之所以 — the reason why
the reason why; that's why
How to pronounce it
之所以 is read zhī suǒ yǐ: 3 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
Two third tones in a row: the first one is said as a second tone, but it is still written as a third.
How to write it
In literary Chinese it works like 的. It lives in 之前, 之后, 之间.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “之所以”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 之所以. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 他之所以成功是因为一直很努力tāzhīsuǒyǐchénggōng,shìyīnwèiyìzhíhěnnǔlìThe reason he succeeded is that he always worked hard.
More words from the lesson “As for, and why”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 之所以 mean?
之所以 (zhīsuǒyǐ) means “the reason why; that's why”.
How do you write 之所以?
之所以 is 3 characters: 之 (zhī) — literary possessive particle; 所 (suǒ) — place; that which; 以 (yǐ) — by means of. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 之所以?
之所以 is read zhīsuǒyǐ. Tones: zhī — first tone, suǒ — third tone, yǐ — third tone. The page has an audio recording.
“the reason why” in the lesson “As for, and why”
This word is from the topic “Connectors and particles” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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