connective N1 uncommon casualpolitewritten
それでいて — and yet
それでいて
Meaning
- and yet / but at the same time — joins two coexisting, surprisingly compatible qualities of one subject
Key sentence
彼は無口で、それでいて誰からも好かれている。
He's a man of few words, and yet everyone likes him.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clause/sentence-initial connector | （predicate）て、それでいて … — links a second predicate about the same subject | 簡単で、それでいて奥が深い |
When: Descriptive; used in both speech and writing to characterize one thing's paradoxical nature.
Examples
この料理は簡単で、それでいて本格的な味がする。
This dish is easy to make, and yet it tastes authentic.
彼女は厳しくて、それでいて優しい。
She's strict, and yet kind.
When you can't use it
- The two predicates describe the *same* subject's coexisting traits. It is not for contrasting two separate events or people — use しかし for that.
Easily confused with
See それでいて in real sentences
Jengo shows それでいて the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo