CGG #124: Mastering 也 (Part 2)

💎 Chinese Grammar Gems #124

This is the last week of teaching at 北航 (Běiháng, Beihang University), and a friend is arriving from France this weekend with his Beijing girlfriend for two weeks, which means I’m about to finally become a proper tourist in the city I’ve been living in for nine months. I still haven’t seen the 故宫 (Gùgōng, Forbidden City), haven’t done half the things people fly to Beijing specifically to do, and somehow it took a visiting friend to actually make that happen. There’s something very me about that…

After exams wrap up on the 30th I’ll have about two weeks left in China before flying back to France, and I’m still completely undecided about what to do with them. Yunnan sounds incredible, with fresh air and mountains and proper hikes, but it requires the kind of upfront organization I tend to resist. The alternative is staying around Beijing and doing shorter trips, Tianjin, Chengde, maybe the Shandong peninsula, which is easier but Beijing in July is also hot and humid, so maybe not the most appealing backup plan either. Traveling alone is also just less fun, so we’ll see. I’m genuinely open to suggestions if you have any!

Today is part two of the 也 (yě) series, where we move on to its less obvious but equally important roles in Mandarin.

💎 This Week’s Gem: Mastering 也 (Part 2) 💎

Last week we looked at the everyday 也 (yě), the one that adds (“too,” “either”) and emphasizes (“even,” “not at all”). This week 也 carries more weight. It often means something closer to “still,” it can soften how an opinion lands, and it hides inside a handful of fixed words you are better off learning whole.

The thread from last week still holds. Even when 也 lines up with “still” in English, underneath it is doing the same job: marking that something holds all the same.

🛡️ Job 3: Concession (“still,” “all the same”)

In this group, 也 is best heard as “still” or “all the same.” The shape stays constant. The first clause sets up a condition or an obstacle, and 也 marks a result that does not bend because of it. Several of these are patterns you have already met, where 也 was quietly holding down the second clause.

☔ “Even if … still” with 就算 / 即使 / 哪怕

To say a result holds even if some condition is true, you open with 就算 (jiùsuàn), 即使 (jíshǐ), or 哪怕 (nǎpà), and close with 也 before the result. 就算 is the most conversational, 即使 is neutral and safe in speech or writing, and 哪怕 feels stronger, as if you are granting an extreme case. The 也 here is not “also.” It carries the “still.”

You met this whole family in CGG #23 and #24 on “even if.” The piece that often gets overlooked there is the 也 in the second clause, which is what actually delivers the “still” meaning.

📚 Structure: 就算 / 即使 / 哪怕 + [Condition]，[Subject] + 也 + [Unchanged Result]

Example

• 就算下大雨，我也要去看演唱会。

• 就算 / 下 / 大雨 / ，/ 我 / 也 / 要 / 去 / 看 / 演唱会 / 。

• jiùsuàn xià dàyǔ, wǒ yě yào qù kàn yǎnchànghuì

• Even if it pours, I’m still going to the concert.

• even if / fall / heavy rain / I / (still) / want / go / watch / concert

Example

• 即使你不同意，我也会这么做。

• 即使 / 你 / 不 / 同意 / ，/ 我 / 也 / 会 / 这么 / 做 / 。

• jíshǐ nǐ bù tóngyì, wǒ yě huì zhème zuò

• Even if you don’t agree, I’ll still do it this way.

• even if / you / not / agree / I / (still) / will / this way / do

With 哪怕 the condition feels more extreme: 哪怕只有一点希望，我也不会放弃 (nǎpà zhǐyǒu yìdiǎn xīwàng, wǒ yě bú huì fàngqì), “even if there’s only a sliver of hope, I still won’t give up.”

🧱 “No matter …” with 无论 / 不管

When the condition is not a single “if” but a whole range of possibilities, you reach for 无论 (wúlùn) or 不管 (bùguǎn), “no matter.” 无论 leans more written, 不管 more spoken. The result clause again takes 也, and 也 keeps the sense that your position holds firm whatever happens. These pair with the “no matter” patterns from CGG #25 and #26.

📚 Structure: 无论 / 不管 + [Range of Conditions]，[Subject] + 也 + [Stable Result]

Example

• 无论你说什么，我也不会改变主意。

• 无论 / 你 / 说 / 什么 / ，/ 我 / 也 / 不 / 会 / 改变 / 主意 / 。

• wúlùn nǐ shuō shénme, wǒ yě bú huì gǎibiàn zhǔyi

• No matter what you say, I won’t change my mind.

• no matter / you / say / what / I / (still) / not / will / change / mind

• Here 都 (dōu) is just as common as 也. The difference is light: 都 gathers up every case in the range, while 也 leans a little more on you holding steady. Either is correct.

