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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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  <h1></h1>

  <p>Sometimes you want to explain that an object, concept, or event isn't one thing, but in fact a different thing. This is the perfect structure to convey that in Chinese.</p>

  <h2>Contents</h2>

  <ol>
    <li>Structure<br/></li>

    <li>Examples<br/></li>

    <li>See also<br/></li>

    <li>Sources and further reading<br/></li>

    <ol>
      <li>Books<br/></li>
    </ol>
  </ol>

  <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>

  <p>"<span class="hanzi">不是⋯⋯， (而)是⋯⋯</span>" (<span class="pinyin">bùshì..., (ér)shì...</span>) is used to clarify something about a certain noun. What's being clarified can be noun phrases or verb phrases.</p>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Subj. + <span class="hanzist">不是</span> + Noun 1 <span class="hanzist">， (而)是</span> + Noun 2
    </div>
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  <p>or</p>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Subj. + <span class="hanzist">不是</span> + [Verb Phrase 1] <span class="hanzist">， (而)是</span> + [Verb Phrase 2]
    </div>
  </div>

  <p>An easy way to remember this pattern is that it roughly corresponds to the English, "<b>Something is not X, it's Y.</b>"</p>

  <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">他 不是 中国人，是 美国人 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Tā bù shì Zhōngguó rén, shì Měiguó rén.</span><br/><span> He isn't Chinese, he's American.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这个 大楼 不是 公寓，是 办公楼 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Zhège dàlóu bù shì gōngyù, shì bàngōnglóu.</span><br/><span> This building isn't an apartment building, it's an office building.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">那 不是 一 个 问题 ，而是 一 个 机会 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Nà bù shì yī gè wèntí, érshì yī gè jīhuì.</span><br/><span> That isn't a problem, it's an opportunity.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">重要 的 不是 你 的 外表 ，而是 你 的 内心 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Zhòngyào de bù shì nǐ de wàibiǎo, érshì nǐ de nèixīn.</span><br/><span> What's important is not how you look outside, it's your inside.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 不是 故意 的 ，是 不 小心 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ bù shì gùyì de, shì bù xiǎoxīn.</span><br/><span> I didn't mean to, it's an innocent mistake.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 这样 做 不是 帮 他 ，是 害 他 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ zhèyàng zuò bù shì bāng tā, shì hài tā.</span><br/><span> You were not helping him by doing this, you're hurting him.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 帮 你 不是 想 让 你 感谢 我 ，而是 想 跟 你 做 朋友 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ bāng nǐ bù shì xiǎng ràng nǐ gǎnxiè wǒ, érshì xiǎng gēn nǐ zuò péngyou.</span><br/><span> The reason why I helped you is not to make you grateful to me, but to be friends with you.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我们 不是 来 玩 的，是 来 工作 的 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen bù shì lái wán de, shì lái gōngzuò de.</span><br/><span> We're not here to play, we're here to do our job.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 不是 不 喜欢 你 ，是 跟 你 还不 熟 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Tā bù shì bù xǐhuan nǐ, shì gēn nǐ hái bù shóu.</span><br/><span> It's not that he doesn't like you, it's just he's unacquainted with you.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">生活 中 不是 缺少 美 ，而是 缺少 发现 美 的 眼睛 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Shēnghuó zhōng bù shì quēshǎo měi, érshì quēshǎo fāxiàn měi de yǎnjing.</span><br/><span> Beauty is found everywhere. To our eyes, it is not a lack of beauty but a lack of discovery.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="Expressing_&quot;not%E2%80%A6_but_rather%E2%80%A6&quot;_with_&quot;er_shi&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing "not… but rather…" with "er shi"</a></li>

    <li><a href="&quot;On_the_contrary&quot;_with_&quot;fan'er&quot;" title="wikilink">"On the contrary" with "fan'er"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li>Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (p. 277)</li>
  </ul>
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