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Formation: V-plain / い-adj plain / な-adj + な・である / N + である + 一方（で）; sentence-initial 一方、 / その一方で

It links two clauses in two ways. It can set two contrasting sides against each other (convenient on one hand, risky on the other), or it can describe two activities or roles carried on side by side (works as an employee while also writing novels). It is formal and very common in news articles, reports and essays, and you will often see 一方、 or その一方で at the start of a sentence. Compare 〜に対して, which contrasts two different subjects more sharply and objectively. 〜つつ joins two actions by the same person at the same moment. Be careful not to confuse it with 〜一方だ, which means a change keeps going in one direction.

Variants: 一方、一方で、その一方で、一方では

Examples

• 都市部に人口が集中する一方、地方では過疎化が進んでいる。
  While the population is concentrating in cities, rural areas are becoming depopulated.
• 彼は会社員として働く一方で、週末は小説を書いている。
  He works as a company employee, and at the same time writes novels at weekends.
• ネットは便利である一方、トラブルの原因にもなる。
  The internet is convenient, but on the other hand it can also cause trouble.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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