Writing
而 (ér) — how to say "and" in Chinese
而
And, but, while
conjunction joining words
How to use it
conjunction joining words
Joins only words, not clauses.
他高而瘦。
tā gāo ér shòu
He is tall and thin.
conjunction joining clauses
Joins the parts of a complex sentence, often paired with another conjunction.
他高而瘦。
tā gāo ér shòu
He is tall and thin.
Radicals / Keys
而
And
#126 · ér · 6 strokes
Synonyms
Examples
他喜欢打篮球，而他的弟弟更喜欢安静地看书。
He likes to play basketball, while his younger brother prefers to read books quietly.
大而便宜。
Big and cheap.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "and" in Chinese?
"and" in Chinese is 而 (ér).
What does 而 mean in English?
而 (ér) means "And, but, while".
And in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced ér (written as er). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "and" in Chinese characters?
It is written 而 and has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 而?
而 belongs to the HSK 4 vocabulary list.
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Grammar with 而
不但 — not only… but also…
不但 (búdàn)……，而且 (érqiě)……
为…而… — purpose with 为…而…
为 (wèi) + Purpose + 而 (ér) + Action
但是 — but, however
但是 (dànshì) / 可是 (kěshì) / 不过 (bùguò) / 然而 (rán'ér)
而 — connecting qualities
Adj. 1 + 而 (ér) + Adj. 2
反而 — on the contrary
⋯⋯，反而 (fǎn'ér) ⋯⋯
对 — for… with 而言
对 (duì) / 对于 (duìyú) + Topic + 而言 (ér yán)