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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'still' or 'as before' with 依然 (yīrán)

    Aspect & Tense
    Time Expressions

    Structure

    Subject + 依然 + Verb/Adjective

    Explanation

    依然 (yīrán) means 'still' or 'as before,' indicating that a situation remains unchanged from a previous state. It is more literary than 还是 or 仍然 and is frequently used in written and formal Chinese.

    Examples

    • 过了这么多年，她依然那么漂亮。

      Guò le zhème duō nián, tā yīrán nàme piàoliang.

      After so many years, she is still just as beautiful.

    • 虽然遇到了很多困难，他依然没有放弃。

      Suīrán yùdào le hěn duō kùnnán, tā yīrán méiyǒu fàngqì.

      Although he encountered many difficulties, he still did not give up.

    • 这座古城依然保留着当年的风貌。

      Zhè zuò gǔchéng yīrán bǎoliú zhe dāngnián de fēngmào.

      This ancient city still retains the appearance it had back in the day.

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    Expressing 'still' or 'as before' with 依然 (yīrán) | Chinese Grammar