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[![](Expressing%20%22not%E2%80%A6%20but%E2%80%A6%22%20with%20%22er%20shi%22%20-%20Chinese%20Grammar%20Wiki_fichiers/cog.png "fig:Expressing%20%22not%E2%80%A6%20but%E2%80%A6%22%20with%20%22er%20shi%22%20-%20Chinese%20Grammar%20Wiki_fichiers/cog.png")](# "wikilink") Expressing "not… but…" with "er shi" ====================================
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Level
[B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points)
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Similar to
- [Expressing "on the contrary" with "fan'er"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22on_the_contrary%22_with_%22fan%27er%22) (B2)
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Used for
[Giving alternatives](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Giving_alternatives), [Contrasting](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Contrasting), [Differentiating](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Differentiating)
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Keywords
[不是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D%E6%98%AF), [而是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%80%8C%E6%98%AF), [是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%98%AF)
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Translations
[not](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Not), [but](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/But)
[![Chinese-grammar-wiki-bu shi.jpg](Expressing%20%22not%E2%80%A6%20but%E2%80%A6%22%20with%20%22er%20shi%22%20-%20Chinese%20Grammar%20Wiki_fichiers/300px-Chinese-grammar-wiki-bu_shi.jpg "fig:Chinese-grammar-wiki-bu shi.jpg"){width="300" height="300"}](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/File:Chinese-grammar-wiki-bu_shi.jpg)
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. This is a useful phrase to use in arguments to overturn a point of view and state the opposite.
Contents --------  [hide]([# "wikilink")\] 
- [1 Structure](#Structure "wikilink") - [2 Examples](#Examples "wikilink") - [3 See also](#See_also "wikilink") - [4 Sources and further reading](#Sources_and_further_reading "wikilink") - [4.1 Books](#Books "wikilink")
Structure --------------------------------------------------------- An easy way to remember this pattern is that it roughly corresponds to the English, "Something is not X, it's Y."
Subj. + 不是⋯⋯ ，(而)是⋯⋯
Examples -------------------------------------------------------
- 我觉得 这 *不是* 麻烦，*而是* 机会 。Wǒ juéde zhè *bùshì* máfan, *érshì* jīhuì.I don't think it's trouble. I think it's an opportunity. - 她 *不是* 不 想 买 ，*而是* 买不起 。Tā *bù shì* bù xiǎng mǎi, *ér shì* mǎi bu qǐ.It's not that she doesn't want to buy it, it's that she couldn't afford it. - 我 没 说 *不是* 想 骗 你 ，*而是* 怕 你 不 高兴 。Wǒ méi shuō *bù shì* xiǎng piàn nǐ, *ér shì* pà nǐ bù gāoxìng.The reason why I didn't tell is not that I wanted to lie to you; it's that I'm afraid you would be upset. - 我 *不是* 八卦 ，*是* 关心 你 。Wǒ *bù shì* bāguà, *shì* guānxīn nǐ.I'm not gossiping. I'm concerned about you. - 我 *不 是* 不 想 帮 你 ，*而是* 没有 能力 帮 你 。Wǒ *bù shì* bù xiǎng bāng nǐ, *ér shì* méiyǒu nénglì bāng nǐ.It's not that I don't want to help, it's that I can't help. - 重要 的 *不是* 你 的 外表 ，*而是* 你 的 内心 。Zhòngyào de *bù shì* nǐ de wàibiǎo, *ér shì* nǐ de nèixīn.What's important is not how you look outside, it's your inside. - 生活 中 *不是* 缺少 美 ，*而是* 缺少 发现 美 的 眼睛 。Shēnghuó zhōng *bù shì* quēshǎo měi, *ér shì* quēshǎo fāxiàn měi de yǎnjing.Beauty is found everywhere. To our eyes, it is not a lack of beauty but a lack of discovery.
You can also put 不是 in the second half. Note that 而 can't be used in this case.
Subj. + 是⋯⋯ ，不是⋯⋯
Some examples:
- 我们 *是* 来 办事 的 ，*不是* 来 玩 的 。Wǒmen *shì* lái bànshì de, *bù shì* lái wán de.We're here to do our job, not to have fun. - 你 这样 做 *是* 害 他 ，*不是* 帮 他 。Nǐ zhèyàng zuò *shì* hài tā, *bù shì* bāng tā.You were hurting him by doing this, not helping him. - 不好意思 ，我 *是* 不 小心 ，*不是* 故意 的 。Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ *shì* bù xiǎoxīn, *bù shì* gùyì de.I'm sorry. It was an innocent mistake. I didn't mean to do that.
See also ------------------------------------------------------- - ["On the contrary" with "fan'er"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22On_the_contrary%22_with_%22fan%27er%22) - [Conceding a point with "shi"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Conceding_a_point_with_%22shi%22) Sources and further reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 277) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2fdV2l3) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_4_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC4)) (pp. 20) [→buy](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) - [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8B%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89) (pp. 516) [→buy](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)
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