📈 “No matter how” with 再…也

A close cousin focuses on degree instead of range. 再 (zài) plus an adjective or verb pushes the quality as high as you like, and 也 says the result is unaffected. The pattern reads as “no matter how X …, still …”

📚 Structure: [Topic] + 再 + [Adjective / Verb]，[Subject] + 也 + [Result]

Example

• 这件衣服再贵，我也要买。

• 这件 / 衣服 / 再 / 贵 / ，/ 我 / 也 / 要 / 买 / 。

• zhè jiàn yīfu zài guì, wǒ yě yào mǎi

• No matter how expensive this dress is, I’m still buying it.

• this / (measure word) / clothing / however / expensive / I / (still) / want / buy

Example

• 工作再忙，他也会陪孩子吃晚饭。

• 工作 / 再 / 忙 / ，/ 他 / 也 / 会 / 陪 / 孩子 / 吃 / 晚饭 / 。

• gōngzuò zài máng, tā yě huì péi háizi chī wǎnfàn

• No matter how busy work gets, he still has dinner with his kids.

• work / however / busy / he / (still) / will / accompany / child / eat / dinner

🧗 “Simply can’t” with 怎么也

One more concession uses 怎么 (zěnme). On its own 怎么 means “how,” but in 怎么也 followed by a negative it means “by any method,” so the whole thing says you tried everything and still cannot.

📚 Structure: [Subject] + 怎么 + 也 + 不 / 没 + [Verb + Complement]

Example

• 昨天晚上我怎么也睡不着。

• 昨天 / 晚上 / 我 / 怎么 / 也 / 睡 / 不 / 着 / 。

• zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ zěnme yě shuì bù zháo

• Last night I just couldn’t fall asleep, no matter what I tried.

• yesterday / evening / I / no matter how / (still) / sleep / not / (able to)

A more formal cousin is 无论如何也 (wúlùn rúhé yě), “no matter what,” as in 这件事我无论如何也不能答应 (zhè jiàn shì wǒ wúlùn rúhé yě bù néng dāying), “I can’t agree to this under any circumstances.” You may also hear a looser 怎么样也, but 怎么也 and 无论如何也 are the clear ones to reach for.

🪶 Job 4: Softening

Sometimes 也 is not adding anything you could point to or count. It lowers the force of a statement, making a view sound less blunt, as if you are gently lining up with a shared opinion rather than insisting on your own.

🤏 Taking the Edge off an Opinion

Drop 也 into a sentence that states a view and the view comes out softer.

Example

• 我也只是随便说说，你别太在意。

• 我 / 也 / 只是 / 随便 / 说说 / ，/ 你 / 别 / 太 / 在意 / 。

• wǒ yě zhǐshì suíbiàn shuōshuo, nǐ bié tài zàiyì

• I’m only thinking out loud, don’t read too much into it.

• I / (also) / only / casually / say a bit / you / don’t / too / mind

Example

• 我觉得这样做也不太好。

• 我 / 觉得 / 这样 / 做 / 也 / 不 / 太 / 好 / 。

• wǒ juéde zhèyàng zuò yě bú tài hǎo

• I don’t think doing it this way is such a good idea.

• I / feel / this way / do / (also) / not / too / good

• Without 也, 这样做不太好 (zhèyàng zuò bú tài hǎo) is a flat “this isn’t a good way to do it.” Adding 也 makes it sound more like a shared observation than a verdict, which is why it comes across as gentler.

🤝 也是 for “Fair Enough”

As a short reply on its own, 也是 (yě shì) means “true,” “fair enough,” or “you’ve got a point.” You use it when something the other person said makes you reconsider. Picture someone saying 外面下雨了，别出去了 (wàimiàn xiàyǔ le, bié chūqù le), “it’s raining, let’s not go out.” A natural reply is:

Example

• 也是，那就明天去吧。

• 也是 / ，/ 那 / 就 / 明天 / 去 / 吧 / 。

• yě shì, nà jiù míngtiān qù ba

• Fair enough, let’s just go tomorrow then.

• that’s true / so / then / tomorrow / go / (suggestion 吧)

The same chunk works inside a sentence: 你说得也是 (nǐ shuō de yě shì), “what you say is right too,” a mild way of conceding the point.

🤷 也好…也好 for “Either Is Fine”

To list options and accept all of them, put 也好 (yěhǎo) after each one. The feeling is “whichever it turns out to be, it’s fine with me.”

