鉴于 (jiàn yú) — (preposition) in view of, considering, given (followed by a noun phrase); (conjunction) seeing that, given that, given that (followed by a clause; often in formal or legal writing)

Definition

鉴于 is a formal, written 'in view of' / 'given that' — stronger and more official than 基于 ('based on'), and more formal than 既然 ('since'). Use it in reports, legal or academic prose.

preposition
in view ofconsideringgiven (followed by a noun phrase)
conjunction
seeing thatgiven thatgiven that (followed by a clause; often in formal or legal writing)

Examples

  • 鉴于，。
    jiàn yú Dāng qián xíng shì, wǒ men jué dìng yán chí jì huà.
    In view of the current situation, we have decided to delay the plan.
  • 鉴于，。
    jiàn yú Tā yǐ jīng chéng rèn cuò wù, gōng sī jué dìng bú zài zhuī jiū.
    Seeing that he has admitted his mistake, the company has decided not to pursue further action.
  • 鉴于，。
    jiàn yú Shuāng fāng yì jiàn bù yī, huì yì zàn tíng yì zhōu.
    Given that the two sides hold different opinions, the meeting has been suspended for one week.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

鉴jiànconsider
于yúregarding

鉴 “consider” plus 于 “regarding” gives the sense “in view of” or “seeing that.”

Characters in this word

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 鑑; 鉴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān鑑jiàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鑑 pairs 金, showing metal, with 監 for sound; the simplified 鉴 is a later abbreviation, not the source of this shape.

Open 鉴 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Cause, Effect & Logic5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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