How to Express Causal Relationships in Chinese
Conjunction Part I:
In this new conjunction series, we'll be introducing several important conjunctions that help us form sentences easily.
Let's start with conjunctions that help us express causal relationships first. At the same time, we'll also introduce some useful vocabulary and phrases in the sample sentences below. Let's begin!
因为... 所以...(yīn wèi suǒ yǐ, because... therefore...)
This expression is often used in both written and spoken Chinese to state a cause-and-effect relationship. Let's look at the following three sentences that use this conjunction:
因为小明生病了，所以他没来上学。
yīn wèi xiǎo míng shēng bìng le, suǒ yǐ tā méi lái shàng xué.
Because Xiao Ming was sick, therefore, he did not come to school.
因为我是你的朋友，所以我一定会帮你。
yīn wèi wǒ shì nǐ de péng yǒu, suǒ yǐ wǒ yī dìng huì bāng nǐ.
Because I am your friend, therefore, I will definitely help you.
因为他对汉语很感兴趣，所以他很喜欢学汉语。
yīn wèi tā duì hàn yǔ hěn gǎn xìng qù, suǒ yǐ tā hěn xǐ huān xué hàn yǔ.
Because he is very interested in Chinese, therefore, he likes learning Chinese very much.
由于...因此...(yóu yú yīn cǐ, due to...)
Similar to the above, it is another way to express causal relationships. However, it is most often used only in written Chinese as it is used to state reasons in a more formal way. Let's look at the following three sentences that use this conjunction:
由于健康原因，因此他提前退休了。
yóu yú jiàn kāng yuán yīn, yīn cǐ tā tí qián tuì xiū le.
Due to health reasons, he retired early.
由于疫情的缘故，因此他无法回国探亲。
yóu yú yì qíng de yuán gù, yīn cǐ tā wú fǎ huí guó tàn qīn.
Due to the epidemic, he cannot return to China to visit relatives.
由于小美把护照弄丢了，因此她暂时不能出国。
yóu yú xiǎo měi bǎ hù zhào nòng diū le, yīn cǐ tā zàn shí bù néng chū guó.
Because Xiaomei lost her passport, she cannot go abroad for the time being.
之所以...是因为...(zhī suǒ yǐ... shì yīn wèi, the reason why... is that...)
This is the third way to express causal relationships. The expression is close to the English conjunction "the reason why... is that...". This can be used in both written and spoken Chinese. Let's look at the following three sentences that use this conjunction:
他之所以能当这家公司的总裁，是因为他一直很努力。
tā zhī suǒ yǐ néng dāng zhè jiā gōng sī de zǒng cái, shì yīn wèi tā yī zhí hěn nǔ lì.
The reason why he can be the CEO of this company is that he has worked very hard.
我和他之所以能当朋友，是因为我们有很多相同的兴趣爱好。
wǒ hé tā zhī suǒ yǐ néng dāng péng yǒu, shì yīn wèi wǒ men yǒu hěn duō xiāng tóng de xìng qù ài hào.
The reason why he and I can be friends is that we have many of the same hobbies and interests.
大家之所以喜欢大熊猫，是因为它们长得实在是太可爱了。
dà jiā zhī suǒ yǐ xǐ huān dà xióng māo, shì yīn wèi tā men zhǎng dé shí zài shì tài kě ài le.
The reason why everyone likes pandas is that they are so cute.
既然...那么...(jì rán... nà me, since... then...)
The last way of expressing a causal relationship is using 既然...那么... which is equivalent to "since... then..." in English. This can be used in both written and spoken Chinese. Let's look at the following three sentences that use this conjunction:
既然你不愿意做这件事，那么我也不强求你了。
jì rán nǐ bù yuàn yì zuò zhè jiàn shì, nà me wǒ yě bù qiǎng qiú nǐ le.
Since you don't want to do this, then I won't force you.
既然你已经来学校了，那么就应该好好学习。
jì rán nǐ yǐ jīng lái xué xiào le, nà me jiù yīng gāi hǎo hào xué xí.
Since you've come to school already, you should study hard.
既然你已经意识到自己的错误，那么就积极改正吧。
jì rán nǐ yǐ jīng yì shí dào zì jǐ de cuò wù, nà me jiù jī jí gǎi zhèng ba.
Since now you are aware of your mistakes, then you should take action to correct them.
We've learned four useful ways to express causal relationships in Chinese. To know how to use them, you can try to form simple sentences using the words that you already know. Stay tuned to this blog for more updates on the Chinese conjunctions series. If you want to learn and improve your Chinese at Hanhai Language Studio in Singapore, you can contact us anytime for a free consultation session. See you in the next article!