<p>不是⋯⋯而是⋯⋯ (bù shì... ér shì) means "not A, but rather B." This is a useful phrase to use in arguments to overturn a point of view and state the opposite.</p> <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2> <div class="jiegou"> <p>不是 + A + 而是 + B</p> </div> <p>A above is the undesirable option, and B is the desirable option. The same could be expressed as follows:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>是 + B + 而不是 + A</p> </div> <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2> <p>For example:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>我 <em>不 是</em> 不 想 帮忙 <em>而 是</em> 没有 能力 帮忙。<span class="trans">It's not that I don't want to help, it's that I can't help.</span></li> <li>我 认为 有的人 做 慈善 活动 的 目的 <em>不 是</em> 为了 帮助 穷人 <em>而 是</em> 为了 提高 他们 的 名誉。<span class="trans">I think that some people do charitable things, not only to help poor people, but also to improve their reputation.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li><a href="Expressing_"either_..._or_..."_with_"yaome"" title="wikilink">Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"</a></li> <li><a href="Expressing_the_only_two_possibilities" title="wikilink">Expressing the only two possibilities</a></li> <li><a href="The_pattern_"it's_not…,_it's…"" title="wikilink">The pattern "it's not…, it's…"</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2> <h3 id="books">Books</h3> <ul> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1" title="wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1</a> (pp. 306-7) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276792">→buy</a></li> <li><a href="New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_4_(新实用汉语课本4)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)</a> (pp. 20) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561913192">→buy</a></li> <li><a href="40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(基础汉语40课下册）" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册）</a> (p. 516)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="websites">Websites</h3> <ul> <li>Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: <a href="http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0235.html">Usage of 而</a></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><a href="Category:_B2_grammar_points" title="wikilink">Category: B2 grammar points</a></p>