Expressing "not only... but also" with "budan... erqie..."
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Level
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Similar to
- Expressing "and" with "he" (A1)
- Expressing "and also" with "hai" (A2)
- Expressing "both A and B" with "you" (A2)
- Expressing "except" and "in addition" with "chule… yiwai" (B1)
- Expressing "in addition" with "haiyou" (B1)
- Expressing "in addition" with "lingwai" (B1)
- Expressing "in addition" with "zaishuo" (B1)
- Advanced uses of "hai" (B2)
- Expressing "not only..., even..." using "budan..., shenzhi lian" (B2)
- Many types of "not only... but also..." (B2)
- Using "budan... geng" to express "not only... but also" (B2)
- Using "er" to explain contrasting ideas (B2)
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Used for
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Keywords
"不但⋯⋯，而且⋯⋯" (bùdàn..., érqiě...) is a very commonly used pattern that indicates "not only, ... but also...."
Structure
Subject + 不但 + Adjective/Verb, 而且 + Adjective/Verb
The pattern can also be used omitting 而且, and instead using adverbs like 也 and 还 in its place.
Examples
- 她 不但 会 说 汉语，而且 会 说 日语。She can not only speak Mandarin, but she can also speak Japanese.
- 他 不但 能 修 汽车，还 能 修 自行车。He can not only fix cars, but he can also fix bicycles.
- 啊，他 很 聪明，不但 上 了 很 好 的 大学，而且 有 很 好 的 成绩。Wow. He's really smart. Not only did he go to a good university, but he also got really good grades.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 22) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 253) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 219) →buy
Websites
- Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Usage of 而
