Definitions
(particle)
if; as if; like; similar to
(verb)
to be like; to seem
Etymology
Pictograph of a kneeling person smoothing out their unkempt hair with their hands. Based on the original meaning "conform, obey". The 口 (mouth) component was added later when the character became more abstract.
About
The character "若" originated from an early pictographic representation of a person with raised hands, which conveyed notions of compliance or agreement, and this sense was prevalent in its earliest textual uses. Its form later settled into a composition combining the grass radical with the component "右", a structure that, while somewhat obscured by phonetic and semantic shifts, contributed to its evolving meanings. Over time, the semantic range of "若" moved from expressing agreement to serving as a comparative term meaning "like" or "as if", and it further developed into a conditional particle equivalent to "if" in modern usage, with additional historical functions such as a second-person pronoun in classical contexts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
你若努力，就会成功。
他看起来若无其事。
我若不告诉你，你会生气吗？
前方若有困难，我们共同面对。
他若能坚持，必能实现目标。
这景色美若仙境，令人陶醉。
我们若能提前规划，便可避免麻烦。
若论个人才华，他无疑是团队中最出色的。