哪怕……，也 / 还……: even if, even though
【四57】复句 / complex sentences (让步)
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
哪怕 A，(S) 也 B: even in the extreme case A, B still holds. A is a difficult, unlikely or unfavourable situation (哪怕下大雨, 哪怕再难, 哪怕只有一个人); B gives the decision or the result that does not change. The second clause takes 也, 还 or 都, never 但是.
A can be a hypothesis (哪怕明天下雨) or a real but unpleasant fact (哪怕累得要命). People often add 再 to raise the degree (哪怕再累, 哪怕再难), and the second clause readily contains 也要 or 还是 to show determination.
It is the more spoken and more determined version of 即使……也……: 即使 is neutral or written, while 哪怕 stresses the worst case imaginable. Do not confuse it with 虽然……但是……: 虽然 states a fact and calls for 但是, whereas 哪怕 is never followed by 但是.
Examples
哪怕明天下雨，我们也要去爬山。
Nǎpà míngtiān xià yǔ, wǒmen yě yào qù páshān.Even if it rains tomorrow, we'll still go hiking.
哪怕再累，他每天也坚持练习。
Nǎpà zài lèi, tā měi tiān yě jiānchí liànxí.However tired he is, he keeps practising every day.
哪怕只有一个人来，演出也要开始。
Nǎpà zhǐyǒu yí ge rén lái, yǎnchū yě yào kāishǐ.Even if only one person comes, the show will go on.
哪怕机会不大，我还是想去试一试。
Nǎpà jīhuì bú dà, wǒ háishi xiǎng qù shì yi shì.Even if the chances are slim, I still want to give it a try.
这件事哪怕你不说，我也知道。
Zhè jiàn shì nǎpà nǐ bù shuō, wǒ yě zhīdào.Even if you don't say anything about it, I know.
哪怕工作到很晚，他也会给孩子讲一个故事再睡觉。
Nǎpà gōngzuò dào hěn wǎn, tā yě huì gěi háizi jiǎng yí ge gùshi zài shuìjiào.Even if he works very late, he tells his child a story before going to sleep.
Common mistakes
✗ 哪怕天气不好，但是我们去。 → ✓ 哪怕天气不好，我们也去。 (no 但是: the second clause takes 也, 还 or 都).
✗ 哪怕很难，我坚持。 → ✓ 哪怕很难，我也要坚持。 (the result clause needs 也).