Expressing "not… but…" with "er shi"
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Keywords
Sometimes you want to explain that an object, concept, or event isn't one thing, but in fact a different thing. This is the perfect structure to convey that in Chinese.
Structure
"不是⋯⋯， (而)是⋯⋯" (bùshì..., (ér)shì...) is used to clarify something about a certain noun. What's being clarified can be verb phrases or noun phrases.
Subj. + 不是 + Noun 1 ，是 + Noun 2
Subj. + 不是 + [Verb Phrase 1] ，是 + [Verb Phrase 2]
An easy way to remember this pattern is that it roughly corresponds to the English, "Something is not X, it's Y."
Examples
- 那 不是 一 个 困难，是 一 个 机会。That isn't a difficulty, it's an opportunity.
- 他 不是 中国人，是 美国人。He isn't Chinese, he's American.
- 这 个 大楼 不是 公寓，是 办公楼。This building isn't an apartment building, it's an office building.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (p. 277) →buy
