倘若 (tǎng ruò) — if (literary); supposing; in case | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

倘若 is a literary 'if' for written or formal contexts. 比如果 more elevated; similar to 若是 and 假使. Use in essays, not conversation.

conjunction

if (literary)supposingin case

Examples

倘若，。
tǎng ruò Nǐ yuàn yì cháng shì, jiù yǒu kě néng chéng gōng.
If you are willing to try, it is possible to succeed.
倘若，。
tǎng ruò Míng tiān xià yǔ, bǐ sài jiù huì qǔ xiāo.
If it rains tomorrow, the match will be cancelled.
倘若，。
tǎng ruò Méi yǒu nǐ de bāng zhù, wǒ wú fǎ wán chéng zhè ge rèn wu.
Without your help, I wouldn't be able to complete this task.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

倘 and 若 both mean if, so 倘若 is a literary conjunction meaning if.

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.

亻尚倘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng倘tǎng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

倘 has 亻, a form of 人 meaning person, and 尚, which gives the sound shàng.

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

若 began as a picture of a person combing their hair, associated with obedience.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.