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.
Contents
- 1 Structure
- 2 Examples
- 3 Examples
- 4 See Also
- 5 Sources and Further Reading
Structure
Sentence 1， + 而 + Sentence 2
Examples
- 我 今天 去 你 家 找 你 了，而 你 不 在 家。
I am going to your home to find you today, and you are not at home.
- 孩子 发烧 很 严重，而 你 一点 都 不 关心。
Your child has a very hot fever,but you must not care.
- 她 在 公司 很 受 欢迎，而 我 并 不 喜欢 她。
She is very popular at the company, but I don't like her.
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
- 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 没 说 不 是 想 骗 你 ，而 是 怕 你 不 高兴 。
The reason I didn't tell you isn't that I wanted to lie to you; it's that I was afraid you would be upset.
- 我 不 是 不 想 帮 你 ，而 是 没有 能力 帮 你 。
It's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I have no ability to help you.
- 重要 的 不是 你 的 外表 ，而是 你 的 内心 。
What's important is not how you look on the outside, but rather what's on the inside.
- 生活 中 不是 缺少 美 ，而是 缺少 发现 美 的 眼睛 。
It's not that life is lacking in beauty, but rather that we lack eyes that discover it.
Subj. + 是⋯⋯ ，（而）不是⋯⋯
Some examples:
- 我们 是 来 办事 的 ，不是 来 玩 的 。
We're here to do our job, not to have fun.
- 你 这样 做 是 害 他 ，不是 帮 他 。
By doing this you were hurting him, not helping him.
- 不好意思 ，我 是 不 小心 ，不是 故意 的 。
I'm sorry. It was an accident. It wasn't on purpose.
See Also
- "On the contrary" with "fan'er"
- Conceding a point with "shi"
- 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) →buy
- 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 128, 200) [ →buy]
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 277) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 20) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 516) →buy
Websites
- Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Usage of 而