与此同时

• Pinyin: yǔ cǐ tóng shí
• Hanzi breakdown: 与 = with/and; 此 = 止 + 匕 (foot + pointing — this/here); 同 = 口 + 冃 (mouth + cover — together/same); 时 = 日 + 寺 (sun + measure — time)

Meaning

At the same time; meanwhile; simultaneously. A discourse connective used to introduce a concurrent development, condition, or action.

A standard formal connective in written Chinese, especially in academic writing, news reporting, and policy documents. Links two simultaneous but distinct developments, often in different domains or affecting different parties. More formal and literary than 同时 (at the same time) alone. Commonly appears at the start of a sentence or clause to signal a parallel development.

Examples

1. 人工智能商业化提升了效率和降本；与此同时，也在劳动力市场引发结构性替代，迫使政府应对技能过时。 Rapid commercialization of AI has improved efficiency and cut costs; at the same time, it has caused structural labor substitution, forcing governments to address skill obsolescence.
2. 中央政府通过定向降准和再贷款注入流动性；与此同时，财政上也减税降费并扩容专项债。 The central government injected liquidity through targeted reserve-requirement cuts and relending; at the same time, fiscal policy also cut taxes and fees and expanded special bond issuance.
3. 七年内战摧毁了该国工业基础，也使数百万人陷入贫困；与此同时，大量难民外逃，加重了邻国安置压力。 Seven years of civil war destroyed the country's industrial base and pushed millions into poverty; at the same time, large-scale refugee flight has increased resettlement pressure on neighboring countries.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, news, policy, analysis

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 过去十年，全球碳排放与经济增长逐步脱钩；与此同时，可再生能源占比在政策和成本双降下加速上升。(Over the past decade, global carbon emissions have gradually decoupled from economic growth; at the same time, the share of renewable energy has risen faster as policy support and costs have both fallen.)
• 这次防疫调整标志着从动态清零转向防重症、防死亡；与此同时，公共卫生重心也要转向重症救治和基层照护。(This pandemic policy shift marks a move from dynamic zero-COVID to preventing severe illness and death; at the same time, the public health focus must also shift to critical care and community-based care.)

Don't Say

• 与此同时，他吃了饭 — 与此同时 introduces significant parallel developments in formal discourse; for casual simultaneous actions use 同时 alone, 一边...一边... (doing A while doing B), or 顺便 (while at it/in passing)

Origin & History

与 (and/with — 舆 to give together) + 此 (this — 止 foot + 匕 pointing; pointing to something near) + 同 (same/together — 口 mouth + 冃 a cover; things under the same cover) + 时 (time — 日 sun + 寺 measure; measuring by the sun). Together: together with this, at the same time.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal