将 / 将要 / 将会 (will)

• Pinyin: jiāng
• Formation: Subj. + 将 / 将要 / 将会 + Verb Phrase
• Hanzi breakdown: 将 = 丬 (split wood) + 寸 (inch/hand)

Meaning

将 (jiāng), 将要 (jiāngyào), and 将会 (jiānghuì) all indicate that something will happen in the future. They are more formal than 要 or 会 alone and are commonly used in written Chinese, news reports, and formal speech.

将 is the most concise and literary of the three, appearing frequently in news headlines, official announcements, and classical-flavored writing. 将要 emphasizes imminence — something is about to happen — and is slightly less formal. 将会 emphasizes certainty or prediction about a future outcome and is common in analytical writing and speeches. All three are more formal than everyday 要 or 会. In spoken Chinese, native speakers typically use 要 or 会 instead; using 将 in casual conversation sounds stiff or overly official. These forms cannot be negated with 不 directly in most cases — use 不会 instead. They often co-occur with time expressions like 即将 (about to), 未来 (in the future), or specific future dates.

Examples

1. 新的交通法规将于下月正式实施。 The new traffic regulations will be officially implemented next month.
2. 这座城市将要迎来有史以来最大规模的国际展览。 This city is about to welcome the largest international exhibition in its history.
3. 人工智能的发展将会深刻改变我们的生活方式。 The development of artificial intelligence will profoundly change our way of life.

Usage Guide

Context: written, news, formal speech

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 这项政策将惠及数百万家庭。
• 代表团将于本周五抵达北京。
• 随着技术进步，远程办公将会成为主流。
• 新建的图书馆将要在九月向公众开放。

Don't Say

• 我将去超市买点菜。(将 is too formal for casual daily activities like grocery shopping — use 要 or 去 instead) → 我要去超市买点菜。
• 他将不来参加会议了。(将 is rarely negated directly — use 不会来 or 将不会来 instead) → 他不会来参加会议了。
• 我们昨天将完成了任务。(将 marks future events, not past ones — remove 将 for past tense) → 我们昨天完成了任务。

Origin & History

将 in Classical Chinese was a versatile word meaning 'to lead' or 'to take.' Its future-tense function evolved from the sense of 'bringing something forward' — leading events into being. The compound forms 将要 and 将会 developed later to add nuance: 要 for imminence, 会 for likelihood.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal