Using "er" to explain contrasting ideas

The conjunction 而 (ér) is used to connect two sentences that are related to each other, but talk about contrasting ideas or subjects. In this manner, it can be seen as a word meaning "but" or "rather." 而 is often used in a more formal or literary sense, but it is also common in everyday speech.

Structure

Sentence 1， + 而 + Sentence 2

As you can see, 而 comes between the two to heighten the contrast.

Frequently you'll see the pattern in one of these two more specific forms:

不是……，而是……

是……，而不是……

Examples

• 我们 都 以为 这 是 他 干 的，而 事实 是，他 根本 不 知道 这 件 事情。We all thought this was his task, but the fact is, he simply doesn't know about this topic.
• 以后 后悔 的 人 不 是 我，而 是 你 自己。The regretful person isn't me. It's you.
• 现在 要 做 的 不 是 责怪 谁 错 了，而 是 怎么 解决。Now is not the time to accuse who did it wrong, but to figure out how to resolve it.
• 我 喜欢 中国 菜，而 他 不 喜欢。I like Chinese food, but he does not.
• 我不是 没打电话，而是电话没打通。
• 我和你说了这么多，而你却听他的，太让我伤心了。
• 是我而不是他决定公司的事情。
• 我们是夏天而不是冬天去的上海。
• 我们约好下午三点见面，而他却忘了。
• 我不是不喜欢吃蛋炒饭，而是你做的不好吃。

See Also

• Expressing "not only… but also"
• Two words for "but"
• Using "because" with "er" to indicate effect

Sources and Further Reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 343-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 128, 200) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Websites

• Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Usage of 而