X 也就是说 ...
Reach for this when you've just stated something dense and want to restate it more plainly. 也就是说 = 'in other words / that is to say.' It's the bridge between a complicated fact and the cleaned-up version a reader can absorb in one breath. Common in commentary, news, and teaching — anywhere you suspect the listener didn't fully catch the first phrasing.
Structure
[FIRST STATEMENT]，也就是说，[RESTATEMENT]
...yě jiù shì shuō...
How to Think About It
Literally: 也 ('also') + 就是 ('is precisely') + 说 ('to say') = 'which is also to say.' The 也 carries the implicit 'said differently,' the 就是 narrows it to 'precisely this,' and 说 frames it as speech. Compared to 意味着 ('implies'), 也就是说 doesn't add new information — it rephrases. If your second clause could swap with the first, you've used it correctly.
Examples
这些都是"未解之谜"——也就是说，政府查了，但查不出来。
Zhèxiē dōu shì "wèi jiě zhī mí" — yě jiù shì shuō, zhèngfǔ chá le, dàn chá bù chūlái.
These are all 'unsolved mysteries' — in other words, the government investigated, but couldn't find anything.
他没有签合同，也就是说，他还没正式加入。
Tā méiyǒu qiān hétóng, yě jiù shì shuō, tā hái méi zhèngshì jiārù.
He hasn't signed the contract — in other words, he hasn't officially joined.
我们只剩三天，也就是说，必须今天就开始。
Wǒmen zhǐ shèng sān tiān, yě jiù shì shuō, bìxū jīntiān jiù kāishǐ.
We have only three days left, which is to say, we have to start today.
Common Mistake
Learners use 也就是说 to introduce a CONSEQUENCE, not a restatement. '下雨了，也就是说比赛取消了' is wrong — rain doesn't equal cancellation, it causes it. Use 意味着 for consequences; reserve 也就是说 for genuine paraphrasing.
他没来，也就是说比赛输了。
他没来，意味着比赛输了。
Don't Confuse With
意味着...
意味着 introduces an IMPLICATION or consequence. 也就是说 just RESTATES the same fact in plainer words. Different jobs.
换句话说...
换句话说 = 'to put it another way,' near-synonym. 也就是说 is more conversational; 换句话说 is slightly more deliberate / written.
简单来说...
简单来说 = 'to put it simply' — signals deliberate simplification. 也就是说 doesn't promise simpler — just different wording.
Practice
他没有签合同，也就是 ___，他还没正式加入。
Show answer
说
我们只剩三天，___ 就是说，必须今天就开始。
Show answer
也
Arrange: 他不来 / 也就是说 / 取消了 / 会议
Show answer
他不来，也就是说会议取消了。
He didn't reply, in other words, he disagrees.
Show answer
他没回信息，也就是说，他不同意。
Restate a complicated fact in plainer terms using 也就是说.
Show answer
公司这个月没招人，也就是说，今年不打算扩张了。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear X 也就是说 ... 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, no card.