# Chinese Purpose Clauses: How to Use “以” | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-7-9-purpose-clauses-g120 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-7-9-g120 HSK levels: 7-9 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:57:43.648Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how 以 links an action to its intended purpose, how it differs from 以免 and 以便, and how to form natural sentences. Grammar [HSK 7-9 · Sentence types › Single-level complex sentences › Purpose clauses](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-7-9#hsk-7-9-g120) # Expressing Purpose with “……，以……” The pattern “……，以……” states an action and then gives the purpose behind it. Learn how to connect the clauses clearly, choose a suitable purpose expression, and distinguish intention from an outcome that merely happens afterward. action or arrangement ，以 intended purpose Example sentence 项目组重新核对了原始数据，以确认统计时没有遗漏任何记录。 Xiàngmù zǔ chóngxīn héduì le yuánshǐ shùjù, yǐ quèrèn tǒngjì shí méiyǒu yílòu rènhé jìlù. The project team checked the raw data again to confirm that no records had been omitted when compiling the statistics. 以 introduces the intended purpose of checking the data. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Meaning and use The outline lists “……，以……” under purpose compound sentences at levels 7–9. In this pattern, the first clause presents an action or arrangement, and the clause beginning with 以 states what that action is intended to achieve. The second clause answers “for what purpose?” The connection is usually formal and concise, so it often suits reports, plans, explanations, and other careful writing. The outline establishes this point’s scope and level; it does not establish which examination version is currently administered at any particular centre. The intended aim should make sense as a reason for choosing the first action. In the report example, checking source data is done for the purpose of confirming the results. By contrast, “The team checked the data, and then the meeting began” merely places two events in sequence; the meeting is not necessarily the purpose of checking. 项目组重新核对了原始数据，以确认统计时没有遗漏任何记录。 Xiàngmù zǔ chóngxīn héduì le yuánshǐ shùjù, yǐ quèrèn tǒngjì shí méiyǒu yílòu rènhé jìlù. The project team checked the raw data again to confirm that no records had been omitted when compiling the statistics. 以 introduces the intended purpose of checking the data. ## Form and clause relationship A useful frame is action，以 + purpose verb phrase. The purpose must be a plausible aim of that action. If the aim involves another person acting, a causative phrase can make the relation explicit, such as 以使居民了解安排 (“to enable residents to understand the arrangements”). The related 以便 construction can also introduce another subject directly, as in 以便外地学者参加. Do not assume bare 以 freely introduces any new subject-and-predicate clause. action or arrangement ，以 intended purpose 学校把讲座安排在周五下午，以便外地学者参加。 Xuéxiào bǎ jiǎngzuò ānpái zài Zhōuwǔ xiàwǔ, yǐbiàn wàidì xuézhě cānjiā. The school scheduled the lecture for Friday afternoon so that scholars from elsewhere could attend. 以便 highlights a convenient opportunity made possible by the schedule. 我们暂时不公布调查结果，以避免影响后续访谈。 Wǒmen zànshí bù gōngbù diàochá jiéguǒ, yǐ bìmiǎn yǐngxiǎng hòuxù fǎngtán. We are temporarily withholding the survey results to avoid affecting the follow-up interviews. 以避免 makes the preventive purpose explicit. ## Choosing a precise purpose expression The outline’s pattern uses 以 to introduce the purpose. In context, it can also occur in longer expressions that make the relation more specific. 以便 points toward a useful or convenient result; it often presents a condition that allows someone to do something. 以免 introduces an unwanted result that the action is meant to prevent. These expressions are useful contrasts, but they do not change the central logic: the first clause is chosen with the second clause’s aim in mind. 学校把讲座安排在周五下午，以便外地学者参加。 Xuéxiào bǎ jiǎngzuò ānpái zài Zhōuwǔ xiàwǔ, yǐbiàn wàidì xuézhě cānjiā. The school scheduled the lecture for Friday afternoon so that scholars from elsewhere could attend. 以便 highlights a convenient opportunity made possible by the schedule. 工作人员先扫描这些档案，以免原件受损后信息丢失。 Gōngzuò rényuán xiān sǎomiáo zhèxiē dàng’àn, yǐmiǎn yuánjiàn shòusǔn hòu xìnxī diūshī. The staff scanned the files first so that the information would not be lost if the originals were damaged. Related 以免 construction: scanning protects access to the information if originals are damaged; it does not prevent physical damage to the paper itself. Do not read 以 as a guarantee that the intended result will happen. It signals a purpose or aim; the action may still fail to achieve it. ## A clear purpose and its limits 研究团队增加了样本数量，以提高结论的可靠性。 Yánjiū tuánduì zēngjiā le yàngběn shùliàng, yǐ tígāo jiélùn de kěkàoxìng. The research team increased the sample size to improve the reliability of the conclusion. Correct example. The 以-clause states the intended aim of increasing the sample size. The sample-size sentence is a correct purpose statement. The researchers intend the increase to improve reliability; the sentence does not prove the study is reliable or that sample size alone is sufficient. Likewise, a later event is not a purpose merely because it happens afterward. Ask what the actor intended to achieve. ## Frequently asked questions **Does 以 mean the purpose was achieved?** No. It presents the aim behind the action. The result may or may not occur. **Is this pattern suitable for everyday conversation?** It is especially common in formal or careful written language. In casual speech, speakers may prefer a more conversational way to express purpose, depending on context. **Must the two clauses have the same subject?** The actor and the people who benefit need not be the same. With plain 以, a purpose verb phrase is the normal frame; use wording such as 以使…… to express another person’s response explicitly. Do not model arbitrary 以 + new subject + predicate on the separate 以便 example. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 406](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=406) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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