Chinese grammar de hua (的话): expressing "if" in Chinese with de hua

• 1000 words (~ 15 minutes)

In Chinese grammar de hua (的话) is a very common and important word. It is used either alone or in combination with other words to express “if”. De hua is probably the most common way to express “if” in Chinese, in fact. Because of this, all students of Mandarin Chinese should be familiar with how to use this word, and that’s what this guide is for.

The simplest way to use 的话 is to place it right after a phrase, which will make it into a “if” statement. The structure is:

[phrase] 的话

Let’s have a look at some examples of these “if” statements:

You can see how adding 的话 to the end of a phrase in Chinese works the same as adding “if” in front of a phrase in English. Now lets have a look at a few full example sentences for 的话:

This structure is the simplest way to use de hua in Chinese, but this word can also be combined with others in slightly more complex structures.

Chinese grammar de hua with other words

As mentioned above, 的话 can also be used in combination with other words to express “if”. Each of these words is placed before the statement, and 的话 is placed after it as usual. This can alter the register (formality) and tone of the sentence.

要是……的话 (yàoshi……dehuà)

The least formal of the words we’re covering here is probably 要是……的话. This is a very common way to express “if” in Chinese. The structure is:

要是 [statement] 的话

As you can see, 要是 goes before the statement and 的话 is placed after it. Here’s a quick example sentence:

Note that in all these examples, 的话 is optional and can be left out.

如果……的话 (rúguǒ……dehuà)

The next structure is 如果……的话, and it’s just a little bit more formal than 要是……的话. It’s still not particularly formal though, and you can use it day to day in normal speech. An example:

万一……的话 (wànyī……dehuà)

This structure is slightly different to the others in this article. It’s not a general purpose word for “if”. Instead, it’s more like “in the unlikely event that”. Here’s an example:

假如……的话 (jiǎrú……dehuà)

Moving up the formality scale, we get to 假如……的话. This is not a general purpose “if” word either. 假如 is used only to express totally hypothetical situations that currently aren’t true, rather than simple options or alternatives. An example:

假设……的话 (jiǎshè……dehuà)

Another special purpose word, 假设 means more than just “if”. It also includes the sense of “supposing”. Again, it’s for more hypothetical, non-true situations. An example:

假使……的话 (jiǎshǐ……dehuà)

This is the last of the hypothetical, “supposing” if words here. 假使 is probably the most formal of these (as always, if you don’t agree, please leave a comment below).

若是……的话 (ruòshì……dehuà)

Now we’re back on to the true, general purpose “if” words. These last two are more formal than the rest. The first is 若是. Here’s an example:

倘若……的话 (tǎngruò……dehuà)

This last one is very formal and not for casual use. The writer鲁迅 (Lu Xun) was particularly fond of this expression in his writing. It’s just a very formal way to say “if”. Here’s an example:

Got questions? Suggestions? Please share them in the comments!

See also:

• The “if” sandwich pattern - Chinese Grammar Wiki
• Yào shì 。 。 。 （ de huà ） if … - Learn Chinese Grammar

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