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HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 5 min read

任...也... for “No Matter How …, Still …”

Use 任……也…… to say that however someone acts, or however strong a situation is, the result stays the same.

Pattern

任 + person + question word (怎么/多么/什么/哪里……)，(subject) + 也/都 + unchanged result

任 means “let … do whatever; no matter …”. Whatever happens in the first clause, the 也 clause stays true.

任你怎么劝，他也不听。

When to use 任...也... for “No Matter How …, Still …”

任 originally means “to let someone do as they please”. In this pattern it means “no matter”: 任你怎么劝 is “however much you try to persuade (him)”. The second clause, with 也 or 都, says that the result does not change.

任他怎么解释，大家也不相信。

However he explained it, nobody believed him.

任你说得多好听，我也不会改变主意。

However nicely you put it, I won’t change my mind.

这个箱子太重了，任谁也搬不动。

This box is so heavy that nobody could move it.

任外面多么吵，他也能安安静静地看书。

However noisy it is outside, he can still read quietly.

Common traps

  • Keep a question word after 任 (任你怎么说, 任他多么努力); without it, the clause usually sounds incomplete.
  • Put 也 or 都 in the second clause; without it, the sentence feels unfinished.
  • For choices like 好不好 or A还是B, use 不管 or 无论 instead of 任.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

这个箱子太重了， 谁也搬不动

This box is so heavy that nobody could move it
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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