Understanding 本就, 本来, 本来是, and 本着 in Chinese Grammar
Chinese has many expressions that seem similar at first glance but carry different shades of meaning. Four such expressions are 本就 (běn jiù), 本来 (běn lái), 本来是 (běn lái shì), and 本着 (běn zhe). These words frequently appear in conversations, news articles, business communication, and formal writing. Understanding their usage helps make Chinese more natural and precise.
本就 (běn jiù)
本就 (běn jiù) means “fundamentally”, “inherently”, “already”, “originally”, or “by nature”. It emphasizes that something has always been true or was naturally the case from the beginning. Compared with 本来 (běn lái), 本就 often sounds slightly more formal and is frequently found in written Chinese.
Structure:
本就 + Verb or Adjective
When speakers use 本就 (běn jiù), they are stressing that a situation is not surprising because it has always been that way.
Example sentences:
这件事本就不容易。(zhè jiàn shì běn jiù bù róng yì)- This matter was never easy to begin with.
成功本就需要时间。(chéng gōng běn jiù xū yào shí jiān)- Success naturally requires time.
他本就很有经验。(tā běn jiù hěn yǒu jīng yàn)- He already had a lot of experience.
人生本就充满挑战。(rén shēng běn jiù chōng mǎn tiǎo zhàn)- Life is naturally full of challenges.
这个问题本就存在。(zhè ge wèn tí běn jiù cún zài)- This problem already existed.
公司本就计划扩大市场。(gōng sī běn jiù jì huà kuò dà shì chǎng)- The company had already planned to expand the market.
他本就不是那种轻易放弃的人。(tā běn jiù bú shì nà zhǒng qīng yì fàng qì de rén)- He was never the type of person who gives up easily.
本来 (běn lái)
本来 (běn lái) is one of the most common words in Chinese. It usually means “originally”, “initially”, “at first”, or “in fact”. It refers to an original situation, expectation, plan, or state before something changed.
Structure:
本来 + Verb, Adjective, or Clause
In daily conversation, 本来 (běn lái) is often used when reality differs from the original plan.
Example sentences:
我本来想给你打电话。(wǒ běn lái xiǎng gěi nǐ dǎ diàn huà)- I originally wanted to call you.
我们本来打算今天出发。(wǒ men běn lái dǎ suàn jīn tiān chū fā)- We initially planned to leave today.
她本来住在北京。(tā běn lái zhù zài běi jīng)- She originally lived in Beijing.
本来天气很好。(běn lái tiān qì hěn hǎo)- The weather was originally nice.
我本来不想参加会议。(wǒ běn lái bù xiǎng cān jiā huì yì)- I originally did not want to attend the meeting.
飞机本来下午三点起飞。(fēi jī běn lái xià wǔ sān diǎn qǐ fēi)- The plane was originally scheduled to take off at three in the afternoon.
他本来可以成功。(tā běn lái kě yǐ chéng gōng)- He could originally have succeeded.
本来是 (běn lái shì)
本来是 (běn lái shì) is a specific pattern that means “originally was”. It focuses on a previous identity, condition, role, or situation.
Structure:
Subject + 本来是 + Noun or Description
This pattern is useful when discussing changes over time.
Example sentences:
他本来是老师。(tā běn lái shì lǎo shī)- He was originally a teacher.
这里本来是一个工厂。(zhè lǐ běn lái shì yí gè gōng chǎng)- This place was originally a factory.
我本来是想帮你的。(wǒ běn lái shì xiǎng bāng nǐ de)- I originally intended to help you.
那栋楼本来是学校。(nà dòng lóu běn lái shì xué xiào)- That building was originally a school.
他本来是公司的经理。(tā běn lái shì gōng sī de jīng lǐ)- He was originally the company’s manager.
这个房间本来是会议室。(zhè ge fáng jiān běn lái shì huì yì shì)- This room was originally a meeting room.
她本来是学法律的。(tā běn lái shì xué fǎ lǜ de)- She originally studied law.
本着 (běn zhe)
本着 (běn zhe) is a formal expression often used in business, academic, legal, and official contexts. It means “based on”, “in accordance with”, or “guided by”.
Structure:
本着 + Principle or Attitude + Verb
The word introduces the principle, purpose, or attitude behind an action.
