虽说 / 诚然: admittedly, it is true that
复句 / complex sentences
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
Two tools for argumentative concession:
• 虽说 = a slightly more colloquial, nuanced 虽然 ("sure, it's true that… but").
• 诚然 = "admittedly, undeniably": very written, it grants a point everyone accepts before moving past it. Sentence-initial, often followed by a comma, or after the subject.
Classic essay strategy: 诚然 + concession, 但是 + thesis.
Examples
诚然，人工智能提高了效率，但它带来的伦理问题也不容忽视。
Chéngrán, réngōng zhìnéng tígāo le xiàolǜ, dàn tā dài lái de lúnlǐ wèntí yě bù róng hūshì.Admittedly, AI has boosted efficiency, but the ethical issues it raises cannot be ignored.
虽说现在翻译软件很发达，可学外语还是很有必要。
Suīshuō xiànzài fānyì ruǎnjiàn hěn fādá, kě xué wàiyǔ háishi hěn yǒu bìyào.Sure, translation software is advanced now, but learning languages is still necessary.
技术诚然重要，但使用技术的人更重要。
Jìshù chéngrán zhòngyào, dàn shǐyòng jìshù de rén gèng zhòngyào.Technology undeniably matters, but the people using it matter more.
Common mistakes
✗ 诚然 without a "but": it always announces a counter-argument.
✗ Confusing 诚然 (admittedly) with 诚实 (honest).