Thereby: 从而
Links an action or measure to the result it brought about, usually by the same subject. A written connector: it opens the second clause, which normally has no new subject.
结构
（主语）+ 做法／原因，从而 + 达到的结果
讲解
本文中的中文词语都可以激活，查看词典释义。
， “He practised every day, and thereby quickly raised his level of Chinese.” says that the first clause was the means and the second is what it achieved. It is a written word, at home in reports, essays and news, and it is one of the connectors HSK 5 writing tasks reward.
The first clause typically describes something someone did — a method, a change, a measure: ， “The company improved its service and so attracted more customers.” The second clause describes the outcome, usually an improvement, an increase or a new state, often with verbs such as , , , or .
Two restrictions follow from this meaning. opens the second clause and normally carries no new subject — the person who acted is the one who achieved. And it does not express an ordinary cause from outside: when rain causes a match to be cancelled, nobody used the rain as a means, so the link is or , not .
正确
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
他每天坚持练习，从而很快提高了汉语水平。他每天堅持練習，從而很快提高了漢語水平。
Tā (first tone, high and level) měitiān (third tone, dipping) jiānchí (first tone, high and level) liànxí, (fourth tone, falling) cóng (second tone, rising) ér (second tone, rising) hěn (third tone, dipping) kuài (fourth tone, falling) tígāole (second tone, rising) Hànyǔ (fourth tone, falling) shuǐpíng. (third tone, dipping)···
He kept practising every day, and thereby quickly raised his level of Chinese.
公司改进了服务，从而吸引了更多顾客。公司改進了服務，從而吸引了更多顧客。
Gōngsī (first tone, high and level) gǎijìnle (third tone, dipping) fúwù, (second tone, rising) cóng (second tone, rising) ér (second tone, rising) xīyǐnle (first tone, high and level) gèng (fourth tone, falling) duō (first tone, high and level) gùkè. (fourth tone, falling)···
The company improved its service and so attracted more customers.
通过这次活动，大家互相了解了，从而成了好朋友。通過這次活動，大家互相了解了，從而成了好朋友。
Tōngguò (first tone, high and level) zhè (fourth tone, falling) cì (fourth tone, falling) huódòng, (second tone, rising) dàjiā (fourth tone, falling) hùxiāng (fourth tone, falling) liǎojiě (third tone, dipping) le, (neutral tone) cóng (second tone, rising) ér (second tone, rising) chéngle (second tone, rising) hǎo (third tone, dipping) péngyou. (second tone, rising)···
Through this event everyone got to know one another, and so became good friends.
错误 — 常见错误
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 从而他每天坚持练习，很快提高了汉语水平。
正确
Correct sentence: 他每天坚持练习，从而很快提高了汉语水平。
为什么: 从而 opens the result clause; it never introduces the means.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 因为下雨了，从而比赛取消了。
正确
Correct sentence: 因为下雨了，所以比赛取消了。
为什么: Rain is an outside cause, not a means someone used. Ordinary cause and effect takes 所以 or 因此.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 他每天坚持练习，从而他很快提高了汉语水平。
正确
Correct sentence: 他每天坚持练习，从而很快提高了汉语水平。
为什么: The 从而 clause shares the subject of the first clause and does not repeat it.
对比
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
所以 marks any result of any cause: 因为下雨了，所以比赛取消了. 从而 is narrower — the first clause must be something done, a means or measure, and the second what that means achieved. It also belongs to writing. A quick test: if you could insert “by doing this” before the result, 从而 fits; if the cause simply happened, use 所以 or 因此.
Cause and result: 因为…所以… →小测验
第 1 题 / 3总分: 0
Fill the gap: 我们改变了学习方法，___ 提高了效率。