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HSK 6 Connectors & compound sentences

若 … 则 …

If… then… (literary 若…则)

Structure 若 + condition,则 + consequence (variant: 若非 + … = were it not for…)

若…则… (ruò… zé…) is the literary conditional: 若 is the formal «if» (written counterpart of 如果, HSK 3) and 则 introduces the consequence («then, in that case»). It appears in formal instructions, regulations, essays and classical-toned prose: 若有疑问,则可咨询 = «should there be questions, one may inquire». The variant 若非… means «were it not for… / if it weren't (that)…», stating a negative counterfactual condition: 若非亲眼所见,实难相信 = «had I not seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe». 则 always keeps the reading zé.

Examples

  • 若ruò有yǒu疑yí问wèn,则zé可kě向xiàng客kè服fú咨zī询xún。

    Should there be any questions, one may consult customer service.

  • 若ruò非fēi亲qīn眼yǎn所suǒ见jiàn,实shí难nán相xiāng信xìn。

    Were it not for having seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe.

  • 若ruò措cuò施shī得dé当dàng,则zé危wēi机jī可kě化huà解jiě。

    If the measures are apt, then the crisis can be defused.

  • 若ruò非fēi众zhòng人rén相xiāng助zhù,此cǐ事shì断duàn难nán成chéng功gōng。

    Were it not for everyone's help, this matter could hardly have succeeded.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

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