# Expressing "that's all" with "而已"

<SentenceQuiz>

- 一 杯 咖啡 _而已_，不 要 这么 感动。
  <!-- - Yī bēi kāfēi _éryǐ_, bùyào zhème gǎndòng. -->
  - It's just a cup of coffee, you don't need to be so moved.
- “ 一 千 块 _而已_ ” ？你 不要 说得 这么 容易。"
  <!-- - Yī qiān kuài _éryǐ_"? nǐ bùyào shuō de zhème róngyì. -->
  - "Only one thousand yuan?" Don't make it sound so easy.
- **只 是** 电视剧 _而已_，现实 中 可 没有 这样 的 事儿。
  <!-- - **Zhī shì** diànshìjù _éryǐ_, xiànshí zhōng kě méiyǒu zhèyàng de shìr. -->
  - It's just a TV series. There is no such thing in reality.
- **才** 一个 问题 _而已_，她 就 开始 生气 了。
  <!-- - **Cái** yī gè wèntí _éryǐ_, tā jiù kāishǐ shēngqì le. -->
  - There was only one problem, and she started to get angry.
- **就 是** 一个 吻 _而已_，没有 什么 特别 的意思。
  <!-- - **Jiù shì** yī gè wěn _éryǐ_, méiyǒu shénme tèbié de yìsi. -->
  - It was just a kiss. It didn't mean anything special.
- 他 **只 是** 开 个 玩笑 _而已_，不 要 当 真。
  <!-- - Tā **zhǐ shì** kāi gè wánxiào _éryǐ_, bùyào dàngzhēn. -->
  - He's only joking; don't take it seriously.
- 你 **才** 喝 了 一 瓶 啤酒 _而已_，怎么 会 喝 醉 了 呢？
  <!-- - Nǐ **cái** hē le yī píng píjiǔ _éryǐ_, zěnme huì hē zuì le ne? -->
  - You only drank one bottle of beer, h. How could you be drunk?
- 这 次 会议 没有 达成 具体 的 方案，**仅仅** 是 在 这 个 问题 上 达成 了 共识 _而已_。
  <!-- - Zhè cì huìyì méiyǒu dáchéng jùtǐ de fāng'àn, **jǐnjǐn** shì zài zhège wèntí shàng dáchéng le gòngshì _éryǐ_. -->
  - This meeting did not produce a specific plan of action, only an agreement that there was an issue.
- **仅仅** 是 打了 一 个 电话 _而已_，我 没有 帮 什么 忙。
  <!-- - **Jǐnjǐn** shì dǎ le yī gè diànhuà _éryǐ_, wǒ méiyǒu bāng shénme máng. -->
  - All I did was was make a phone call. I didn't help much.
- 这 辆 车 没 什么 特别 ，它 **就 是** 辆 普通 的 汽车 _而已_。
  <!-- - Zhè liàng chē méi shénme tèbié, tā **jiù shì** liàng pǔtōng de qìchē _éryǐ_. -->
  - This car is nothing special, it's just an ordinary car.

</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 "nothing but" with "无非"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22nothing_but%22_with_%22wufei%22) (C1)
- Used for
  - [Emphasizing a point](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Emphasizing_a_point)
- Keywords: [才](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%89%8D), [就是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%B0%B1%E6%98%AF), [只](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8F%AA), [而已](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%80%8C%E5%B7%B2), [仅仅](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BB%85%E4%BB%85)

</TOC>

而已 (éryǐ) comes at the end of a sentence to express that something is merely what it is. It is like saying "it's nothing more than x."

## Pattern with 而已 After a Noun

Whenever you need to emphasize that something is just what it is and that's all, you can stick 而已 at the end of the sentence.

### Structure

(只是 / 就是 / 才 +) Noun + 而已

You may also see it used in combination with other words like [仅仅](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BB%85%E4%BB%85)，[只](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8F%AA)，[就](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%B0%B1)，[才](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%89%8D) and so on.

### Examples

- 一 杯 咖啡 _而已_，不 要 这么 感动。
  <!-- - Yī bēi kāfēi _éryǐ_, bùyào zhème gǎndòng. -->
  - It's just a cup of coffee, you don't need to be so moved.
- “ 一 千 块 _而已_ ” ？你 不要 说得 这么 容易。"
  <!-- - Yī qiān kuài _éryǐ_"? nǐ bùyào shuō de zhème róngyì. -->
  - "Only one thousand yuan?" Don't make it sound so easy.
- **只 是** 电视剧 _而已_，现实 中 可 没有 这样 的 事儿。
  <!-- - **Zhī shì** diànshìjù _éryǐ_, xiànshí zhōng kě méiyǒu zhèyàng de shìr. -->
  - It's just a TV series. There is no such thing in reality.
- **才** 一个 问题 _而已_，她 就 开始 生气 了。
  <!-- - **Cái** yī gè wèntí _éryǐ_, tā jiù kāishǐ shēngqì le. -->
  - There was only one problem, and she started to get angry.
- **就 是** 一个 吻 _而已_，没有 什么 特别 的意思。
  <!-- - **Jiù shì** yī gè wěn _éryǐ_, méiyǒu shénme tèbié de yìsi. -->
  - It was just a kiss. It didn't mean anything special.

## Pattern with 而已 After a Longer Phrase

Whenever you need to emphasize that something is just what it is and that's all, you can stick 而已 at the end of the sentence.

### Structure

Subj. + (只是 / 就是 / 才 / 仅仅 +) Verb + Obj. + 而已

Again, words like [仅仅](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BB%85%E4%BB%85)，[只](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8F%AA)，[就](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%B0%B1)，[才](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%89%8D) are optional, and add more emphasis.

### Examples

- 他 **只 是** 开 个 玩笑 _而已_，不 要 当 真。
  <!-- - Tā **zhǐ shì** kāi gè wánxiào _éryǐ_, bùyào dàngzhēn. -->
  - He's only joking; don't take it seriously.
- 你 **才** 喝 了 一 瓶 啤酒 _而已_，怎么 会 喝 醉 了 呢？
  <!-- - Nǐ **cái** hē le yī píng píjiǔ _éryǐ_, zěnme huì hē zuì le ne? -->
  - You only drank one bottle of beer, h. How could you be drunk?
- 这 次 会议 没有 达成 具体 的 方案，**仅仅** 是 在 这 个 问题 上 达成 了 共识 _而已_。
  <!-- - Zhè cì huìyì méiyǒu dáchéng jùtǐ de fāng'àn, **jǐnjǐn** shì zài zhège wèntí shàng dáchéng le gòngshì _éryǐ_. -->
  - This meeting did not produce a specific plan of action, only an agreement that there was an issue.
- **仅仅** 是 打了 一 个 电话 _而已_，我 没有 帮 什么 忙。
  <!-- - **Jǐnjǐn** shì dǎ le yī gè diànhuà _éryǐ_, wǒ méiyǒu bāng shénme máng. -->
  - All I did was was make a phone call. I didn't help much.
- 这 辆 车 没 什么 特别 ，它 **就 是** 辆 普通 的 汽车 _而已_。
  <!-- - Zhè liàng chē méi shénme tèbié, tā **jiù shì** liàng pǔtōng de qìchē _éryǐ_. -->
  - This car is nothing special, it's just an ordinary car.

## See also

- [Expressing "nothing but" with "无非"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22nothing_but%22_with_%22wufei%22)