HSK 7-9
倘若
tǎngruò
If; supposing; in case
Structure
倘若 + Hypothesis, (那么/就/便) + Result
How it works
‘倘若’ is a formal conjunction used to present a hypothetical condition, similar to ‘如果’ or ‘要是’, but with a more literary or written tone. It is frequently paired with the resultative particles ‘就’, ‘便’, or ‘那么’ to describe what would happen if the condition were met.
Examples
倘若你不介意，我想推迟到明天再讨论这个问题。
Tǎngruò nǐ bù jièyì, wǒ xiǎng tuīchí dào míngtiān zài tǎolùn zhège wèntí.
If you don't mind, I would like to postpone discussing this issue until tomorrow.
倘若没有他的帮助，我们绝不可能按时完成任务。
Tǎngruò méiyǒu tā de bāngzhù, wǒmen jué bù kěnéng ànshí wánchéng rènwu.
Supposing he hadn't helped, we absolutely could not have completed the task on time.
倘若明天下雨，校庆活动便改在室内举行。
Tǎngruò míngtiān xiàyǔ, xiàoqìng huódòng biàn gǎi zài shìnèi jǔxíng.
In the event that it rains tomorrow, the school anniversary celebration will be moved indoors.
Common mistakes
Students often use '倘若' in very casual spoken conversations, where '如果' or '要是' would be much more natural.
Tip
Save '倘若' for formal writing, speeches, or literature to elevate the register of your Chinese; it signals a higher level of sophistication than '如果'.
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See 倘若 in real Chinese
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