Difference between revisions of "Using "er" to explain contrasting ideas"
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===Websites===
 
===Websites===

Revision as of 01:39, 25 October 2018

The conjunction 而 (ér) is used to connect two sentences that are related to each other, but talk about contrasting ideas or subjects. In this manner, it can be seen as a word meaning "but" or "rather." 而 is often used in a more formal or literary sense, but it is also common in everyday speech.

Structure

Sentence 1， + 而 + Sentence 2

Examples

  • 我 今天 去 你 家 找 你 了，而 你 不 在 家。I am going to your home to find you today, and you are not at home.
  • 孩子 发烧 很 严重，而 你 一点 都 不 关心。Your child has a very hot fever,but you must not care.
  • 她 在 公司 很 受 欢迎，而 我 并 不 喜欢 她。She is very popular at the company, but I don't like her.

As you can see, 而 comes between the two to heighten the contrast.

Frequently you'll see the pattern in one of these two more specific forms:

不是……，而是……

是……，（而）不是……

Examples

  • 以后 后悔 的 人 不 是 我，而 是 你 自己。The regretful person isn't me. It's you.
  • 现在 要 做 的 不 是 责怪 谁 错 了，而 是 怎么 解决。Now is not the time to accuse who did it wrong, but to figure out how to resolve it.
  • 我 没 说 不 是 想 骗 你 ，而 是 怕 你 不 高兴 。The reason I didn't tell you isn't that I wanted to lie to you; it's that I was afraid you would be upset.
  • 我 不 是 不 想 帮 你 ，而 是 没有 能力 帮 你 。It's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I have no ability to help you.
  • 重要 的 不是 你 的 外表 ，而是 你 的 内心 。What's important is not how you look on the outside, but rather what's on the inside.
  • 生活 中 不是 缺少 美 ，而是 缺少 发现 美 的 眼睛 。It's not that life is lacking in beauty, but rather that we lack eyes that discover it.

Subj. + 是⋯⋯ ，（而）不是⋯⋯

Some examples:

  • 我们 是 来 办事 的 ，不是 来 玩 的 。We're here to do our job, not to have fun.
  • 你 这样 做 是 害 他 ，不是 帮 他 。By doing this you were hurting him, not helping him.
  • 不好意思 ，我 是 不 小心 ，不是 故意 的 。I'm sorry. It was an accident. It wasn't on purpose.

See Also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites

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