尽管...但是/也...
Reach for 尽管...但是/也... when you want to acknowledge a real situation and then deliver the main point that holds despite it — 'despite X, still Y.' It's the slightly formal cousin of 虽然...但是.... Use 但是 when the second clause is a clean contrast; use 也 when the second clause is a parallel attitude or action that survives the obstacle. The pattern shows up constantly in news reporting because it lets writers concede a fact while keeping the spotlight on their main claim.
Structure
尽管 [REAL OBSTACLE], 但是/也 [MAIN POINT]
jǐnguǎn... dànshì/yě...
How to Think About It
尽管 means 'granted that — yes.' It signals you're admitting something real before you push back. 但是 turns the admission into a sharp contrast ('but here's what actually matters'); 也 says 'and on top of all that, this still holds.' The pair must stay paired — dropping 但是/也 leaves the concession hanging like an unfinished thought. Compared to 即使 (which considers hypothetical extremes), 尽管 always concedes something that is actually true.
Examples
尽管下雨, 但是我们还是出去玩了。
Jǐnguǎn xià yǔ, dànshì wǒmen háishì chūqù wán le.
Although it was raining, we still went out to play.
尽管工作很忙, 他也每天坚持运动。
Jǐnguǎn gōngzuò hěn máng, tā yě měitiān jiānchí yùndòng.
Despite being busy with work, he still exercises every day.
尽管价格上涨了, 但是大家还在买。
Jǐnguǎn jiàgé shàngzhǎng le, dànshì dàjiā hái zài mǎi.
Although the price went up, people are still buying.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the second half (但是/也) because in English 'although' alone is enough. In Chinese the concessive structure requires a marker in the second clause to anchor the contrast. Without it, the sentence feels truncated — like the speaker bailed mid-thought.
尽管他很努力, 他没考上。
尽管他很努力, 但是他没考上。
Don't Confuse With
虽然...但是...
虽然 is the everyday spoken version. 尽管 reads more written and slightly stronger. In speech, 虽然 sounds natural; in essays and news, 尽管 fits better.
不管...都...
不管 = 'no matter what condition' (hypothetical range). 尽管 = 'though this one fact is true.' 不管下不下雨 = whether it rains or not; 尽管下着雨 = even though it's raining.
即使...也...
即使 imagines an extreme hypothetical; 尽管 concedes an actual fact. 即使他来 = even if he comes (maybe); 尽管他来了 = though he came (he did).
Practice
___ 天气不好, 但是我们还是要走。
Show answer
尽管
尽管他很累, ___ 还在坚持工作。 (use the persistence word)
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也
Put in order: [尽管 / 但是 / 我 / 喜欢 / 它 / 贵 / 很]
Show answer
尽管它很贵, 但是我喜欢。
Translate to Chinese: 'Although she's tired, she still keeps studying.'
Show answer
尽管她很累, 但是她还在坚持学习。
Write a sentence conceding an obstacle, using 尽管...但是....
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Example answer: 尽管这条路很远, 但是风景很美。 (Although the road is long, the scenery is beautiful.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode. Press play to hear the sentence:
处于这种争论中间的企业现在必须非常小心，尽管北京也在考虑如果增加压力会有什么风险。
Businesses caught in the middle of this dispute must now be very careful, although Beijing is also considering the risks of increasing pressure.
China–Japan Trade After Takaichi's ElectionIntermediate
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 尽管...但是/也... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.