如果...就 (if...then)

• Pinyin: rúguǒ...jiù
• Formation: 如果 + Condition，就 / 那么 / 那 + Result
• Hanzi breakdown: 如 = 女 (woman) + 口 (mouth), 果 = 田 (field) + 木 (tree)

Meaning

The pattern 如果...就... is the standard way to express 'if...then...' in Chinese. 如果 introduces a hypothetical condition, and 就 introduces the expected result. 那么 or 那 can replace 就 in more formal or conversational contexts respectively.

如果...就... is the most common and versatile conditional structure in Mandarin. 如果 can appear at the very beginning of the sentence or after the subject, and 就 marks the natural consequence of the condition. In more formal writing or speech, 那么 may replace 就 in the result clause. In casual conversation, 那 alone is also common. The 如果 clause can sometimes be omitted entirely when the conditional meaning is obvious from context, leaving just 就 to signal the result. Unlike 要是 (a more colloquial synonym), 如果 works in all registers from casual speech to formal writing.

Examples

1. 如果明天下雨，我们就不去爬山了。 If it rains tomorrow, we won't go hiking.
2. 如果你有空，就来我家吃饭吧。 If you're free, come to my place for dinner.
3. 如果价格太贵，那我们换一家店。 If the price is too expensive, then let's switch to another store.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: hypothetical

Do Say

• 如果你不舒服，就在家休息吧。
• 如果时间来不及，那我们坐出租车。
• 如果她已经知道了，我就不用再解释了。

Don't Say

• 如果明天下雨，但是我们不去。(如果 introduces a condition, not a contrast — use 就 or 那 for the result, not 但是) → 如果明天下雨，我们就不去。
• 他如果来了就我走。(就 must be placed before the verb, not before the subject — say 我就走) → 如果他来了，我就走。

Origin & History

如果 combines 如 (if/like) and 果 (fruit/result), literally suggesting 'if the result is such.' It has been a standard conditional conjunction in Chinese for centuries and remains the most widely used conditional marker in both spoken and written Mandarin.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal