Difference between revisions of "Expressing "not… but rather…" with "er shi""

Revision as of 07:36, 11 May 2012

不是... 而是... (bù shì... ér shì) means X is not Y, but rather Z. This is a useful phrase to use in arguments to overturn a point of view and state the opposite.

Structure

不是 + A + 而是 + B

A above is the undesirable option, and B is the desirable option. The same could be expressed as follows:

是 + B + 而不是 + A

Examples

For example:

我 不是 不想帮忙 而是 没有能力帮忙。
我认为盖尔特做慈善活动的目的 不是 为了帮助穷人 而是 为了提高自己的名誉。

Sources and further reading

Books

Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 306-7) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 20) →buy

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-不是...而是... (bù shì...érshì) means X is not Y, but rather Z. This is a useful phrase to use in arguments to overturn a point of view and state the opposite.
+不是... 而是... (bù shì... ér shì) means X is not Y, but rather Z. This is a useful phrase to use in arguments to overturn a point of view and state the opposite.
+== Structure ==
+<div class="jiegou">
+不是 + A + 而是 + B
+</div>
+A above is the undesirable option, and B is the desirable option.  The same could be expressed as follows:
+<div class="jiegou">
+是 + B + 而不是 + A
+</div>
+== Examples ==
 For example:
 <div class="liju">
 * 我 <em>不 是</em> 不 想 帮忙 <em>而 是</em> 没有 能力 帮忙。
@@ Line 8: / Line 27: @@
 ==See also==
 *[[Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"]]
 *[[Expressing the only two possibilities]]