Expressing contrariness with "dao"

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倒 (dào) can be used to express something is contrary to expectations, acting as a turning point in the sentence. It is generally followed by a positive comment.

Using 倒 as "However"

倒 can be used to express an unexpected situation. Note that 倒 is often followed by 也 or 又 to add further emphasis.

Structure

⋯⋯ ，Subj. + 倒 + (也 / 又) ⋯⋯

Examples

Sometimes "actually" works well in translations to indicate the contrast between expectation and reality.

  • 我 帮 他， 倒 不 是 因为 喜欢 他，是 因为 他 工作 很 努力 。Wǒ bāng tā, dào bù shì yīnwèi xǐhuan tā, shì yīnwèi tā gōngzuò hěn nǔlì.I helped him not because I liked him, but because he worked very hard.
  • 他 不 是 很 努力 ，成绩 倒 也 不错 。Tā bù shì hěn nǔlì, chéngjì dào yě bùcuò.He's not very hard-working, but his scores also aren't bad.
  • 已经 是 春天 了，倒 又 冷 起来 了。Yǐjīng shì chūntiān le, dào yòu lěng qǐlái le.It's already spring, but it's actually getting colder.
  • 不 吃 药 ，病 倒 慢慢 好 了。Bù chī yào, bìng dào mànman hǎo le.Without taking any medicine, I'm actually slowly getting better.
  • 英语 不 是 他 的 母语 ，他 说 得 倒 挺 地道 的 。Yīngyǔ bù shì tā de mǔyǔ, tā shuō de dào tǐng dìdao de.English is not his mother language, but he speaks quite native-like.

Using 倒 as "Despite"

Structure

倒 can also be used to express a concession, mostly emphasizing the positive side. 就是、但是、可是、不过 are often used to precede the undesirable reality the speaker is calling attention to.

Subj. + 倒 ⋯⋯ ，不过 / 但是 / 就是 ⋯⋯

Examples

  • 我 倒 是 想 去 旅游 ，但是 现在 太 忙 了，没有 时间 。Wǒ dào shì xiǎng qù lǚyóu, dànshì xiànzài tài máng le, méiyǒu shíjiān.I do want to go on a trip, but I am too busy to do so now.
  • 这 篇 文章 的 内容 倒 不错 ，就是 太 长 了 。Zhè piān wénzhāng de nèiróng dào bùcuò, jiùshì tài cháng le.The content of this article is great, but it's just too long.
  • 这 件 衣服 的 样式 和 大小 倒 都 合适 ，可是 我 不 喜欢 这 个 颜色 。Zhè jiàn yīfu de yàngshì hé dàxiǎo dào dōu héshì, kěshì wǒ bù xǐhuan zhège yánsè.The style and size of this piece of clothing actually work well, but I don't like the color.
  • 你们 的 服务 倒 不错 ，但是 对 我 来说 太 贵 了 。Nǐmen de fúwù dào bùcuò, dànshì duì wǒ lái shuō tài guì le.Your service is great, but it's too expensive for me.
  • 我 倒 想 陪 你 一起 去 ，不过 要 等 到 周末 。Wǒ dào xiǎng péi nǐ yīqǐ qù, bùguò yào děngdào zhōumò.I really would like to go with you, but you would need to wait until the weekend.

For more on 倒, be sure to check our C1 grammar point on even more advanced uses of 倒.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

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