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既然……，就……: Using an Accepted Fact to Reach a Conclusion
Use 既然……，就…… when the first clause presents a fact or situation treated as established, and the second clause gives a response that follows from it. The pattern helps speakers explain a decision, suggestion, conclusion, or question.
既然明天要早起，我们今晚就早点儿休息吧。
A suggestion follows from a future obligation.
Read the full explanation and examples
Meaning and use
既然……，就…… links an accepted fact or situation to a response that the speaker presents as a reasonable consequence. In English, the relation is often close to “since …, then …” or “now that …, ….” The first clause supplies the basis; the second states what follows from accepting that basis. The outline lists this pattern under compound sentences expressing cause and effect.
The response does not have to be a physical result caused by the first situation. It can be a plan, decision, suggestion, or conclusion. Speakers commonly use the pattern when they are making a choice based on information both people know or have just established.
既然明天要早起，我们今晚就早点儿休息吧。
A suggestion follows from a future obligation.
Forming the sentence
既然 introduces a situation treated as established for the conversation. In the response, an expressed subject goes before 就: 我们就……, not 就我们…… as a generic frame. Time expressions may also precede 就, as in 我们今晚就早点儿休息吧. When the subjects match, one may be omitted if clear. The first subject can also precede 既然 in suitable contexts: 你既然已经看过报告，就请…….
既然外面下雨了，比赛就改在体育馆举行。
The accepted weather condition supports a practical decision.
Here, the rain is the accepted situation, while changing the venue is the practical response. 就 marks the next step in the reasoning; it does not mean that every event described after it must be an automatic or unavoidable result.
When the pattern fits
Use the pattern when the listener can follow why the first clause supports the second. It works well for proposals and instructions, especially when the speaker is drawing a practical consequence from a shared fact.
既然你已经看过这份报告，就请把最重要的发现告诉大家。
An instruction follows from the listener's familiarity with the report.
- A suggestion: the speaker treats the reason as a basis for recommending an action.
- A decision: the response states what the speaker or group will do given the situation.
- A conclusion: the response follows from information already established.
既然大家都同意这个办法，我们就从下周开始试行。
A group decision follows from agreement.
Questions and a useful contrast
The pattern can also introduce a question. The first clause still gives a situation accepted as the basis; the question asks what follows from it or why the listener is not taking an expected action. Question words and question particles remain in their usual positions.
既然你不赶时间，为什么不坐公交车去呢？
A question presents a suggestion based on the stated situation.
Compare this with a simple statement that one event caused another. With 既然……，就……, the speaker foregrounds the first situation as a premise for a response, often one involving choice or judgment. A sentence without 既然 may simply report a cause and its result. Choose the pattern when that reasoning link is useful to the listener.
Frequently asked questions
Does the first clause have to describe something that already happened?
No. It needs to be treated as an accepted or established situation, but that situation may concern the present or future, as in a schedule or plan.
Does 就 mean that the second event is unavoidable?
No. The pattern presents the response as following reasonably from the first clause. That response may be a choice, recommendation, or conclusion.
Can I use the pattern in a question?
Yes. Keep the accepted situation in the first clause and form the question in the response clause, as in the bus example.
