Ch 30 · Lesson 16Mandarin · Chapter 30 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
无论 and 不管: no matter what
，. The middle must stay open (a question word, or ), and or goes after the subject.
The short version
，。Bùguǎn tā duō máng, tā dōu huì lái.
Why?Hide
(bùguǎn) or (wúlùn), 'no matter', needs a middle with more than one answer: a question word, an A-not-A such as (qù bu qù), or a (háishi) choice. (dōu) follows the subject of the second half. (bùguǎn tā hěn máng) is closed: say (bùguǎn tā duō máng).
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| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Bùguǎn nǐ shuō shénme, wǒ dōu bú qù. | Whatever you say, I'm not going |
，。 | Wúlùn shéi lái, wǒmen dōu huānyíng. | Whoever comes is welcome |
，。 | Bùguǎn nǐ qù bu qù, wǒ dōu qù. | Whether you go or not, I'm going |
，。 | Bùguǎn shì chá háishi kāfēi, wǒ dōu hē. | Tea or coffee, I'll drink either |
Three ways to keep the middle open: a question word, a verb or adjective said twice (A-not-A), or (háishi), "or".
The middle must be open
Whatever sits between (bùguǎn) and (dōu) must have more than one possible answer. Inside the frame a question word stops asking: (shéi) means "whoever", (shénme) "whatever", (zěnme) "however". So there is no (ma):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Wúlùn wǒ zěnme shuō, tā dōu bù tīng. | Whatever I say, he won't listen |
，。 | Bùguǎn nǐ qù nǎr, wǒ dōu gēn nǐ qù. | Wherever you go, I'll go with you |
，。 | Bùguǎn tiānqì hǎo bu hǎo, wǒmen dōu qù. | Good weather or not, we're going |
，。 | Bùguǎn duō guì, wǒ dōu mǎi. | However much it costs, I'm buying it |
The last row is the handy one: (duō) + an adjective means "however": (duō yuǎn), however far; (duō nán), however hard. It is the same that asks "how far?" in question words, and the same (háishi) and (qù bu qù) as its choice questions.
都 (dōu) or 也 (yě) in the second half
The second half says the result is the same every time. (dōu) is the usual word; (yě) is common too, especially before a negative. Both go after the subject, straight before the verb:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Bùguǎn nǐ shuō shénme, wǒ dōu bú qù. | Whatever you say, I'm not going |
，。 | Wúlùn wǒ zěnme shuō, tā yě bù tīng. | Whatever I say, he still won't listen |
(dōu) is an adverb, so it never comes before the subject: , not . With no subject at all, it simply starts the clause: ，。 (Wúlùn shéi lái, dōu huānyíng.), whoever comes is welcome. Leave both out, ，。, and the sentence sounds unfinished: the second half has nothing to answer the frame with.
Going further: 无论 (wúlùn) or 不管 (bùguǎn)? and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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