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乃 (nǎi) — (literary adverb) thus; therefore; then; (literary adverb) used before a noun to emphasize identity: precisely; indeed; after all

Definition

乃 (nǎi) is a literary 'thus/therefore' — more bookish than the spoken-fluent 于是, and used in fixed set phrases (失败乃成功之母) rather than as a normal conjunction in modern prose.

adverb
(literary adverb) thusthereforethen(literary adverb) used before a noun to emphasize identity: preciselyindeedafter all
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，乃。
    Tā nǔ lì xué xí, nǎi zhōng yǒu suǒ chéng.
    He studied hard, and thus eventually achieved something.
  • 乃。
    Cǐ nǎi wǒ duō nián lái de xīn yuàn.
    This is indeed the wish I have cherished for many years.
  • 乃，。
    Shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ, zhè huà yì diǎn yě bù jiǎ.
    Failure is the mother of success — this saying is absolutely true.

Origin

Pictograph
六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíng

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

The origin of 乃 is uncertain: it may have drawn a sideways person, a rope, a thrown rope, or a pulling motion.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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