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Level Upper-Intermediate Chinese · HSK 4

Written Chinese at B2: 是否, 与, 以及, 曾, 此, 作为 and 无法

Chinese has two clearly different registers. Newspapers, signs, contracts and official letters use shorter, older words: 是否 instead of 是不是, 与 instead of 和, 此 instead of 这. Knowing which word belongs where matters as much as knowing what it means: a written word in casual speech sounds stiff, and a spoken word in a report sounds childish.

是否, 与 and 以及

是否 (shìfǒu) is the written 'whether, if': 请确认是否参加 (please confirm whether you will attend). It replaces A-not-A and 是不是.

与 (yǔ) is the written 'and, with', used between nouns, often in titles: 《战争与和平》 (War and Peace). 以及 (yǐjí) means 'as well as' and joins the last item of a longer list.

SpokenWrittenMeaning
是不是 / A不A是否whether
和 / 跟与and, with
还有以及as well as
这此this
没办法无法be unable to

  • 请于本周五前告知是否参加会议。

    Qǐng yú běn zhōuwǔ qián gàozhī shìfǒu cānjiā huìyì.

    Please let us know by this Friday whether you will attend the meeting.

  • 本店提供咖啡、茶以及各种点心。

    Běn diàn tígōng kāfēi, chá yǐjí gè zhǒng diǎnxin.

    We serve coffee, tea and a range of snacks.

曾, 应, 自, 此 and 此外

Written adverbs are often one syllable: 曾 (céng) or 曾经 means 'once, in the past' and pairs with 过; 应 (yīng) is the written 应该; 自 (zì) means 'from, since' (自即日起, from today).

此 (cǐ) means 'this' in writing: 因此 (because of this), 此时 (at this time), 在此 (here). 此外 (cǐwài) means 'in addition, besides' and opens a sentence.

  • 他曾在北京工作过五年。

    Tā céng zài Běijīng gōngzuòguo wǔ nián.

    He once worked in Beijing for five years.

  • 此外，申请人还应提供身份证明。

    Cǐwài, shēnqǐngrén hái yīng tígōng shēnfèn zhèngmíng.

    In addition, applicants must provide proof of identity.

作为, 无法 and official notices

作为 (zuòwéi) means 'as (in the role of)': 作为老师，我… (as a teacher, I…). English 'as' has many meanings; 作为 only covers the role one.

无法 (wúfǎ) + verb is the written 'be unable to': 无法联系 (cannot be contacted). Speech says 没办法 or V不了.

Notices use their own vocabulary: 禁止 (jìnzhǐ, it is forbidden to), 一律 (yílǜ, without exception), 限 (xiàn, limited to). 禁止吸烟 is the standard 'No smoking'.

  • 作为父母，我们应该尊重孩子的选择。

    Zuòwéi fùmǔ, wǒmen yīnggāi zūnzhòng háizi de xuǎnzé.

    As parents, we should respect our children's choices.

  • 由于天气原因，航班无法按时起飞。

    Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, hángbān wúfǎ ànshí qǐfēi.

    Due to the weather, the flight cannot take off on time.

  • 车内禁止吸烟。

    Chē nèi jìnzhǐ xī yān.

    No smoking in the vehicle.

Common mistakes

  • ✗我与他去看电影了。

    ✓我跟他去看电影了。

    Wǒ gēn tā qù kàn diànyǐng le.

    与 is written style. In everyday speech about yourself, use 跟 or 和.

  • ✗请确认您是否参加吗？

    ✓请确认您是否参加。

    Qǐng quèrèn nín shìfǒu cānjiā.

    是否 already makes it a question ('whether or not'), so 吗 can't be added.

  • ✗我明天无法来。 (texting a friend)

    ✓我明天来不了。

    Wǒ míngtiān lái bu liǎo.

    无法 belongs in formal writing and announcements. Between friends it sounds stiff; use the potential complement.

Questions learners ask

Can I join two sentences with 与?

No. Like 和, 与 joins nouns and noun phrases. To join clauses, use 而且, 并且 or 并.

Is 曾经 the same as 已经?

No. 曾经 says something happened once in the past (and is usually over); 已经 says something has already happened by now.

Practice this in lessons

The Upper-Intermediate Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

Practice this in lessons →

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