即便如此...
Reach for 即便如此 when you've just acknowledged something difficult or surprising and want to keep moving the argument forward anyway — 'even so / nevertheless.' It sits at the start of a sentence, points backward to whatever you just said, and signals that despite all of that, the next claim holds. Common in analytical writing, news commentary, and any prose that needs to concede something without losing its point. Formal register; the spoken equivalent is 就算这样.
Structure
[ACKNOWLEDGED OBSTACLE]。即便如此，[CLAIM THAT STILL HOLDS]
jíbiàn rúcǐ,...
How to Think About It
即便如此 is a one-phrase rhetorical pivot — 即便 = 'even,' 如此 = 'this (the whole previous situation).' Together it says 'even given everything I just told you.' The phrase only works after you've laid out concrete obstacles; drop it in cold and the listener has nothing for 如此 to refer to. Always anchor it to specific content in the previous sentence, otherwise it sounds floaty.
Examples
票很难买。即便如此，年年售罄。
Piào hěn nán mǎi. Jíbiàn rúcǐ, niánnián shòuqìng.
Tickets are hard to buy. Even so, they sell out every year.
市场很差。即便如此，他们还在招人。
Shìchǎng hěn chà. Jíbiàn rúcǐ, tāmen hái zài zhāo rén.
The market is bad. Even so, they're still hiring.
天气很冷。即便如此，他坚持每天跑步。
Tiānqì hěn lěng. Jíbiàn rúcǐ, tā jiānchí měitiān pǎobù.
The weather is cold. Even so, he keeps running every day.
Common Mistake
Learners use 即便如此 to open a paragraph or topic without first establishing the obstacle. The 如此 has to point at something — without prior context, the phrase sounds confused.
即便如此，我每天都去跑步。 (opening sentence, no prior context)
工作很累。即便如此，我每天都去跑步。
Don't Confuse With
即便如此...依然...
Adding 依然 stresses ongoing persistence. Plain 即便如此 just bridges to the next claim; 依然 underlines 'the subject is still doing this despite everything.'
尽管如此
Very close in meaning. 尽管如此 leans slightly more formal-essay; 即便如此 is also formal but a bit more flexible in news / analytical prose.
话虽如此
话虽如此 means 'that being said' — more conversational and diplomatic. 即便如此 is firmer; it carries weight rather than soften delivery.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 票很难买。___ 如此，年年售罄。
Show answer
即便
Fill in the blank: 即便 ___ ，他坚持每天跑步。
Show answer
如此
Arrange: 即便如此，/ 招人 / 他们 / 还在 / 。
Show answer
即便如此，他们还在招人。
Translate to Chinese: Tickets are hard to buy. Even so, they sell out every year.
Show answer
票很难买。即便如此，年年售罄。
Write two sentences using 即便如此 about a challenge you face but push through.
Show answer
工作很忙。即便如此，我每天都学一点中文。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: