即使

jí shǐ

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Conjunction Very common

Definitions

1. even if; even though

Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 就算 jiù suàn 就算 jiù suàn (coll.) even if more colloquial way to say 'even if': (coll.) even if

Related words

1 item

• 哪怕 nǎ pà 哪怕 nǎ pà even emphatic 'even if', often in hypothetical extremes: even

Synonyms

1 item

• 即便 jí biàn 即便 jí biàn even if also means 'even if', often interchangeable in written Chinese: even if

Usage notes

Collocations

Commonly paired with 也 or 还 in the main clause: 即使…也… (even if... still...). Example: 即使下雨，我们也去。

Common mistakes

即使 is followed by a hypothetical condition, not a factual situation. Avoid using it where 'although' would fit, e.g., *即使他很忙，他帮助我 is incorrect if he is indeed busy.

Example Sentences

2 shown

即使 下雨，我们也去。

Even if it rains, we will still go.

即使 我們是人。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 769798)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 即使

• 使 使 shǐ: to make
• 即 即 jí: namely