▎在…下, (zài...xià), under the..., due to the...

 

Function The pattern 在…下 presents the circumstances, the pre-conditions of a given fact.

1 在學校的教育下，孩子學會了禮貌。

Zài xuéxiào de jiàoyù xià, háizi xuéhuìle lǐmào.

Under the school’s education system, the pupils learned to be courteous.

2 在冰冷的氣候下，所有的動物都躲起來了。

Zài bīnglěng de qìhòu xià, suǒyǒu de dòngwù dōu duǒqǐlái le.

In a cold climate all sorts of animals hide during winter.

3 在高房價的情形下，年輕人都買不起房子。

Zài gāo fángjià de qíngxíng xià, niánqīng rén dōu mǎibùqǐ fángzi.

With such high property prices, young people cannot afford to buy.

4 在母親辛苦的照顧下，他的身體越來越健康了。

Zài mǔqīn xīnkǔ de zhàogù xià, tā de shēntǐ yuèláiyuè jiànkāng le.

Under mom’s supervision, he is regaining his health.

 

Usage Nouns that appear after 在 in this pattern are almost always abstract, e.g.,

1 在老師的鼓勵下，他的成績越來越進步了。

Zài lǎoshī de gǔlì xià, tā de chéngjī yuèláiyuè jìnbù le.

With the teacher’s encouragement, his grades have continued to improve.

2 在少子化的情況下，補習班、幼稚園都減班了。

Zài shǎozǐhuà de qíngkuàng xià, bǔxíbān, yòuzhìyuán dōu jiǎn bān le.

(Faced with / Due to) With the low birth rate, cram schools and kindergartens have reduced the number of classes they offer.

3 在看不到遠景的情形下，年輕人都不想生孩子。

Zài kànbúdào yuǎnjǐng de qíngxíng xià, niánqīng rén dōu bù xiǎng shēng háizi.

Young people don’t want to have children, because they don’t know what the future holds.