而
Tap the pinyin to hear it
and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast)
Formation & memory
Break the character into parts you already know.
How to remember it
and · Heisig RSH #962
— as a component also called: comb
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Words with 而
The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大而化之 | careless; sloppy | |
| 自上而下 | (idiom) from top to bottom; top-down | |
| 自下而上 | (idiom) from bottom to top; from the grass roots up; bottom-up | |
| 相机而动 | to wait for the opportune moment before taking action (idiom) | |
| 相机而行 | to act according to the situation (idiom) | |
| 不可同日而语 | lit. mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same … | |
| 分而治之 | (idiom) to divide and rule | |
| 大而无当 | grandiose but impractical (idiom); large but of no real use | |
| 一发而不可收 | to be impossible to stop once started | |
| 合而为一 | to merge together (idiom); to unify disparate elements into one whole | |
| 量力而行 | to assess one's capabilities and act accordingly (idiom); to act within one's competence; … | |
| 形而上学 | metaphysics | |
| 同日而语 | lit. to speak of two things on the same day (idiom); to mention things on equal terms (oft… | |
| 不一而足 | by no means an isolated case; numerous | |
| 言而无信 | (idiom) untrustworthy; not true to one's word | |
| 言而有信 | to speak and keep one's promise (idiom); as good as one's word | |
| 不得而知 | unknown; unable to find out | |
| 自然而然 | (idiom) natural; unforced; (idiom) naturally; as a matter of course; in the natural course… | |
| 平心而论 | (idiom) in all fairness; objectively speaking | |
| 时而 | occasionally; from time to time |
Sound family
These characters use 而 as their sound component — compare how they read.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 而 sound part | and, and then, and yet; but | |
| 鸸 | swallow | |
| 恧 | ashamed | |
| 鲕 | roe |