<p>Actually, these two words are very different, and it's the difference - not the similarity - you need to grasp. </p>

<p>Both of these words indicate a rhetorical "following from," but 就 means "to follow from" in the broadest, simplest sense, rather like an English "then": </p>

<p>When it's used as a 'verb', it's intended to show that one thing follows as a consequence of another. An excellent example of how this usage can be precisely mapped in English is below:</p>

<p>"若這樣就那樣“ - "If this, then that."<br>
"他吃了整之火雞，那他就飽了。“ - "He ate the whole turkey, so he, then, [is] full!"</p>

<p>As you can see, "就“ as a "verb" is easily understandable as an English "then", as well. </p>

<p>Now consider this:</p>

<p>"我渴死了“  - "I'm thirsty!"<br>
”那，你就去喝水吧!“ - "So go drink, then...."</p>

<p>The many instances this phrase can be used - whether humorously, as a reprimand, as an exclamation, as an acquiescence, as mockery - all pretty much depend on "就" being the simplest, most common-sense idea anyone could have. 若一就二 - like that.</p>

<p>“而” is more like an "and" than a "then" - however, it is more specific and narrow because it further indicates transcendence, or moving beyond the expectations of discourse. In that sense, it's much more like "moreover" - so whether one uses it as "and," "also," "but," "however," or any other sense, it always has that meaning of saying "moreover" behind it - </p>

<p>"我吃飽了，而吃太飽雅。。。“ -<br>
"I ate, moreover {but/also/however}, i ate too much."</p>

<p>男： “昨晚我們去看弟弟演一出布萊希特戲..."<br>
女： "而他演的好好看啦！“</p>

<p>Guy:  "Last night we went to see my little brother act in one of Brecht's plays."<br>
Gal:  "Moreover {And/But/Also} he really acted so well in it!"</p>

<p>In that exchange above, "而“　can be used to indicate a "but" - </p>

<p>Guy: "We went to see my brother act [implied: and i expected him to be awful]...."<br>
Gal:  "But he really looked great up there!"</p>

<p>Or an "and" that draws attention to the importance of what comes after, in contrast to what came before: </p>

<p>Guy: "We saw my brother..."<br>
Gal: "And it was amazing!"</p>

<p>Generally, in modern Chinese it's going to indicate a "moreover" of some sort - but depending on the rhetorical context, it can be translated into other languages in any of many ways.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T07:38:27.383Z
Respect to you, Stranger! "而-transcendence" - nice wording and image!
coobit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T07:42:19.360Z
Where did you pick up those things? Any book can you suggest?
coobit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T09:50:11.203Z
I'm a Chinese-as-a-Second-Language learner/speaker of 24 years, now. I have lived in Taiwan for all that time (thus, the 繁體字).

I'm also a professional ESL teacher, and Chinese-to-English translator of about 15 years, now. So that explanation has come to me through my own studies of the language and experience as both learner and teacher
.
Kyle Pearson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T09:55:00.660Z
And i'm flattered you appreciated. I'm glad i could help.
Kyle Pearson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T09:58:17.080Z
And come to think of it, the one book i do recommend unqualifiedly is probably one you already know: Li & Thompson's "Mandarin Grammar." 

It was a HUGE help to me when starting out - particularly the sections on the topicality of Mandarin Chinese. It really drove home how all sentences in Chinese have, at root, some frame of topical reference that may be implied, or - in formal writing - is typically stated outright, although not necessarily in a way that non-native speakers can immediately grasp. Learning the cues takes practice.
Kyle Pearson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T10:06:03.960Z
Also, sorry about the formatting. It's been a long while since i posted to these boards.
Kyle Pearson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T10:24:24.223Z
I will find Li & Thompson's "Mandarin Grammar.", thanks! Your response gives "a model" (like an internal 3D model of a car with which you can play around) and not just random number of words! A MODEL is what a knowledge is. Now I really can play with that image in my mind. Models are so hard to find though^ :(
coobit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T10:26:07.717Z
Kudos unlimited to you! Can you write something about 和 并 于? I can create a new question just for YOU :)
coobit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T10:59:33.133Z
I'll try. I'm coming down to a deadline, here, so it might take me a while to get around to it.
Kyle Pearson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-09T15:21:11.880Z
2016-05-10T10:10:20.877Z
2016-05-10T10:10:20.877Z
Kyle Pearson
<p>according to 漢語多功能字庫 &amp; 教育部異體字字典,</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E8%80%8C" rel="nofollow">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=而</a>
<a href="http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAzMjU1" rel="nofollow">http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAzMjU1</a></p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E5%B0%B1" rel="nofollow">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=就</a>
<a href="http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAxMDc0" rel="nofollow">http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAxMDc0</a></p>

<p>let look at the differences first:
就, as verb: come to, go to, complete, follow; 而 doesn't used as verb.</p>

<p>就, as idiom: at once; 而 doesn't imply such.</p>

<p>而 as noun: beard; 就 doesn't have this meaning.</p>

<p>so, 而 as adverb or conjunction (also, and, and yet, and then, but, nevertheless); 就 as adverb or preposition (then, thereupon, according to), they might be equal.</p>

<p>in literary chinese:</p>

<p>而者﹒承上之詞也﹒置句首或中﹒猶如也﹒若也﹒然也﹒乃也﹒則也﹒以也﹒與也﹒及也﹒其也﹒豈也﹒且也﹒猶也﹒故也﹒夫也﹒此也﹒唯也</p>

<p>i think that 而 and 就 have different meanings most of the time, one cannot replace each other without modifying the structure of sentence.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-08T11:28:31.737Z
2016-05-08T11:28:31.737Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>而 - is a connective like "and" in some situations. Etymologically this meaning comes from how hair in someone's beard are close together.
就 - is a connective in other situations. Etymology information is lost to us. </p>

<p>Can we say that sometimes they are equal in their meaning and function? In what circumstances are they equal?</p>

<meaning><meaning-in-context>
Similarities between connectives 就 and 而?
# Similarities between connectives 就 and 而?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-08)

而 - is a connective like "and" in some situations. Etymologically this meaning comes from how hair in someone's beard are close together.
就 - is a connective in other situations. Etymology information is lost to us.