Common combinations include:
本着诚信原则 (běn zhe chéng xìn yuán zé)- based on the principle of honesty
本着负责的态度 (běn zhe fù zé de tài dù)- with a responsible attitude
本着合作精神 (běn zhe hé zuò jīng shén)- in the spirit of cooperation
Example sentences:
我们本着诚信原则开展业务。(wǒ men běn zhe chéng xìn yuán zé kāi zhǎn yè wù)- We conduct business based on the principle of honesty.
公司本着客户至上的理念提供服务。(gōng sī běn zhe kè hù zhì shàng de lǐ niàn tí gōng fú wù)- The company provides services based on the idea that customers come first.
本着公平原则，我们重新进行了评估。(běn zhe gōng píng yuán zé, wǒ men chóng xīn jìn xíng le píng gū)- Based on the principle of fairness, we conducted a new evaluation.
学校本着教育为本的精神办学。(xué xiào běn zhe jiào yù wéi běn de jīng shén bàn xué)- The school operates based on the spirit of education first.
双方本着合作精神达成协议。(shuāng fāng běn zhe hé zuò jīng shén dá chéng xié yì)- Both sides reached an agreement in the spirit of cooperation.
本着负责的态度，他认真检查了所有文件。(běn zhe fù zé de tài dù, tā rèn zhēn jiǎn chá le suǒ yǒu wén jiàn)- With a responsible attitude, he carefully checked all the documents.
政府本着公开透明的原则发布信息。(zhèng fǔ běn zhe gōng kāi tòu míng de yuán zé fā bù xìn xī)- The government released information based on the principle of openness and transparency.
Comparing the Four Expressions
本就 (běn jiù) emphasizes that something has always been true.
这项工作本就很复杂。(zhè xiàng gōng zuò běn jiù hěn fù zá)- This job was already complicated by nature.
本来 (běn lái) refers to an original plan or situation.
我本来要去机场 (机场, jī chǎng)。(wǒ běn lái yào qù jī chǎng)- I originally intended to go to the airport.
本来是 (běn lái shì) specifically describes what something or someone originally was.
这栋建筑本来是医院。(zhè dòng jiàn zhù běn lái shì yī yuàn)- This building was originally a hospital.
本着 (běn zhe) introduces a guiding principle or attitude.
我们本着互相尊重的原则合作。(wǒ men běn zhe hù xiāng zūn zhòng de yuán zé hé zuò)- We cooperate based on the principle of mutual respect.
Common Mistakes
Many students confuse 本就 (běn jiù) and 本来 (běn lái).
Incorrect:
我本就想昨天去商店。(wǒ běn jiù xiǎng zuó tiān qù shāng diàn)
Correct:
我本来想昨天去商店。(wǒ běn lái xiǎng zuó tiān qù shāng diàn)- I originally wanted to go to the store yesterday.
本就 (běn jiù) is not usually used for plans that changed. It emphasizes an inherent or already existing situation.
Another mistake is using 本着 (běn zhe) without mentioning a principle or attitude.
Incorrect:
我本着去公司。(wǒ běn zhe qù gōng sī)
Correct:
我本着负责的态度去处理这个问题。(wǒ běn zhe fù zé de tài dù qù chǔ lǐ zhè ge wèn tí)- I handled this issue with a responsible attitude.
Useful Expressions
本就如此 (běn jiù rú cǐ)- It has always been this way.
本来打算 (běn lái dǎ suàn)- Originally planned.
本来是这样 (běn lái shì zhè yàng)- It was originally like this.
本着诚信原则 (běn zhe chéng xìn yuán zé)- Based on the principle of honesty.
本着合作精神 (běn zhe hé zuò jīng shén)- In the spirit of cooperation.
本着公平原则 (běn zhe gōng píng yuán zé)- Based on the principle of fairness.
Words-
- 原则 (yuán zé)- principle
- 诚信 (chéng xìn)- honesty and integrity
- 评估 (píng gū)- evaluation
- 达成 (dá chéng)- to achieve or reach
- 复杂 (fù zá)- complex
- 挑战 (tiǎo zhàn)- challenge
- 透明 (tòu míng)- transparent
