▎無論 A 都 B, (wúlùn (Conj) A dōu (Adv) B ), regardless of what...

 

Function This pattern refers to all-inclusive options, with no exceptions possible, such as no matter what, no matter who, no matter whether, no matter where...etc.

1 最近有食品安全的問題。無論吃什麼都要小心。

Zuìjìn yǒu shípǐn ānquán de wèntí. Wúlùn chī shénme dōu yào xiǎoxīn.

There have been food safety issues lately. No matter what you eat, make sure you take precautions.

2 工作了一天。無論是否疲倦都需要休息。

Gōngzuò le yì tiān. Wúlùn shìfǒu píjuàn dōu xūyào xiūxí.

After working for a whole day, you need to take a rest. It doesn’t matter if you are tired or not.

3 無論學歷高還是學歷低，有實力、有資金的人都可以創業。

Wúlùn xuélì gāo háishì xuélì dī, yǒu shílì, yǒu zījīn de rén dōu kěyǐ chuàngyè.

No matter what your educational background, if you are capable and have the capital, you can start your own business.

4 風水師說：「無論是買房子還是租房子，都要注意風水。」

Fēngshuǐshī shuō: ‘Wúlùn shì mǎi fángzi háishì zū fángzi, dōu yào zhùyì fēngshuǐ.’

The fengshui master said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you buy or rent. Make sure the house has good fengshui.’

5 在台灣無論什麼地方都可以買到鳳梨酥。

Zài Táiwān wúlùn shénme dìfāng dōu kěyǐ mǎidào fènglísū.

You can buy pineapple biscuits, no matter where you are in Taiwan.

 

Usage

(1) 無論 can be followed by a question word (QW), A-not-A, conjunction of antonymic words, or the addition of 多, as illustrated above. Regardless of structures, a sentence of this type has the meaning ‘In spite of various circumstances, the following fact remains unaffected’.

1 無論 followed by a QW (who, what, when, where).

a. 無論什麼時候，他都很忙碌。

Wúlùn shénme shíhòu, tā dōu hěn mánglù.

No matter when it is, he’s always busy.

b. 無論哪裡都有便利商店。

Wúlùn nǎlǐ dōu yǒu biànlì shāngdiàn.

No matter where you go, there are convenience stores everywhere.

2 無論 followed by A-not-A.

a. 無論能不能當選，李先生都要出來競選。

Wúlùn néng bù néng dāngxuǎn, Lǐ xiānshēng dōu yào chūlái jìngxuǎn.

Whether or not he can win, Mr. Li is going to run for office.

b. 無論學歷高不高，都應該自食其力。

Wúlùn xuélì gāo bù gāo, dōu yīnggāi zìshí qílì.

No matter how much education you have had, you should always rely on yourself.

3 無論 followed by an opposite pair.

a. 無論早晚，你總是得自食其力。

Wúlùn zǎo wǎn, nǐ zǒngshì děi zìshí qílì.

Sooner or later, you’re going to have to stand on your own two feet.

b. 無論成績好壞，都可以升學。

Wúlùn chéngjī hǎo huài, dōu kěyǐ shēngxué.

Whether your grades are good or bad, you can still go further in your studies.

4 無論 followed by the adverb 多.

a. 無論他家多富裕，他都不浪費。

Wúlùn tā jiā duó fùyù, tā dōu bú làngfèi.

Regardless of how wealthy his family is, he doesn’t waste.

b. 無論生活多困苦，吳先生還是很快樂。

Wúlùn shēnghuó duó kùnkǔ, Wú xiānshēng háishì hěn kuàilè.

No matter how hard life gets, Mr. Wu is always happy.

(2) 無論 and 不管 are synonymous. 不管 is more colloquial, while 無論 is more formal, and as a result 不管 is not often followed by formal or literary constructs such as 如何 or 是否.

1 無論別人如何批評他，他都無所謂。

Wúlùn biérén rúhé pīpíng tā, tā dōu wúsuǒwèi.

Regardless of how others criticize him, he doesn’t care bit.

2 無論學生是否願意，都得參加考試。

Wúlùn xuéshēng shìfǒu yuànyì, dōu děi cānjiā kǎoshì.

Whether they want to or not, students all have to take the exam.

3 無論如何，你都不能放棄。

Wúlùn rúhé, nǐ dōu bù néng fàngqì.

No matter what, you should not give up.