Definitions
(adverb)
therefore; thus; so; then
(verb)
to be
Etymology
Possibly depicts a woman standing sideways with her breasts protruding. Based on the original meaning "breast", now written as 奶. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "乃" traces its origins to an early pictographic representation associated with human posture, which informed its initial grammatical role as a second-person pronoun or possessive particle in classical Chinese. Its structural form, composed of a few curved strokes, has seen only minor stylistic modifications across different writing styles while retaining its essential shape. The semantic journey of the character moved from these pronominal uses toward adverbial functions, such as denoting temporal sequence or serving as an emphatic particle, and it also operated as a copula meaning "to be" in certain syntactic contexts. This transition illustrates a broader pattern where originally concrete characters gradually acquired more abstract grammatical roles, and although its standalone usage is now largely confined to literary or formal language, it continues to contribute as a phonetic element in composite characters like "仍" and "扔".
Example Sentences Hide
这乃是事实。
他乃是我们班长。
我乃公司经理。
此乃最佳选择。
他失败乃因准备不足。
这个问题乃至老师都无法解答。
他之所以成功，乃是因为不断努力。
此次会议之重要性，乃在于凝聚共识。