连词/副词「则」zé

Formal Literary Particle: 则 (zé) — Then / Whereas

Meaning: Then (condition-result) / Whereas, on the other hand (parallel contrast)

Pattern

"则" (zé) has a strong classical flavor yet remains extremely common in modern essays and journalism, serving three main functions:
(1) Condition and result ("then"): "Clause A, 则 Clause B" means "if/when A, then B", acting as a formal equivalent of "就 / 便 / 那么" (e.g., 理论与实践相结合，则事半功倍).
(2) Parallel contrast ("whereas / on the other hand"): "A does X, B 则 does Y" compares two sides smoothly without the sharp confrontation of "但是" (e.g., 前者注重质量，后者则强调速度).
Notice that in this pattern, "则" always stands AFTER the second subject B and before the verb.

1
穷则独善其身，达则兼济天下。
Qióng zé dú shàn qí shēn, dá zé jiānjì tiānxià.
In poverty, cultivate your own virtue; in success, benefit the whole world.
2
理论与实践相结合，则事半功倍。
Lǐlùn yǔ shíjiàn xiāng jiéhé, zé shì bàn gōng bèi.
When theory is combined with practice, one achieves twice the result with half the effort.
3
前者注重质量，后者则强调速度。
Qián zhě zhùzhòng zhìliàng, hòu zhě zé qiángdiào sùdù.
The former focuses on quality, whereas the latter emphasizes speed.

•In the contrastive pattern "A…, B 则…", 则 always stands AFTER subject B and before the verb (后者则强调速度).

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Using single-character 则 in casual everyday conversation (e.g., *你去则我也去): use 就 instead.

•Placing contrastive 则 before subject B (*则后者强调速度 instead of 后者则强调速度).

•Redundantly combining 则 with 那么 or 就 in the same slot (e.g., *那么则 / *则就).

Combine Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading Practice, Listening, Hanzi Writing, and Mock Exams at HSK 6 to master all skills together.