Expressing "although" with "suiran" and "danshi"

Structure

"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.

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".

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

• Two words for "but"
• "Although" with "jinguan"

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