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| − | {{Grammar Box}}
| + | #REDIRECT[[Using "er" to explain contrasting ideas]] |
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| − | Sometimes you want to explain that an object, concept, or event isn't one thing, but in fact a different thing. "不是⋯⋯， (而)是⋯⋯" (bùshì..., (ér)shì...) is the perfect structure to convey that in Chinese. An easy way to remember this pattern is that it roughly corresponds to the English, "Something is not X, it's Y."
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| − | == Structure ==
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| − | <div class="jiegou">
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| − | Subj. + 不是 ⋯⋯ ，(而)是 ⋯⋯
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| − | </div>
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| − | It's used to clarify something about a certain noun. What's being clarified can be noun phrases or verb phrases.
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| − | == Examples ==
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| − | <div class="liju">
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| − | *那 <em>不是</em> 一 个 问题 ，<em>而是</em> 一 个 机会 。<span class="pinyin">Nà <em>bù shì</em> yī gè wèntí, <em>érshì</em> yī gè jīhuì.</span><span class="trans">That isn't a problem, it's an opportunity.</span>
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| − | *我们 <em>不是</em> 来 玩 的 ，<em>是</em> 来 办事 的 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>bù shì</em> lái wán de, <em>shì</em> lái bànshì de.</span><span class="trans">We're not here to have fun. We're here to get our job done.</span>
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| − | *我 <em>不是</em> 八卦 ，<em>是</em> 关心 你 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù shì</em> bāguà, <em>shì</em> guānxīn nǐ.</span><span class="trans">I'm not gossiping. I'm concerned about you.</span>
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| − | *重要 的 <em>不是</em> 你 的 外表 ，<em>而是</em> 你 的 内心 。<span class="pinyin">Zhòngyào de <em>bù shì</em> nǐ de wàibiǎo, <em>érshì</em> nǐ de nèixīn.</span><span class="trans">What's important is not how you look outside, it's your inside.</span>
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| − | *我 <em>不是</em> 故意 的 ，<em>是</em> 不 小心 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù shì</em> gùyì de, <em>shì</em> bù xiǎoxīn.</span><span class="trans">I didn't mean to, it's an innocent mistake.</span>
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| − | *你 这样 做 <em>不是</em> 帮 他 ，<em>是</em> 害 他 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zhèyàng zuò <em>bù shì</em> bāng tā, <em>shì</em> hài tā.</span><span class="trans">You were not helping him by doing this, you're hurting him.</span>
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| − | *我 帮 你 <em>不是</em> 想 让 你 感谢 我 ，<em>而是</em> 想 跟 你 做 朋友 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bāng nǐ <em>bù shì</em> xiǎng ràng nǐ gǎnxiè wǒ, <em>érshì</em> xiǎng gēn nǐ zuò péngyou.</span><span class="trans">The reason why I helped you is not to make you grateful to me, but to be friends with you.</span>
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| − | *我们 <em>不是</em> 来 玩 的 ，<em>是</em> 来 工作 的 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>bù shì</em> lái wán de, <em>shì</em> lái gōngzuò de.</span><span class="trans">We're not here to play, we're here to do our job.</span>
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| − | *他 <em>不是</em> 不 喜欢 你 ，<em>是</em> 跟 你 还不 熟 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bù shì</em> bù xǐhuan nǐ, <em>shì</em> gēn nǐ hái bù shóu.</span><span class="trans">It's not that he doesn't like you, it's just he's unacquainted with you.</span>
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| − | *生活 中 <em>不是</em> 缺少 美 ，<em>而是</em> 缺少 发现 美 的 眼睛 。<span class="pinyin">Shēnghuó zhōng <em>bù shì</em> quēshǎo měi, <em>érshì</em> quēshǎo fāxiàn měi de yǎnjing.</span><span class="trans">Beauty is found everywhere. To our eyes, it is not a lack of beauty but a lack of discovery.</span>
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| − | </div>
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| − | == See also ==
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| − | *[[Expressing "not… but rather…" with "er shi"]]
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| − | *[["On the contrary" with "fan'er"]]
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| − | == Sources and further reading ==
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| − | === Books ===
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| − | {{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1|277}}
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| − | [[Category:B1 grammar points]]
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| − | {{Basic Grammar|不是|B1|不是⋯⋯，是⋯⋯|那 <em>不是</em> 一 个 问题 ，<em>而是</em> 一 个 机会 。|grammar point|ASGT9WYR}}
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| − | {{Rel char|而是}}
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| − | {{Similar|"On the Contrary" with "fan'er"}}
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| − | {{Similar|"Not... But Rather..." with "er shi"}}
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| − | {{Structure|Sentence Patterns}}
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| − | {{Used for|Giving alternatives}}
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| − | {{Used for|Contrasting}}
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| − | {{Used for|Differentiating}}
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| − | {{Translation|not}}
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