固然 (gùrán) lets you agree with someone — genuinely — right before you disagree. It is more formal and deliberate than 虽然 (suīrán), the everyday word for "although," because you are not dismissing the other person's point; you are conceding it on purpose, then pivoting to your real argument.
Place 固然 after the subject to acknowledge a point you actually accept, then follow with 但 (dàn) or 可是 (kěshì) to deliver your counterpoint. The example sentence from this lesson is:
经验固然重要，但学习能力更关键。 (jīng yàn gù rán zhòng yào, dàn xué xí néng lì gèng guān jiàn) — Experience is admittedly important, but the ability to learn is more crucial.
Here you genuinely agree that experience matters — you just want to argue that learning ability matters more. That two-step rhythm (concede, then counter) is what makes 固然 ideal for debates, negotiations, and everyday disagreements where you want to sound fair rather than dismissive.
This is a live voice conversation lesson — you talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin in real time, not typing. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation and adapts to your level. The lesson targets this one pattern and takes roughly 10 minutes. You will practice conceding points and delivering counters until the 固然…但… structure feels natural in speech.
You can try the first lesson free. When you are ready, explore more HSK 5 lessons or continue to another HSK 5 live lesson on 不免 (bùmiǎn) and a lesson on formal connectors with 而 (ér). To reinforce the characters from this lesson, you can print handwriting practice sheets with the free Chinese worksheet generator.
固然 (gùrán) is more formal and deliberate than 虽然 (suīrán). With 固然, you genuinely concede a point you agree with, then pivot to your counter with 但 or 可是. 虽然 also means "although," but it does not carry the same deliberate, debate-style weight of acknowledging before countering.
Conceding a Point means you acknowledge someone's argument as valid before presenting your own — like saying "That's true, but..." The lesson trains you to use 固然 plus a point you accept, then 但 or 可是 plus your real argument, so you sound fair rather than dismissive in debates or negotiations.
Yes. This live lesson is a voice conversation with AI teacher Mei Lin. You talk out loud, and Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you practice the 固然…但… structure. The lesson takes about 10 minutes and focuses on this single pattern.