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不论是 (bú lùn shì) — (conjunction) whether... or...; no matter (if)...

Definition

A formal written conjunction meaning 'whether... or... / no matter whether', always followed by two alternatives and 都. Contrast with 还是…还是, which is more colloquial.

conjunction
whether... or...no matter (if)...

Examples

  • 不论是，。
    bú lùn shì Qíng tiān hái shì yǔ tiān, tā dōu jiān chí pǎo bù.
    No matter whether it's sunny or rainy, he insists on running.
  • 不论是，。
    bú lùn shì Dà rén hái shì xiǎo hái, dōu xǐ huan zhè ge yóu xì.
    No matter whether adults or children, everyone likes this game.
  • 不论是，。
    bú lùn shì Xué xí hái shì gōng zuò, dōu yào rèn zhēn duì dài.
    No matter whether studying or working, one must take it seriously.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 論; 论 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
侖
侖lún論lùn
Same sound today

The traditional form 論 pairs 言 (“say”) with 侖 as a sound component; the simplified 论 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 论 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →
Appears in
Cause, Effect & Logic

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