<p><strong>之(语助词)</strong> - An auxiliary word that indicates tone/mood(语氣), no meaning. It marks the relationship between the proceeding and the following word, and the place to pause(停顿) when reading (the leading and trailing word emphatically).</p>
<p>IMO, it can be replaced by &quot;則&quot; which is similar to &quot;then&quot; in English.</p>
<ul>
<li>召<strong>則</strong>即來, 來<strong>則</strong>能戰, 戰<strong>則</strong>必勝. - Call <strong>then</strong> come immediately, come <strong>then</strong> able/ready to fight, fight <strong>then</strong> surely win.</li>
</ul>

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2024-10-19T17:32:08.643Z
2024-10-19T18:43:10.857Z
2024-10-19T18:43:10.857Z
r13
<p>之 has multiple functions. See my comment regarding a previous post.</p>
<p>But to confine it to your phrases in question only, i.e. 召之即來，來之能戰，戰之必勝, 之 is a subordinating conjunction, i.e. a word or phrase that links a dependent clause to an independent clause.</p>
<p>This word or phrase indicates that a clause has informative value to add to the sentence's main idea, signaling a cause-and-effect relationship or a shift in time and place between the two clauses.</p>
<p>Thus in:-</p>
<p>召之即來 -- &quot;summoned 之 will come&quot;</p>
<p>來之能戰 -- &quot;arrived 之 will fight&quot;</p>
<p>戰之必勝 -- &quot;fight 之  will win&quot;</p>
<p>Therefore in the examples above, 之 being a subordinating conjunction, i.e. a word or phrase that links a dependent clause to an independent clause, then:-</p>
<p>&quot;summoned&quot;, &quot;arrived&quot;, &quot;fight&quot;, are &quot;independent clauses&quot;, and,</p>
<p>&quot;will come&quot;, &quot;will fight&quot;, &quot;will win&quot; are &quot;dependent clauses&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-20T03:06:50.593Z
2024-10-20T03:43:14.377Z
2024-10-20T03:43:14.377Z
Wayne Cheah
<blockquote>
<p>之：   指代人或事物的名称，相当于他、她、它、他们 [he;her;it;they;them] （and those)<br />
used in
place of the name of a person or a thing, the same as he, she, it,
they</p>
<p>郑商人弦高将市于 周，遇之。——《左传·僖公三十二年》<br />
弦高 a businessman from 郑 walked around the market, and met him, 《左传·僖公三十二年》</p>
<p>窈窕淑女，寤寐求之。——《诗·周南·关雎》<br />
(A)
graceful and refined lady, she is always sought after. 《诗·周南·关雎》</p>
<p>又如:   Other examples:</p>
<p>取而代之;<br />
remove and replace it<br />
战而胜之;<br />
battle and win it (the battle)<br />
为之感叹;<br />
because of that lament<br />
使之顺利发展;<br />
using that develop smoothly<br />
与之见面<br />
meet with him/her</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thus, your text may be like this in English:</p>
<p>召之: 召的：（those who feel) summoned or （those who feel) the calling<br />
來之:  来的： (those who) come<br />
戰之：战的：(those who) fight</p>
<p>召之即來，<br />
（those who feel) summoned, come,<br />
來之能戰，<br />
(those who) come (must be) able to fight<br />
戰之必勝<br />
those who fight shall prevail  (إن شاء الله Inshallah!)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-20T06:26:57.850Z
2024-10-20T06:26:57.850Z
Pedroski
<p>I was watching some Chinese military videos and saw this poster: 召之即來，來之能戰，戰之必勝</p>
<p>I understand the meaning. It's saying a soldier must come if summoned, once they come they must know how to fight, and if they fight they must win.</p>
<p>My question is what does 之 mean here, and is it the same meaning across all three clauses?</p>
<p>The 之 in the first clause I am assuming means 他 (the soldier). The second clause 之 seems to emphasize 來 and has no specific meaning itself. Same for the third clause. But looking back in the first clause 之 could also be stressing the importance of the summons, 召。</p>
<p>Thanks for the help in teaching me what this means.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-20T02:37:19.400Z
Please see this previous post: https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/43618/%E4%B9%8B-grammar-and-usage
Wayne Cheah
<meaning>
Meaning of 之 in 召之即來，來之能戰，戰之必勝
# Meaning of 之 in 召之即來，來之能戰，戰之必勝

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-19)

I was watching some Chinese military videos and saw this poster: 召之即來，來之能戰，戰之必勝

I understand the meaning. It's saying a soldier must come if summoned, once they come they must know how to fight, and if they fight they must win.

My question is what does 之 mean here, and is it the same meaning across all three clauses?

The 之 in the first clause I am assuming means 他 (the soldier). The second clause 之 seems to emphasize 來 and has no specific meaning itself. Same for the third clause. But looking back in the first clause 之 could also be stressing the importance of the summons, 召。

Thanks for the help in teaching me what this means.

**Tags:** meaning
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please see this previous post: https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/43618/%E4%B9%8B-grammar-and-usage  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-19. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

**之(语助词)** - An auxiliary word that indicates tone/mood(语氣), no meaning. It marks the relationship between the proceeding and the following word, and the place to pause(停顿) when reading (the leading and trailing word emphatically).

IMO, it can be replaced by "則" which is similar to "then" in English.

* 召**則**即來, 來**則**能戰, 戰**則**必勝. - Call **then** come immediately, come **then** able/ready to fight, fight **then** surely win.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2024-10-20. Score: 1

之 has multiple functions. See my comment regarding a previous post.

But to confine it to your phrases in question only, i.e. 召之即來，來之能戰，戰之必勝, 之 is a subordinating conjunction, i.e. a word or phrase that links a dependent clause to an independent clause.

This word or phrase indicates that a clause has informative value to add to the sentence's main idea, signaling a cause-and-effect relationship or a shift in time and place between the two clauses.

Thus in:-

召之即來 -- "summoned 之 will come"

來之能戰 -- "arrived 之 will fight"

戰之必勝 -- "fight 之 will win"

Therefore in the examples above, 之 being a subordinating conjunction, i.e. a word or phrase that links a dependent clause to an independent clause, then:-

"summoned", "arrived", "fight", are "independent clauses", and,

"will come", "will fight", "will win" are "dependent clauses"


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### Answer by username_3 on 2024-10-20. Score: 0

> 之： 指代人或事物的名称，相当于他、她、它、他们 [he;her;it;they;them] （and those)  
> used in
> place of the name of a person or a thing, the same as he, she, it,
> they
>
> 郑商人弦高将市于 周，遇之。——《左传·僖公三十二年》  
> 弦高 a businessman from 郑 walked around the market, and met him, 《左传·僖公三十二年》
>
> 窈窕淑女，寤寐求之。——《诗·周南·关雎》  
> (A)
> graceful and refined lady, she is always sought after. 《诗·周南·关雎》
>
> 又如: Other examples:
>
> 取而代之;  
> remove and replace it  
> 战而胜之;  
> battle and win it (the battle)  
> 为之感叹;  
> because of that lament  
> 使之顺利发展;  
> using that develop smoothly  
> 与之见面  
> meet with him/her

Thus, your text may be like this in English:

召之: 召的：（those who feel) summoned or （those who feel) the calling  
來之: 来的： (those who) come  
戰之：战的：(those who) fight

召之即來，  
（those who feel) summoned, come,  
來之能戰，  
(those who) come (must be) able to fight  
戰之必勝  
those who fight shall prevail (إن شاء الله Inshallah!)


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