eric
/
ChineseGrammarWiki


			
							123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596
							<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
<head>
<title>Expressing "not… but…" with "er shi"</title>
<link href="../Styles/main.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Expressing "not… but…" with "er shi"
</h1>

<p>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.</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Examples </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4.1 Books</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>


<h3>Structure</h3>

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

<div class="deux">Subj. + 不是⋯⋯ ，(而)是⋯⋯</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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 a hassle. I think it's an opportunity. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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 can't afford it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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 I didn't tell you isn't that I wanted to lie to you; it's that I was afraid you would be upset. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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 you, it's that I have no ability to help you. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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 on the outside, but rather what's on the inside. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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.
It's not that life is lacking in beauty, but rather that we lack eyes that discover it.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>


<p>You can also put 不是 in the second half. Note that 而 can't be used in this case.</p>

<div class="deux">Subj. + 是⋯⋯ ，不是⋯⋯</div>

<h3>Some examples:</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 这样 做 是 害 他 ，不是 帮 他 。
Nǐ zhèyàng zuò shì hài tā, bù shì bāng tā.
By doing this you were hurting him, not helping him. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">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 accident. It wasn't on purpose.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>See also</h3>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">"On the contrary" with "fan'er" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Conceding a point with "shi"</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Sources and further reading</h3>

<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 277) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 20) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 516) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
</body>
</html>