取决于

• Pinyin: qǔ jué yú
• Hanzi breakdown: 取 = 耳 + 又 (determine/obtain); 决 = 氵+ 夬 (decide/resolve — water breaking through a dam); 于 = 于 (by/on — directional/relational particle)

Meaning

To depend on; to be determined by; to hinge on. A fixed construction equivalent to English 'it depends on.'

Common in academic, analytical, and formal spoken Chinese. 这取决于… (this depends on…) is the standard pattern. Often followed by a noun phrase or clause naming the decisive factor.

Examples

1. 项目能否按时完成取决于团队成员之间的高效协作与资源调配。 Whether the project can be completed on time depends on efficient collaboration and resource allocation among team members.
2. 政策的最终走向取决于各方利益群体的博弈与立法机构的审议结果。 The policy’s final direction will hinge on the power struggle among different interest groups and the legislature’s review.
3. 最终是否批准贷款取决于申请人的信用记录及还款能力评估。 Final loan approval depends on the applicant’s credit history and an assessment of their ability to repay.

Usage Guide

Context: academic writing, analysis, policy, formal speech

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 能否实现预期目标，很大程度上取决于团队能否在关键阶段保持高度的专注力与执行力。(Whether the expected goals can be achieved depends to a large extent on whether the team can maintain a high degree of focus and execution capability at critical stages.)
• 历史的走向往往不完全取决于个别领导人的决策，更多地受制于深层次的经济结构与社会力量的演变。(The course of history often does not depend entirely on the decisions of individual leaders, but is more constrained by the evolution of deep-seated economic structures and social forces.)

Don't Say

• 这件事情取决于 — 取决于 must be followed by a noun or clause stating the decisive factor; a sentence ending with 取决于 is structurally incomplete

Origin & History

取 (determine) + 决 (decide/resolve) + 于 (on/by) — to be decided or determined by a given factor

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal