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以便

yǐ biàn
HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 6 Conjunction Uncommon

Definitions

  1. 1. so that
  2. 2. so as to
  3. 3. in order to

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
以免
yǐ miǎn

in order to avoid

以便 expresses doing something in order to achieve a positive outcome, while 以免 expresses doing something in order to avoid a negative outcome.

Register variants

1 item
以
yǐ

to use

以 is a more formal, literary equivalent of 以便, often used in written Chinese.

Usage notes

Common mistakes

以便 is used to connect two clauses; it cannot be used at the beginning of a sentence. It must follow a clause that describes an action.

Formality

以便 is mostly used in formal or written contexts. In casual speech, 好让 or 这样……就可以 are more common.

Grammar

Guides that feature 以便

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

4 guides
HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 5 min
……，为的是... for “All in Order To”

Put 为的是 in the second clause to explain the purpose of an action you have just described: 他每天六点起床，为的是多读一会儿书.

Reading: yǐ biàn Open guide
HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min
……，以…… for “In Order To …” in Formal Writing

State an action first and its purpose second with 以: 学校延长了图书馆的开放时间，以满足同学们的学习需要.

Reading: yǐ biàn Open guide
HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min
免得 and 以防 for “So As Not To” and “In Case”

Start the second clause with 免得 to say what bad result an action avoids, or with written 以防 to say what possible problem it guards against.

Reading: yǐ biàn Open guide
HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min
...，好... and ...，以便... for “So That”

Add a second clause with 好 or 以便 to say what the first action makes possible.

Reading: yǐ biàn Open guide

Child Words of 以便

以
yǐ

to use

便
biàn

plain