Expressing "on the contrary" with "fan'er"

反而 (fǎn'ér) is used to express "on the contrary" or "in contrast," with 反而 going in the second part of the sentence.

Structure

[Clause 1]， 反而 + [Clause 2]

Note that "clauses" are used above. This means that you need a subject (possibly implied) and verb on both sides of the 反而, and not just one word.

Examples

Here are some examples of 反而 in action:

• 天气 预报 说 今天 是 大晴天，结果反而下 了 一整天 的 雨 。
• 他 觉得 所谓 的 发展 不 是 进步，反而 是 退化。
• 商家 简化 说明书 是 为了 方便 消费者，结果 反而 弄巧成拙 了。

See also

• The "However" Adverb "que"
• Expressing Contrariness with "dao"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 259) →buy

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