HSK 6 Connectors & compound sentences
若 … 则 …
If… then… (literary 若…则)
Structure 若 + condition,则 + consequence (variant: 若非 + … = were it not for…)
若…则… (ruò… zé…) is the literary conditional: 若 is the formal «if» (written counterpart of 如果, HSK 3) and 则 introduces the consequence («then, in that case»). It appears in formal instructions, regulations, essays and classical-toned prose: 若有疑问,则可咨询 = «should there be questions, one may inquire». The variant 若非… means «were it not for… / if it weren't (that)…», stating a negative counterfactual condition: 若非亲眼所见,实难相信 = «had I not seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe». 则 always keeps the reading zé.
Examples
- 若有疑问,则可向客服咨询。
Should there be any questions, one may consult customer service.
- 若非亲眼所见,实难相信。
Were it not for having seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe.
- 若措施得当,则危机可化解。
If the measures are apt, then the crisis can be defused.
- 若非众人相助,此事断难成功。
Were it not for everyone's help, this matter could hardly have succeeded.
Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.