HSK 4 grammar · conjunction
然而
然而 — however / nevertheless
Pattern
opening a new sentence
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( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
然而 opens a clause that turns against the previous one — "however", "nevertheless". It is a formal, written connective standing at the start of the second clause, stronger and more literary than 但是.
Examples
他很努力，然而结果并不理想。
Tā hěn nǔlì, rán'ér jiéguǒ bìng bù lǐxiǎng.
He worked hard; however, the result was far from ideal.
计划很好，然而实行起来很难。
Jìhuà hěn hǎo, rán'ér shíxíng qǐlái hěn nán.
The plan is good; nevertheless, it's hard to carry out.
大家都反对，然而他还是那样做了。
Dàjiā dōu fǎnduì, rán'ér tā háishi nàyàng zuò le.
Everyone objected; even so, he did it his way.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 然而 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.