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| − | {{Grammar Box}}
| + | #REDIRECT[[Using "er" to explain contrasting ideas]] |
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| − | Sometimes you want to explain that an object, concept, or event isn't one thing, but in fact a different thing. 不是⋯⋯, (而)是⋯⋯ (bùshì..., (ér)shì...) is the perfect structure to convey that in Chinese. This is a useful phrase to use in arguments to overturn a point of view and state the opposite. An easy way to remember this pattern is that it roughly corresponds to the English, "Something is not X, it's Y."
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| − | == Structure ==
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| − | <div class="jiegou">
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| − | Subj. + 不是⋯⋯ ，(而)⋯⋯
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| − | </div>
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| − | or
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| − | <div class="jiegou">
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| − | Subj. + 是⋯⋯ ，不是 ⋯⋯
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| − | </div>
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| − | == Examples ==
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| − | <div class="liju">
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| − | *我觉得 这 <em>不是</em> 麻烦，<em>而是</em> 机会 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ juéde zhè <em>bù shì</em> máfan, <em>ér shì</em> jīhuì.</span><span class="trans">I don't think it's trouble. I think it's an opportunity.</span>
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| − | *她 <em>不是</em> 不 想 买 ，<em>而是</em> 买不起 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bù shì</em> bù xiǎng mǎi, <em>érshì</em> mǎi bu qǐ.</span><span class="trans">It's not that she doesn't want to buy it, it's that she couldn't afford it.</span>
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| − | *我 没 说 <em>不是</em> 想 骗 你 ，<em>而是</em> 怕 你 不 高兴 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ méi shuō <em>bù shì</em> xiǎng piàn nǐ, <em>ér shì</em> pà nǐ bù gāoxìng.</span><span class="trans">The reason why I didn't tell is not that I wanted to lie to you; it's that I'm afraid you would be upset.</span>
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| − | *我 <em>不是</em> 八卦 ，<em>是</em> 关心 你 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù shì</em> bāguà, <em>shì</em> guānxīn nǐ.</span><span class="trans">I'm not gossiping. I'm concerned about you.</span>
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| − | *不好意思 ，我 <em>是</em> 不 小心 ，<em>不是</em> 故意 的 ，<span class="pinyin">Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ <em>shì</em> bù xiǎoxīn, <em>bù shì</em> gùyì de.</span><span class="trans">I'm sorry. It was an innocent mistake. I didn't mean to do that.</span>
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| − | *你 这样 做 <em>是</em> 害 他 ，<em>不是</em> 帮 他 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zhèyàng zuò <em>shì</em> hài tā, <em>bù shì</em> bāng tā.</span><span class="trans">You were hurting him by doing this, not helping him.</span>
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| − | *我 <em>不 是</em> 不 想 帮 你 ，<em>而 是</em> 没有 能力 帮 你 。<span class="trans">It's not that I don't want to help, it's that I can't help.</span>
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| − | *我们 <em>是</em> 来 办事 的 ，<em>不是</em> 来 玩 的 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>shì</em> lái bànshì de, <em>bù shì</em> lái wán de.</span><span class="trans">We're here to do our job, not to have fun.</span>
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| − | *重要 的 <em>不是</em> 你 的 外表 ，<em>而是</em> 你 的 内心 。<span class="pinyin">Zhòngyào de <em>bù shì</em> nǐ de wàibiǎo, <em>ér shì</em> nǐ de nèixīn.</span><span class="trans">What's important is not how you look outside, it's your inside.</span>
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| − | *生活 中 <em>不是</em> 缺少 美 ，<em>而是</em> 缺少 发现 美 的 眼睛 。<span class="pinyin">Shēnghuó zhōng <em>bù shì</em> quēshǎo měi, <em>ér shì</em> quēshǎo fāxiàn měi de yǎnjing.</span><span class="trans">Beauty is found everywhere. To our eyes, it is not a lack of beauty but a lack of discovery.</span>
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| − | </div>
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| − | == See also ==
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| − | *[[Expressing "not… but rather…" with "er shi"]]
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| − | *[["On the contrary" with "fan'er"]]
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| − | == Sources and further reading ==
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| − | === Books ===
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| − | {{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1|277}}
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| − | [[Category:B1 grammar points]]
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| − | {{Basic Grammar|不是|B1|不是⋯⋯，是⋯⋯|我觉得 这 <em>不是</em> 麻烦 ，<em>而是</em> 机会 。|grammar point|ASGT9WYR}}
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| − | {{Rel char|而是}}
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| − | {{Rel char|是}}
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| − | {{Similar|"On the Contrary" with "fan'er"}}
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| − | {{Similar|"Not... But Rather..." with "er shi"}}
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| − | {{Structure|Sentence Patterns}}
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| − | {{Used for|Giving alternatives}}
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| − | {{Used for|Contrasting}}
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| − | {{Used for|Differentiating}}
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| − | {{Translation|not}}
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