也就是说 yě jiù shì shuō

也就是说（yě jiù shì shuō）means “that is to say; which means — explains or draws a conclusion from what was just said”. 也就是说 introduces an explanation or logical inference that follows from the previous statement, meaning 'that is to say / which means'. Formation: 前句，+ 也就是说，+ 进一步说明/推论

that is to say; which means — explains or draws a conclusion from what was just said

HSK5

Formation

前句，+ 也就是说，+ 进一步说明/推论

Explanation

也就是说 introduces an explanation or logical inference that follows from the previous statement, meaning 'that is to say / which means'. The second part makes the first one explicit or spells out its consequence. It is common in speech and slightly more conversational than 换句话说.

Examples

今天是月底，也就是说，明天就要发工资了。
jīntiān shì yuèdǐ, yě jiù shì shuō, míngtiān jiù yào fā gōngzī le
Today is the end of the month, which means salaries will be paid tomorrow.
他是我爸爸的哥哥，也就是说，是我的伯伯。
tā shì wǒ bàba de gēge, yě jiù shì shuō, shì wǒ de bóbo
He is my father's older brother — that is to say, he's my uncle.

Note

Can both rephrase and infer; more colloquial than 换句话说, which stresses pure rewording.

FAQ

也就是说 — what does it mean and how is it used?

that is to say; which means — explains or draws a conclusion from what was just said. 也就是说 introduces an explanation or logical inference that follows from the previous statement, meaning 'that is to say / which means'. The second part makes the first one explicit or spells out its consequence. It is common in speech and slightly more conversational than 换句话说.

也就是说 — how do you form it?

前句，+ 也就是说，+ 进一步说明/推论

也就是说 — any usage notes?

Can both rephrase and infer; more colloquial than 换句话说, which stresses pure rewording.

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