How to use 无论；不论
无论 / 不论 + question word / alternatives，subject + 都 / 也 + result
无论 introduces possibilities that do not affect the conclusion. It can range over people, places, degrees, actions, or two explicitly named alternatives. The following clause states what remains true throughout that range. 不论 has a closely related function. These constructions commonly appear in careful speech and writing, while 不管 offers a more conversational alternative in many contexts.
Use a question word to leave the range open, or 还是 to connect specified alternatives. 都 or 也 normally appears in the main clause before the predicate. The sentence does not ask which possibility is true; it removes that choice as a factor in the outcome. Make sure the result reasonably applies across the range described.
Examples with pinyin and English
无论你去哪儿，我都支持你。
Wherever you go, I will support you.
无论下不下雨，我们都去。
We will go whether it rains or not.
不论谁来，都要先登记。
Whoever comes must register first.
不论你同意还是不同意，我都会告诉他。
Whether you agree or disagree, I will tell him.
What to remember
- Use 无论 or 不论 to remove a choice's effect.
- Mark alternatives with 还是 rather than 或者.
- Use 都 or 也 in the unchanged result.
Practise the pattern
Practise this topic with the app’s grammar exercises. Your answers and review dates are saved separately from vocabulary practice.
Practise this grammar topic ↗Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.