Can we say that sometimes they are equal in their meaning and function? In what circumstances are they equal?

**Tags:** meaning, meaning-in-context


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-05-09. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Actually, these two words are very different, and it's the difference - not the similarity - you need to grasp.

Both of these words indicate a rhetorical "following from," but 就 means "to follow from" in the broadest, simplest sense, rather like an English "then":

When it's used as a 'verb', it's intended to show that one thing follows as a consequence of another. An excellent example of how this usage can be precisely mapped in English is below:

"若這樣就那樣“ - "If this, then that."  
"他吃了整之火雞，那他就飽了。“ - "He ate the whole turkey, so he, then, [is] full!"

As you can see, "就“ as a "verb" is easily understandable as an English "then", as well.

Now consider this:

"我渴死了“ - "I'm thirsty!"  
”那，你就去喝水吧!“ - "So go drink, then...."

The many instances this phrase can be used - whether humorously, as a reprimand, as an exclamation, as an acquiescence, as mockery - all pretty much depend on "就" being the simplest, most common-sense idea anyone could have. 若一就二 - like that.

“而” is more like an "and" than a "then" - however, it is more specific and narrow because it further indicates transcendence, or moving beyond the expectations of discourse. In that sense, it's much more like "moreover" - so whether one uses it as "and," "also," "but," "however," or any other sense, it always has that meaning of saying "moreover" behind it -

"我吃飽了，而吃太飽雅。。。“ -  
"I ate, moreover {but/also/however}, i ate too much."

男： “昨晚我們去看弟弟演一出布萊希特戲..."  
女： "而他演的好好看啦！“

Guy: "Last night we went to see my little brother act in one of Brecht's plays."  
Gal: "Moreover {And/But/Also} he really acted so well in it!"

In that exchange above, "而“　can be used to indicate a "but" -

Guy: "We went to see my brother act [implied: and i expected him to be awful]...."  
Gal: "But he really looked great up there!"

Or an "and" that draws attention to the importance of what comes after, in contrast to what came before:

Guy: "We saw my brother..."  
Gal: "And it was amazing!"

Generally, in modern Chinese it's going to indicate a "moreover" of some sort - but depending on the rhetorical context, it can be translated into other languages in any of many ways.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Respect to you, Stranger! "而-transcendence" - nice wording and image!  
> **username_0**: Where did you pick up those things? Any book can you suggest?  
> **username_1**: I'm a Chinese-as-a-Second-Language learner/speaker of 24 years, now. I have lived in Taiwan for all that time (thus, the 繁體字).  I'm also a professional ESL teacher, and Chinese-to-English translator of about 15 years, now. So that explanation has come to me through my own studies of the language and experience as both learner and teacher .  
> **username_1**: And i'm flattered you appreciated. I'm glad i could help.  
> **username_1**: And come to think of it, the one book i do recommend unqualifiedly is probably one you already know: Li & Thompson's "Mandarin Grammar."   It was a HUGE help to me when starting out - particularly the sections on the topicality of Mandarin Chinese. It really drove home how all sentences in Chinese have, at root, some frame of topical reference that may be implied, or - in formal writing - is typically stated outright, although not necessarily in a way that non-native speakers can immediately grasp. Learning the cues takes practice.  
> **username_1**: Also, sorry about the formatting. It's been a long while since i posted to these boards.  
> **username_0**: I will find Li & Thompson's "Mandarin Grammar.", thanks! Your response gives "a model" (like an internal 3D model of a car with which you can play around) and not just random number of words! A MODEL is what a knowledge is. Now I really can play with that image in my mind. Models are so hard to find though^ :(  
> **username_0**: Kudos unlimited to you! Can you write something about 和 并 于? I can create a new question just for YOU :)  
> **username_1**: I'll try. I'm coming down to a deadline, here, so it might take me a while to get around to it.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-05-08. Score: 1

according to 漢語多功能字庫 & 教育部異體字字典,

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=而](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E8%80%8C)
<http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAzMjU1>

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=就](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E5%B0%B1)
<http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAxMDc0>

let look at the differences first:
就, as verb: come to, go to, complete, follow; 而 doesn't used as verb.

就, as idiom: at once; 而 doesn't imply such.

而 as noun: beard; 就 doesn't have this meaning.

so, 而 as adverb or conjunction (also, and, and yet, and then, but, nevertheless); 就 as adverb or preposition (then, thereupon, according to), they might be equal.

in literary chinese:

而者﹒承上之詞也﹒置句首或中﹒猶如也﹒若也﹒然也﹒乃也﹒則也﹒以也﹒與也﹒及也﹒其也﹒豈也﹒且也﹒猶也﹒故也﹒夫也﹒此也﹒唯也

i think that 而 and 就 have different meanings most of the time, one cannot replace each other without modifying the structure of sentence.


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