📚 Structure: [Option A] + 也好，[Option B] + 也好，[Result That Holds Either Way]

Example

• 坐地铁也好，打车也好，只要能准时到就行。

• 坐 / 地铁 / 也好 / ，/ 打车 / 也好 / ，/ 只要 / 能 / 准时 / 到 / 就 / 行 / 。

• zuò dìtiě yěhǎo, dǎchē yěhǎo, zhǐyào néng zhǔnshí dào jiù xíng

• Subway or taxi, either is fine, as long as we get there on time.

• take / subway / either is fine / hail a taxi / either is fine / as long as / can / on time / arrive / then / ok

• In more literary Chinese you may see 也罢 (yěbà) used the same way.

🔍 Need to review a pattern?
Head to chinesegrammargems.com. Every lesson we’ve covered is searchable, organized by topic, and available as a printable PDF.

🧩 Other Lives of 也

A few common items contain 也 but work as their own units. Reading them as a literal “also” only causes confusion, so learn them whole.

🌫️ 也许 and 也就是说

也许 (yěxǔ) is a fixed adverb meaning “maybe” or “perhaps.” It sits before the verb, or just before or after the subject.

Example

• 他还没回消息，也许在开会。

• 他 / 还 / 没 / 回 / 消息 / ，/ 也许 / 在 / 开会 / 。

• tā hái méi huí xiāoxi, yěxǔ zài kāihuì

• He hasn’t replied yet, maybe he’s in a meeting.

• he / still / not / reply / message / maybe / (in the middle of) / have a meeting

也就是说 (yě jiù shì shuō) means “in other words” or “that is to say.” It introduces a restatement of what you just said, usually to spell out what it amounts to.

Example

• 这个月底交，也就是说，我们只剩三天了。

• 这个 / 月底 / 交 / ，/ 也就是说 / ，/ 我们 / 只 / 剩 / 三 / 天 / 了 / 。

• zhège yuèdǐ jiāo, yě jiù shì shuō, wǒmen zhǐ shèng sān tiān le

• It’s due at the end of the month, which means we only have three days left.

• this / month end / submit / in other words / we / only / remain / three / day / (change of state 了)

🛑 “Never Again”: 再也不 vs 不再

To say you will never do something again, with real feeling behind it, use 再也不 (zài yě bù), usually closed with 了. For something that never happened again in the past, the pair is 再也没…过 (zài yě méi … guò). Both come straight from our 再 toolkit in CGG #47 and #48.

Example

• 上次被骗了以后，我再也不相信他了。

• 上次 / 被 / 骗 / 了 / 以后 / ，/ 我 / 再也不 / 相信 / 他 / 了 / 。

• shàng cì bèi piàn le yǐhòu, wǒ zài yě bù xiāngxìn tā le

• After getting tricked last time, I’ll never trust him again.

• last time / (passive) / cheat / (了) / after / I / never again / trust / him / (change of state 了)

Example

• 从那天起，他再也没来过。

• 从 / 那 / 天 / 起 / ，/ 他 / 再也没 / 来 / 过 / 。

• cóng nà tiān qǐ, tā zài yě méi lái guò

• From that day on, he never came again.

• from / that / day / starting / he / never again (past) / come / (experiential 过)

Watch the difference with 不再 (bú zài), the calm, neutral “no longer.” 他不再抽烟了 (tā bú zài chōuyān le) simply reports that he no longer smokes. 他再也不抽烟了 (tā zài yě bù chōuyān le) sounds like a vow, “he is never smoking again.” Same topic, very different feeling.

📜 The Classical 也

The same character has an older life that has nothing to do with “also.” In Classical Chinese, 也 was a particle that closed a sentence, marking a statement or a definition where English would put “is.” The famous line 知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也 (zhī zhī wéi zhī zhī, bù zhī wéi bù zhī, shì zhì yě) ends in 也 to seal the definition: “to know what you know, and to know what you don’t, that is knowledge.”

This is the same 也 that turns up among the classical sentence particles (see CGG #87 and #88), beside 矣 (yǐ), 乎 (hū), and 哉 (zāi). Writing back then leaned on particles like these to do the work that punctuation does now, part of the story we told in CGG #86. You won’t place this 也 yourself, but you will meet it in idioms, names, and old texts.

⚖️ 也 vs 还 vs 都

A lot of the confusion around 也 clears up once you set it beside its two closest neighbors. 也 says the same thing applies to one more case. 还 (hái) adds something extra or keeps a list going. 都 (dōu) gathers the whole set into “all.”

Watch the same idea shift across the three. 我喜欢苹果，他也喜欢苹果 (wǒ xǐhuan píngguǒ, tā yě xǐhuan píngguǒ), “I like apples, and he likes apples too,” extends the liking to another person. 我喜欢苹果，还喜欢橘子 (wǒ xǐhuan píngguǒ, hái xǐhuan júzi), “I like apples, and oranges as well,” piles on another item. 我们都喜欢苹果 (wǒmen dōu xǐhuan píngguǒ), “we all like apples,” pulls everyone together. 还 has its own full treatment in CGG #82 and #83, and 都 sits at the heart of CGG #57 and #58.

