“Still” in Chinese 4 – 仍旧 réngjiù & 依旧 yījiù

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OneDotDot Chinese
Grammar · HSK 6
Grammar Point · HSK 6

仍旧 réngjiù · 依旧 yījiù

Both mean “still” or “as before,” and in most sentences they’re genuinely interchangeable. But 仍旧 réngjiù leans toward everyday persistence — something holding on despite the odds — while 依旧 yījiù leans literary, the word you reach for when time has passed and something, movingly, hasn’t changed.

仍舊 réngjiù and 依舊 yījiù Chinese Grammar

Honestly, there’s no meaningful difference in meaning between 仍旧 réngjiù and 依旧 yījiù — most of the time you could swap one for the other and no native speaker would blink. The gap is entirely in tone: neutral and steady versus wistful and poetic.

1 Structure

S + 仍旧 réngjiù + Adj / V

Common in both spoken and written language, though it leans slightly more formal. It often emphasizes something continuing despite expectations or time passing.

十年shínián了le，我的wǒde中文zhōngwén仍旧réngjiù不好bùhǎo。
It’s been ten years, and my Chinese is still not good.
他tā已经yǐjīng道歉dàoqiàn很多次hěnduōcì了le，你nǐ仍旧réngjiù不愿意búyuànyì原谅yuánliàng他tā吗ma？
He’s already apologized many times. Do you still refuse to forgive him?
情况qíngkuàng仍旧réngjiù没有méiyǒu改变gǎibiàn。
The situation is still unchanged.
我wǒ仍旧réngjiù记得jìdé你nǐ说过shuōguò的de每一句měiyíjù话huà。
I still remember every word you said.
虽然suīrán中了zhòngle彩券cǎiquàn变成biànchéng千万qiānwàn富翁fùwēng，她tā仍旧réngjiù每天měitiān上班shàngbān。
Even though she won the lottery and became a multimillionaire, she still goes to work every day.

S + 依旧 yījiù + Adj / V

More common in written or poetic language. It’s used to evoke a sense of sentimentality or timelessness.

她的tāde笑容xiàoróng依旧yījiù灿烂cànlàn，你的nǐde中文zhōngwén也yě依旧yījiù很hěn烂làn。
Her smile is still as radiant as ever, and your Chinese is still as bad as ever.
他tā依旧yījiù是shì那个nàge老样子lǎoyàngzi。
He’s still the same as before.
这次zhècì他tā依旧yījiù选择xuǎnzé了le沉默chénmò。
This time, he still chose to remain silent.
尽管jǐnguǎn我wǒ离开líkāi纽约niǔyuē多年duōnián，依旧yījiù怀念huáiniàn着zhe那里nàlǐ的de贝果bèiguǒ。
Even though I left New York years ago, I still miss the bagels there.
时光shíguāng飞逝fēishì，山河shānhé依旧yījiù。
Time flies, but the mountains and rivers remain the same.
Fun Fact

时光飞逝，山河依旧 shíguāng fēishì, shānhé yījiù is the kind of line you’d find carved on a pavilion or opening a period drama — 依旧 yījiù shows up constantly in this “nature endures, people change” register that literary Chinese loves.

2 Common Mistakes

Most errors come from stacking on a conflicting 了 le, or placing 仍旧 réngjiù / 依旧 yījiù in the wrong spot in the sentence.

❌
情况qíngkuàng仍旧réngjiù没有méiyǒu改变gǎibiàn了le。
✅
情况qíngkuàng仍旧réngjiù没有méiyǒu改变gǎibiàn。
仍旧 réngjiù already signals that a state has persisted unchanged, so tacking on 了 le — which usually marks a new change or development — contradicts that continuity. The sentence ends up reading like the state just changed into “no change,” which cancels itself out.
❌
我wǒ记得jìdé仍旧réngjiù你nǐ说过shuōguò的de每一句měiyíjù话huà。
✅
我wǒ仍旧réngjiù记得jìdé你nǐ说过shuōguò的de每一句měiyíjù话huà。
仍旧 réngjiù and 依旧 yījiù are adverbs, so they have to sit directly in front of the verb or adjective they modify — right after the subject — never after the verb.

3 仍旧 vs 依旧

To be honest, there’s no significant difference in meaning, so they can be used interchangeably in most sentences. The choice really depends on personal preference — and the mood you’re going for.

仍旧 réngjiù 依旧 yījiù
Meaning Still, as before Still, unchanged
Tone Neutral or persistent Nostalgic or poetic
Context Everyday or formal usage Literary, poetic, emotional
Example
情况qíngkuàng仍旧réngjiù没有méiyǒu改变gǎibiàn。
时光shíguāng飞逝fēishì，山河shānhé依旧yījiù。

4 How about 仍然 and 依然

  • Basically the same — 仍旧 réngjiù and 仍然 réngrán can be swapped in almost any sentence. 仍旧 réngjiù just sounds a little more formal.
  • Same story with 依旧 yījiù and 依然 yīrán — both poetic, both interchangeable, with 依然 yīrán being the more common of the two.

5 Practice

Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.

01Even after all these years, he still remembers her birthday.
过了guòle这么多年zhèmeduōnián，他tā仍旧réngjiù记得jìdé她的tāde生日shēngrì。
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02No matter how many times I explain, he still doesn’t understand.
不管bùguǎn我wǒ解释jiěshì了le几次jǐcì，他tā仍旧réngjiù不懂bùdǒng。
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03The old house still stands quietly at the end of the lane.
老房子lǎofángzi依旧yījiù静静地jìngjìngde立在lìzài巷子xiàngzi的de尽头jìntóu。
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04Despite the years apart, her love for him remained unchanged.
尽管jǐnguǎn多年duōnián分离fēnlí，她tā对duì他的tāde爱ài依旧yījiù不变búbiàn。
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05Even after the storm, the flowers in the garden still bloomed.
即使jíshǐ经过jīngguò了le暴风雨bàofēngyǔ，花园huāyuán里的lǐde花huā依旧yījiù盛开shèngkāi。
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06His attitude is still the same as it was ten years ago.
他的tāde态度tàidù仍旧réngjiù和hé十年前shíniánqián一样yíyàng。
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07Although the company laid off many people, business still runs normally.
虽然suīrán公司gōngsī裁了cáile很多人hěnduōrén，业务yèwù仍旧réngjiù正常zhèngcháng运作yùnzuò。
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08The town he grew up in remains, as ever, quiet and unchanged.
他tā成长chéngzhǎng的de小镇xiǎozhèn依旧yījiù宁静níngjìng如昔rúxī。
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09Even after losing everything, he still believed in himself.
即使jíshǐ失去shīqù了le一切yíqiè，他tā仍旧réngjiù相信xiāngxìn自己zìjǐ。
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10The photo has faded, but the memory in it remains just as vivid.
照片zhàopiàn已经yǐjīng褪色tuìsè，但dàn里面lǐmiàn的de回忆huíyì依旧yījiù鲜明xiānmíng。
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Related Grammar — “Still” in Chinese Series

→还 hái — “Still” in Chinese 1(HSK 2) →仍然 réngrán — “Still” in Chinese 2(HSK 3) →依然 yīrán — “Still” in Chinese 3(HSK 5) →5 Ways to say “Still” in Chinese(Overview)

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