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然

rán

1. pronoun so; like that (literary, as in 不以为然)

   他嘴上答应，心里却不以为然。

   Tā zuǐ shàng dāying, xīnlǐ què bù yǐwéirán.

   He agreed verbally but didn't really think so.

2. correlative conjunction however; yet (literary)

   计划虽好，然实行起来很难。

   Jìhuà suī hǎo, rán shíxíng qǐlái hěn nán.

   The plan is good, yet hard to carry out.

3. suffix state or manner (classical remnant)

   他突然站了起来。

   Tā tūrán zhàn le qǐlái.

   He suddenly stood up.

4. adjective right; correct (classical)

   你说得很对，事实正是如此。

   Nǐ shuō de hěn duì, shìshí zhèngshì rúcǐ.

   What you said is correct; the facts are indeed so.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 然 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.