Difference between revisions of "Comparing "fan'er" and “xiangfan""

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== 相反 can be the predicate ==
 
== 相反 can be the predicate ==
  
相反, like all other adjectives, can be placed after the subject as the predicate of the sentence. Sometimes you can also say 正好相反.
+
相反, like all other adjectives, can be placed after the subject as the predicate of the sentence.  
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
  
Subject + 相反
+
Subj. + 相反
 +
 
 +
A 和 / 跟 B + 是 + 相反的
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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</div>
 
</div>
 
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 02:46, 11 July 2016

Chinese-grammar-wiki-faner.jpg

The differences between 反而 (fǎn'ér) and 相反 (xiāngfǎn) are pretty clear. 反而 is an adverb, while 相反 is an adjective and also a conjunction, and this determines how they are used grammatically.

Position in a Sentence

Structure

相反 normally starts a sentence, and when used should be followed with a comma. As an adverb, 反而 is not so set apart from the rest of the sentence, and should not be followed by a comma.

A,相反,B

A,反而B

Examples

  • 这 个 方法 对 他 来说 没用,相反,对 我 有用。According to him, this method isn't useful, but for me, I think it is.
  • 这样 做 不但 帮 不了 他,反而 会 害 了 他。.

Differences in Meaning

反而 is used in the context of the speaker expecting some kind of turning point. 相反 is for similar things that have a different aspect. 反而 conveys that the difference between what was expected and what actually happened was quite large. 相反 isn't as strong.

Structure

expectation,相反,non-expectation

expectation,反而 + opposite of expectation

Examples

  • 好 好 工作 就 会 升职,相反,不 好 好 工作 是 不 会 升职 的。In a good job, you can move up the ranks, but in a bad job, you can't.
  • 老板 没有 生气,反而 让 我 提 了 更 多 的 建议。The boss didn't get angry. Instead, he gave me a lot of suggestions.

相反 can act as an attribute

相反 is an adjective, and of course it can also be an attribute. Just make sure to add a 的 after it. 反而 cannot be used this way.

Structure

相反 + 的 + Noun.

Examples

  • 这 是 两 个 完全 相反 的 结果。These are two completely opposite results.
  • 你 应该 朝 相反的 方向 走。You should go down a different path.

相反 can be the predicate

相反, like all other adjectives, can be placed after the subject as the predicate of the sentence.

Structure

Subj. + 相反

A 和 / 跟 B + 是 + 相反的

Examples

  • 这 两 种 艺术 的 表现 形式 相反These two art pieces have completely different forms.
  • 我们 的 看法 是 相反 的。Our perspectives are not the same.
  • 老板 的 想法 跟 我 的 相反The boss's way of thinking and mine don't match up.
  • 现在 的 观念 和 以前 的 相反The views of today are different from what they were in the past.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries