尽管…还是… (jǐnguǎn…háishi…) is the "even though / despite" concession — a close cousin of 虽然…但是…, but with a distinct flavor. Where 虽然 simply grants a fact, 尽管 leans into it: "despite the fact that this is really so." It concedes a situation that actually holds and then insists that the outcome happens anyway. Its natural partner in the second clause is not 但是 but 还是 (still) — the adverb that says "the result stands regardless." This is the pattern English marks with "even though… still…" or "despite…, …anyway."
A real fact, met with 还是
The defining trait of 尽管 is that the conceded clause is true. The rain really is falling; the job really is exhausting. 尽管 acknowledges that reality, and 还是 (or 仍然, 依然, 却) in the main clause pushes through it.
尽管下着大雨，他还是准时到了。
jǐnguǎn xià zhe dàyǔ, tā háishi zhǔnshí dào le
Even though it was pouring, he still arrived on time. (neutral)
尽管我提醒过他好几次，他还是忘了。
jǐnguǎn wǒ tíxǐng guo tā hǎojǐ cì, tā háishi wàng le
Even though I reminded him several times, he still forgot. (informal)
尽管工作很忙，她仍然坚持每天锻炼。
jǐnguǎn gōngzuò hěn máng, tā réngrán jiānchí měitiān duànliàn
Despite being busy at work, she still keeps up her daily exercise. (仍然 is a shade more formal than 还是)
The main-clause adverb is doing real work here — it is what carries the "anyway" meaning. Learn the ladder: 还是 (spoken, everyday), 仍然 / 依然 (more formal, written), and 却 (a sharper "yet," placed before the verb). More on the "still" adverb lives on the 还 page.
尽管条件很艰苦，队员们却毫无怨言。
jǐnguǎn tiáojiàn hěn jiānkǔ, duìyuánmen què háowú yuànyán
Even though conditions were harsh, the team members had no complaints at all. (却 — formal, emphatic)
尽管 vs 虽然 vs 即使
The three concessive openers are easy to blur. Two axes keep them apart: register (how formal) and reality (is the conceded clause a fact or a supposition?).
| Opener | Meaning | Conceded clause is… | Register / pairs with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 虽然 (suīrán) | although | a real fact | neutral · 但是/可是 |
| 尽管 (jǐnguǎn) | even though / despite | a real fact (emphasized) | slightly formal · 还是/仍然/却 |
| 即使 (jíshǐ) | even if | a supposition (not yet real) | formal · 也 |
尽管 and 虽然 are often interchangeable, but 尽管 sounds a touch weightier and pairs more comfortably with 还是 than with 但是. The hard line is against 即使: 即使 introduces something hypothetical ("even if it rains" — it might not), while 尽管 states what is actually the case ("even though it's raining" — it is). Getting this backwards changes the meaning, not just the tone. See 即使…也… for the hypothetical side.
尽管价格上涨了，需求依然很旺盛。
jǐnguǎn jiàgé shàngzhǎng le, xūqiú yīrán hěn wàngshèng
Even though prices have risen, demand remains strong. (news / academic register)
The other 尽管: "go ahead"
There is a second, unrelated 尽管 that trips learners up because it looks identical. On its own before a verb, 尽管 means "feel free to / go right ahead" — an encouragement to do something without hesitation. Context tells the two apart instantly: concessive 尽管 heads a two-clause sentence; "go ahead" 尽管 sits directly before a single verb.
有什么问题，尽管问我。
yǒu shénme wèntí, jǐnguǎn wèn wǒ
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. (the 'go ahead' 尽管)
别客气，需要什么尽管拿。
bié kèqi, xūyào shénme jǐnguǎn ná
Don't be shy — take whatever you need. (the 'go ahead' 尽管)
Common Mistakes
1. Using 尽管 for a hypothetical ("even if"). 尽管 concedes a fact that is true. If the situation is only supposed, you need 即使.
❌ 尽管明天下雨，我也去。
Wrong tense of reality — tomorrow's rain is hypothetical, so use 即使明天下雨, 我也去.
✅ 尽管现在下着雨，我还是要去。
jǐnguǎn xiànzài xià zhe yǔ, wǒ háishi yào qù
Even though it's raining right now, I'm still going. (the rain is a present fact)
2. Forgetting the 还是 / 仍然 in the second clause. 尽管 leaves the main clause feeling naked without a "still" adverb to carry the contrast.
❌ 尽管很累，我去上班。
Flat — the concession has no payoff; insert 还是: 我还是去上班了.
✅ 尽管很累，我还是去上班了。
jǐnguǎn hěn lèi, wǒ háishi qù shàngbān le
Even though I was exhausted, I still went to work.
3. Confusing the two 尽管. Reading 尽管说 ("go ahead and speak") as a concession produces nonsense.
❌ 尽管他说，但是没人听。
Misparsed — as concession this should be 尽管他说了, 但是没人听 'even though he spoke, no one listened.'
✅ 有意见尽管说。
yǒu yìjiàn jǐnguǎn shuō
If you have an opinion, go ahead and say it. (encouraging 尽管)
Key Takeaways
- 尽管…还是… concedes a real, already-true fact and pushes through it anyway.
- Its natural partner is 还是 (spoken) / 仍然 · 依然 (formal) / 却 (before the verb) — not 但是.
- 尽管 is slightly more formal than 虽然; the hard contrast is with 即使 (hypothetical "even if").
- A separate 尽管 before a lone verb means "feel free to / go ahead" — judge by whether a second clause follows.
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- 虽然…但是/可是… (Although…Yet…)HSK 2 — 虽然…但是/可是… (suīrán…dànshì/kěshì) is the paired concession frame: Chinese REQUIRES a 'but' word in the second clause where English forbids it — 虽然很累，但是很开心 'although tired, (yet) happy'.
- 即使/就算…也… (Even If…Still…)HSK 4 — 即使/就算/哪怕…也… (jíshǐ/jiùsuàn/nǎpà…yě) is the hypothetical concessive — it concedes a supposed, not-yet-real situation: 即使失败，也要试 'even if it fails, I still want to try'.
- Contrast: 而 / 然而 / 不过HSK 4 — The 'but / however' family graded by strength and register: 而 (ér, balanced contrast within a sentence), 然而 (rán'ér, formal 'however'), 不过 (búguò, soft spoken 'but'), alongside 可是 and 但是.
- 还 (Still / Also / Even More)HSK 2 — 还 (hái) works from one pre-verbal slot to mean 'still' (an ongoing state), 'also / besides' (one more item), and 'even more' (a higher degree) — three English words, one Chinese adverb.