乃 (nǎi) - to be & actually

乃Tone 3

nǎi ｜ 2 strokes ｜ radical: 丿

娜楠

乃 · nǎi

to be;

actually;

then;

thereupon;

your;

archaic second person pronoun;

used in classical Chinese as a copula or conjunction.

to beactuallythen

Usage highlights

To be; actually isOnly thenYour fatherYour motherThereupon; thenThus; so

Synonyms

  • 是— to be (modern equivalent)
  • 尔— you (archaic)
  • 汝— you (archaic)

Antonyms

  • 非— not to be; wrong

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • This is indeed the case (乃是).
  • Only then did I understand (乃悟).
  • Your Majesty (乃父, your father).
  • Failure is the mother of success (失败乃成功之母).

Collocations

  • To be; actually is(乃是)
  • Only then(乃才)
  • Your father(乃父)
  • Your mother(乃母)
  • Thereupon; then(乃尔)
  • Thus; so(乃今)

Idioms

  • Failure is the mother of success(失败乃成功之母)
  • To act only after careful thought(三思乃行)
  • To understand only after being told(闻乃悟)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used as an archaic second-person pronoun meaning 'your' in classical Chinese.
  • Functions as a classical copula, similar to modern '是' (to be).
  • Appears frequently in classical texts and historical names.

FAQ