When you want to pin two qualities onto the same thing at once, the paired 既…也 (jì … yě) gives you “both … and”: 他既聪明也努力 (tā jì cōngmíng yě nǔlì), “he is both smart and hardworking.” That pairing came up when we covered the ways to say “and” a few weeks ago in CGG #109 and #110.

The contrast we set up last week falls out of all this cleanly. 谁都知道 (shéi dōu zhīdào) gathers everyone into “everyone knows,” while 谁也不知道 (shéi yě bù zhīdào) is the negative “nobody knows.” 都 for the positive whole, 也 for the negative.

Curious about your Mandarin mastery?
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📝 Recap

• Job 3, Concession (“still,” “all the same”): Here 也 (yě) reads as “still.” The first clause sets up a condition or obstacle, and 也 marks a result that doesn’t bend because of it.

  • 就算 / 即使 / 哪怕 (jiùsuàn / jíshǐ / nǎpà) … 也: The “even if … still” family. 就算 is the most conversational, 即使 is neutral, and 哪怕 feels stronger, as if granting an extreme case. The 也 is what delivers the “still.”

  • 无论 / 不管 (wúlùn / bùguǎn) … 也: For a whole range of possibilities, “no matter.” 无论 leans written, 不管 leans spoken. 都 (dōu) works here too, gathering up every case while 也 leans more on you holding steady.

  • 再…也 (zài…yě): Shifts from range to degree. 再 plus an adjective or verb pushes the quality as high as you like, and 也 says the result is unaffected: “no matter how X …, still.”

  • 怎么也 (zěnme yě): With a following negative, 怎么 becomes “by any method,” so the phrase says you tried everything and still can’t. The formal cousin is 无论如何也 (wúlùn rúhé yě).

• Job 4, Softening: Here 也 lowers the force of a statement, making a view sound less blunt.

  • Taking the edge off an opinion: Drop 也 into a sentence stating a view and it comes out softer, more like a shared observation than a verdict.

  • 也是 (yě shì): As a short reply, “true,” “fair enough,” or “you’ve got a point.” Inside a sentence, 你说得也是 (nǐ shuō de yě shì) gently concedes the point.

  • 也好…也好 (yěhǎo…yěhǎo): List options and accept all of them: “whichever it turns out to be, it’s fine.” Literary Chinese uses 也罢 (yěbà) the same way.

• Other lives of 也: A few words contain 也 but work as their own units, so learn them whole.

  • 也许 (yěxǔ): A fixed adverb meaning “maybe” or “perhaps,” sitting before the verb or near the subject.

  • 也就是说 (yě jiù shì shuō): “In other words,” introducing a restatement that spells out what your point amounts to.

  • 再也不 / 再也没…过 (zài yě bù / zài yě méi…guò): The emotional “never again,” with 了 for the present and 过 for the past. Contrast the calm, neutral 不再 (bú zài), “no longer.”

• The classical 也 (yě): An older sentence final particle marking a statement or definition where English would put “is.” You’ll meet it in idioms, names, and old texts, beside 矣 (yǐ), 乎 (hū), and 哉 (zāi).

• 也 vs 还 vs 都: 也 says the same applies to one more case, 还 (hái) adds something extra, and 都 (dōu) gathers the whole set into “all.” For the negative whole reach for 也 (谁也不知道, “nobody knows”); for the positive whole, 都.

  • 既…也 (jì…yě): A paired frame for pinning two qualities onto one thing: “both … and.”

⛏️ Practice Makes Perfect

Last time you met the everyday 也. This week’s 也 is heavier, and the real skill is hearing what it’s doing each time: sometimes it means “still,” sometimes it softens a remark, and sometimes it’s just hiding inside a fixed word like 也许 or 也就是说. As you translate, don’t reach for 也 on autopilot. Ask yourself first: am I holding firm against an obstacle, gently giving an opinion, saying “never again”? Picking the right structure for the right feeling is what makes these sentences sound truly native. Grab a pen, say each one out loud, and let’s go!

🌱 Easy

1. Even if it rains, I’ll still come to your house.

2. I think this is fine, I guess.

3. Whether we go or not, I’m okay with it.

4. After he left, I never saw him again.

🌳 Advanced

5. Actually, his point of view kind of makes sense too.

6. Even if there’s only a sliver of hope, the doctor will still do everything to save the patient.

7. No matter how the market changes, this time-honored brand still insists on making everything by hand.

8. Housing prices went up another ten percent, which means it’s even harder for young people to buy a home.

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