既然

既然 (jì rán) is a conjunction used to introduce a situation or condition that has already been established, often implying that the result or action follows logically from that situation. It is commonly translated as 'since' or 'given that' in English.

The character 既 (jì) originally meant 'already' or 'once,' while 然 (rán) means 'so' or 'then.' Together, 既然 suggests a logical sequence where one thing leads to another, similar to 'if... then...' in English.

在中文中，既然常用于表达因果关系或假设条件，常见于日常对话、书面语和正式场合。例如，在解释原因或做出决定时，人们会说“既然你这么想，那我们就这样办。”（Since you feel that way, let's do it that way.）它也常与“就”连用，如“既然如此，就…”，表示“既然这样，那么…”。