Level 5 · Advanced
And so: 于是
Event 1，于是 + Event 2 · Traditional: Event 1，於是 + Event 2
于是 (yúshì) means "and so" — one event flows naturally into the next: 商店关门了，于是我们去了别的地方 "the shop was closed, so we went somewhere else." It narrates a sequence: this happened, and so that happened.
That makes it different from 所以, which argues logic. 他是中国人，所以会说中文 is a deduction — 于是 would sound wrong there because nothing happened, something was merely inferred. Use 于是 for storytelling, 所以 for reasoning.
Examples
商店关门了，于是我们去了别的地方。
商店關門了，於是我們去了別的地方。
shāng diàn guān mén le yú shì wǒ men qù le bié de dì fāng
The shop was closed, so we went somewhere else.
他觉得很无聊，于是打开了电视。
他覺得很無聊，於是打開了電視。
tā jué de hěn wú liáo yú shì dǎ kāi le diàn shì
He was bored, so he turned on the TV.
大家都饿了，于是我们决定先吃饭。
大家都餓了，於是我們決定先吃飯。
dà jiā dōu è le yú shì wǒ men jué dìng xiān chī fàn
Everyone was hungry, so we decided to eat first.
她想了很久，于是给妈妈打了个电话。
她想了很久，於是給媽媽打了個電話。
tā xiǎng le hěn jiǔ yú shì gěi mā ma dǎ le gè diàn huà
She thought about it for a long while, and so she called her mom.
Common mistakes
✗ 他是中国人，于是他会说中文。
✓ 他是中国人，所以他会说中文。
于是 links events in a story. For logical conclusions, use 所以.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: Breaking Pots and Sinking Boats · The Space Pen · The Story of Patagonia — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
