的工作，开始创业，追求自己的梦想。
At the age of thirty, he decided to resign from his stable job and start his own business, pursuing his dreams.
6
And; moreover; furthermore; indicating an addition or progression to what has just been stated.
这本书内容丰富，而且文字优美，读起来引人入胜。
This book is rich in content, and moreover, its language is beautiful, making it captivating to read.
7
8
ér,yǐ (而已) means 'that's all,' 'nothing more than,' or 'merely.' It is used at the end of a sentence to express a limiting or understated tone, similar to 'just' or 'only.'
我只是想帮你一下而已，没有别的意思。
I just wanted to help you a little, that's all, I didn't mean anything else.
More words with 而
- shí时ér而sometimes, occasionally
- jìn进ér而then; subsequently; go on to
- é俄ér而soon; in a moment; shortly
- gù故ér而therefore, thus
- hū忽ér而suddenly, all of a sudden
- rán然ér而however, yet
- shèn甚ér而even; even to the extent of
- xìng幸ér而luckily; fortunately
- yǐ已ér而soon; afterwards
- yīn因ér而as a result; thus
- cóng从ér而Thus, Thereby
- shǎo少ér而jīng精Few but excellent, Small yet exquisite
- jì既ér而Soon after; afterwards.
- jì继ér而subsequently, then
- jiǎ假ér而if; suppose
- jìng竟ér而to one's surprise; unexpectedly
- shǐ始ér而at first; initially
- ér而fēi非rather than, instead of
- ér而shì是but rather, instead
- xiàn现ér而jīn今now; at present; nowadays
Idioms with 而
- ér而lì立zhī之nián年age of establishing oneself
- áng昂rán然ér而rù入walk in proudly
- bài败xìng兴ér而guī归return disappointed
- bàn半tú途ér而fèi废give up halfway
- bāo包ér而bù不bàn办monopolize a task without doing it
- bèi备ér而bù不yòng用prepare for future use
- bèi背dào道ér而chí驰run in opposite directions
- bǐ比jiān肩ér而shì事work or serve side by side
- bì避ér而bù不tán谈avoid discussing
- bó博ér而bù不jīng精broad but not deep knowledge
- bù不cí辞ér而bié别leave without saying goodbye
- bù不dé得ér而zhī知cannot be known
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Open the tool →Questions about 而
What does 而 mean in Chinese?
而 (ér) means “An archaic pronoun” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 而?
而 is pronounced ér in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 而 have?
而 has 6 strokes.
How do you write 而?
而 is written in 6 strokes, starting from the radical 而. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 而?
The radical of 而 is 而.