Expressing contrariness with "dao"
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Used for
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Keywords
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.
Contents
倒 Used to Express an Unexpected Positive
Structure
A + Negative Comment, B + 倒 + Positive Comment
Examples
- 这 家 餐厅 的 汉堡 不 正宗，倒 也 挺 好 吃。This cafeteria's hamburgers aren't very authentic, but they are very tasty.
- 东航 的 服务 很 差 ，但 票价 倒 也 便宜。Eastern Airlines' service is pretty bad, but their ticket prices are really cheap.
倒 can be used with 不过, 但是 or 可是 for further emphasis.
倒 Used to Make a Concession and then a Complaint
Structure
倒 can also be used to express a concession and is used like this:
倒 + Positive Comment (Concession) + 不过 / 但是/就是 + Negative Comment
Examples
- 你 倒 说得 挺 流利，就是 有 点 洋腔洋调。You speak very fluently, it's just that you have a little bit of an accent.
- 丽江 倒 很 漂亮，不过 人 太 多 了!Lijiang is very beautiful, but there are too many people!
- 这 道 菜 倒 好吃，就是 太 辣 了!This food is delicious, but it's just too spicy!
倒 Used Idiomatically
A useful little phrase to admit concession is 那倒也是, something like "I guess so, I hadn't thought of it like that before." Or if on the contrary you are unwilling to concede, 我倒不觉得 can be used.
- 银行家 都是 坏蛋！....我 倒 不 觉得。Banks are all evil! I can't believe it!
- A: “钱 太 重要 了，没有 钱 是 不 行 的!” B: “我 倒 不 觉得 金钱 能 衡量 一切”。 A:Money is the most important, not having money is no good. B:I don't think that money should be considered everything.
For more on 倒, be sure to check our C1 (advanced) grammar point on expressing contrariness with 倒.
See also
- Expressing contrariness with "dao"
- The "However" Adverb "que"
- "On the Contrary" with "fan'er"
- Conceding a Point with "shi"
