Expressing "not… but…" with "er shi"

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.

Structure

An easy way to remember this pattern is that it roughly corresponds to the English, "Something is not X, it's Y."

Subj. + 不是⋯⋯ ，(而)是⋯⋯

Examples

• 我 觉得 这 不 是 麻烦，而 是 机会 。Wǒ juéde zhè bùshì máfan, érshì jīhuì.I don't think it's a hassle. I think it's an opportunity.
• 她 不 是 不 想 买 ，而 是 买不起 。Tā bù shì bù xiǎng mǎi, ér shì mǎi bu qǐ.It's not that she doesn't want to buy it, it's that she can't afford it.
• 我 没 说 不 是 想 骗 你 ，而 是 怕 你 不 高兴 。Wǒ méi shuō bù shì xiǎng piàn nǐ, ér shì pà nǐ bù gāoxìng.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 八卦 ，是 关心 你 。Wǒ bù shì bāguà, shì guānxīn nǐ.I'm not gossiping. I'm concerned about you.
• 我 不 是 不 想 帮 你 ，而 是 没有 能力 帮 你 。Wǒ bù shì bù xiǎng bāng nǐ, ér shì méiyǒu nénglì bāng nǐ.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 。Zhòngyào de bù shì nǐ de wàibiǎo, ér shì nǐ de nèixīn.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 。Shēnghuó zhōng bù shì quēshǎo měi, ér shì quēshǎo fāxiàn měi de yǎnjing.It's not that life is lacking in beauty, but rather that we lack eyes that discover it.

You can also put 不是 in the second half. Note that 而 can't be used in this case.

Subj. + 是⋯⋯ ，不是⋯⋯

Some examples:

• 我们 是 来 办事 的 ，不是 来 玩 的 。Wǒmen shì lái bànshì de, bù shì lái wán de.We're here to do our job, not to have fun.
• 你 这样 做 是 害 他 ，不是 帮 他 。Nǐ zhèyàng zuò shì hài tā, bù shì bāng tā.By doing this you were hurting him, not helping him.
• 不好意思 ，我 是 不 小心 ，不是 故意 的 。Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ shì bù xiǎoxīn, bù shì gùyì de.I'm sorry. It was an accident. It wasn't on purpose.

See also

• "On the contrary" with "fan'er"
• Conceding a point with "shi"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 277) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 20) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 516) [ →buy]

HSK4