# Expressing "on the contrary" with "反而"

<SentenceQuiz>

- 吃 了 这个 药 ，病 _反而_ 更 严重 了。
  <!-- - Chī le zhège yào, bìng _fǎn'ér_ gèng yánzhòng le. -->
  - After taking the medicine, the illness actually got even worse.
- 这个 新 系统 _反而_ 降低 了 我们 的 工作 效率 。
  <!-- - Zhège xīn xìtǒng _fǎn'ér_ jiàngdī le wǒmen de gōngzuò xiàolǜ. -->
  - This new system actually reduced our work efficiency.
- 他 没有 放弃 ，_反而_ 更 努力 了 ！
  <!-- - Tā méiyǒu fàngqì, _fǎn'ér_ gèng nǔlì le! -->
  - He didn't give up; on the contrary, he worked even harder.
- 改革 _反而_ 让 老百姓 更 不 满意 了 。
  <!-- - Gǎigé _fǎn'ér_ ràng lǎobǎixìng gèng bù mǎnyì le. -->
  - Reform actually made the people less satisfied.
- 你 的 参与 _反而_ 给 我们 带来 了 麻烦 。
  <!-- - Nǐ de cānyù _fǎn'ér_ gěi wǒmen dài lái le máfan. -->
  - Your involvement is actually giving us trouble.
- 吃 了 药 ，病 **不但 没** 好，_反而_ 更 严重 了。
  <!-- - Chī le yào, bìng **bùdàn méi** hǎo, _fǎn'ér_ gèng yánzhòng le. -->
  - After taking the medicine, the illness not only didn't get better, but actually got even worse.
- 失败 了 这么 多 次 ，他 **不但 没** 放弃 ，_反而_ 更 努力 了。
  <!-- - Shībài le zhème duō cì, tā **bùdàn méi** fàngqì, _fǎn'ér_ gèng nǔlì le. -->
  - Having failed so many times, he not only didn't give up, but rather worked even harder.
- 他 **不但 不** 帮 我 ，_反而_ 给 我 找 麻烦 。
  <!-- - Tā **bùdàn bù** bāng wǒ, _fǎn'ér_ gěi wǒ zhǎo máfan. -->
  - He not only didn't help me, but rather gave me trouble.
- 你 妈妈 那么 爱 你 ，你 **不但 不** 感激 ，_反而_ 说 她 不 关心 你 ？
  <!-- - Nǐ māma nàme ài nǐ, nǐ **bùdàn bù** gǎnjī, _fǎn'ér_ shuō tā bù guānxīn nǐ? -->
  - Your mother loves you so much, and not only are you not grateful, but you even say she doesn't care about you?
- 我 吃 了 减肥 药 ，**不但 没** 瘦 ，_反而_ 长胖 了 ！
  <!-- - Wǒ chī le jiǎnféi yào, **bùdàn méi** shòu, _fǎn'ér_ zhǎng pàng le! -->
  - I took a weight loss pill. Not only did I not lose weight, but rather I actually gained weight!

</SentenceQuiz>

<TOC>

- Level: [B2](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B2_grammar_points) / [HSK5](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK5_grammar_points)
- Similar to
  - [Expressing contrariness with "倒"](./倒) (B2)
  - [The "however" adverb "却"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/The_%22however%22_adverb_%22que%22) (B2)
- Used for: [Denying and refusing](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Denying_and_refusing), [Contrasting](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Contrasting)

- Keywords: [不但](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D%E4%BD%86), [不仅](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D%E4%BB%85), [反而](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8F%8D%E8%80%8C)

</TOC>

反而 (fǎn'ér) is used to express "on the contrary" or "in contrast," with 反而 appearing as part of the second part of the sentence. Note that the meaning of 反而 goes beyond just "but" and is usually used to explain that something is totally the opposite of what one was expecting.

## Simple Pattern

### Structure

Normally the first clause makes a statement, and then the second clause introduces the part that is totally opposite of one's expectations. The word "actually" may be helpful in some translations.

⋯⋯ ，Subj. + 反而 + [Unexpected Outcome]

It's also important to point out that 反而 is not a [conjunction](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Conjunctions); it's an [adverb](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Adverbs). Practically speaking, this means that rather than joining two statements, it goes _inside_ a statement (within the second clause). Specifically, it needs to come _after the subject_ (if there is one) and _before the verb_. (This is different from a conjunction like 但是 which comes _before_ the subject!) Also 反而 can appear in one sentence with 但是. Rather than _replacing_ it, 反而 can work _with_ 但是 to add even more contrarian emphasis.

