Expressing "although" with "suiran" and "danshi"
"虽然 ... 但是 ... " (suīrán ... dànshì ... ) expresses that while the former part of the sentence is true, there is an adverse reaction in the latter part. Here's the basic structure:
虽然 + Subject + 但是 + Contrary Reaction
Simply put, the pattern means Although...but.... in English, and is generally used in the same manner. Be aware that "可是" can be used interchangeably with "但是".
Here are some examples:
- 虽然 他 是 美国 人 ，但是 他 还 没 去 过 华盛顿。
- 虽然 她 说 不 太 饿，但是 她 点 了 很 多 菜。
- 他 虽然 给 别人 很 热情 的 感觉，可是 他 其实 是 一个 坏人。
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 115-6) →buy
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 217) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 245) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 256-7) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 177) →buy