### Examples

- 吃 了 这个 药 ，病 _反而_ 更 严重 了。
  <!-- - Chī le zhège yào, bìng _fǎn'ér_ gèng yánzhòng le. -->
  - After taking the medicine, the illness actually got even worse.
- 这个 新 系统 _反而_ 降低 了 我们 的 工作 效率 。
  <!-- - Zhège xīn xìtǒng _fǎn'ér_ jiàngdī le wǒmen de gōngzuò xiàolǜ. -->
  - This new system actually reduced our work efficiency.
- 他 没有 放弃 ，_反而_ 更 努力 了 ！
  <!-- - Tā méiyǒu fàngqì, _fǎn'ér_ gèng nǔlì le! -->
  - He didn't give up; on the contrary, he worked even harder.
- 改革 _反而_ 让 老百姓 更 不 满意 了 。
  <!-- - Gǎigé _fǎn'ér_ ràng lǎobǎixìng gèng bù mǎnyì le. -->
  - Reform actually made the people less satisfied.
- 你 的 参与 _反而_ 给 我们 带来 了 麻烦 。
  <!-- - Nǐ de cānyù _fǎn'ér_ gěi wǒmen dài lái le máfan. -->
  - Your involvement is actually giving us trouble.

## Common Mistake: Putting 反而 Before the Subject

Take note: when the subject of the first and second clause are the same, the subject can be omitted in the second clause (after the comma and before 反而). If there _is_ a subject, however, 反而 definitely needs to come _after_ it. See the simple examples below and then check the longer sentences above, confirming this rule.

<div class="wrong">

- 我 帮 了 她 ， _反而_ **她** 生气 了 。
  <!-- - Wǒ bāng le tā, _fǎnér_ **tā** shēngqì le. -->

</div>

- 我 帮 了 她 ， **她** _反而_ 生气 了 。
  <!-- - Wǒ bāng le tā, **tā** _fǎnér_ shēngqì le. -->

## Fuller Pattern

Adding [不但](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D%E4%BD%86) or [不仅](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D%E4%BB%85) adds a sense of "not only" before the "to the contrary" part. The word "actually" can be useful here for translations into English.

### Structure

⋯⋯ ，Subj. [不但 / 不仅] + [不 / 没] ⋯⋯，反而 + [Unexpected Outcome]

### Examples

- 吃 了 药 ，病 **不但 没** 好，_反而_ 更 严重 了。
  <!-- - Chī le yào, bìng **bùdàn méi** hǎo, _fǎn'ér_ gèng yánzhòng le. -->
  - After taking the medicine, the illness not only didn't get better, but actually got even worse.
- 失败 了 这么 多 次 ，他 **不但 没** 放弃 ，_反而_ 更 努力 了。
  <!-- - Shībài le zhème duō cì, tā **bùdàn méi** fàngqì, _fǎn'ér_ gèng nǔlì le. -->
  - Having failed so many times, he not only didn't give up, but rather worked even harder.
- 他 **不但 不** 帮 我 ，_反而_ 给 我 找 麻烦 。
  <!-- - Tā **bùdàn bù** bāng wǒ, _fǎn'ér_ gěi wǒ zhǎo máfan. -->
  - He not only didn't help me, but rather gave me trouble.
- 你 妈妈 那么 爱 你 ，你 **不但 不** 感激 ，_反而_ 说 她 不 关心 你 ？
  <!-- - Nǐ māma nàme ài nǐ, nǐ **bùdàn bù** gǎnjī, _fǎn'ér_ shuō tā bù guānxīn nǐ? -->
  - Your mother loves you so much, and not only are you not grateful, but you even say she doesn't care about you?
- 我 吃 了 减肥 药 ，**不但 没** 瘦 ，_反而_ 长胖 了 ！
  <!-- - Wǒ chī le jiǎnféi yào, **bùdàn méi** shòu, _fǎn'ér_ zhǎng pàng le! -->
  - I took a weight loss pill. Not only did I not lose weight, but rather I actually gained weight!

## See also

- [The "however" adverb "却"](./却.md)
- [Expressing Contrariness with "倒"](./倒.md)

## Sources and further reading

### Books

- [Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide) (pp. 259) [Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy](https://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA,)
- [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. 84) [Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy](https://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA,)
- [卓越汉语－公司实战篇](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8D%93%E8%B6%8A%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%EF%BC%8D%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E5%AE%9E%E6%88%98%E7%AF%87) (pp. 83, 151-2) [卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy](http://amzn.to/2z4g8q6,)

### Websites

- 汉语教学: [[反而](http://www.pep.com.cn/xgjy/hyjx/hyxxzy/hyxx/cyxx/201009/t20100901_855691.htm)]