# Using "而" to explain contrasting ideas

<SentenceQuiz>

- 我们 _是_ 来 办事 的 ，_而 不 是_ 来 玩 的 。
  <!-- - Wǒmen _shì_ lái bànshì de, _ér bù shì_ lái wán de. -->
  - We're here to do work, not to have fun.
- 以后 后悔 的 人 _不 是_ 我，_而 是_ 你 自己。
  <!-- - Yǐhòu hòuhuǐ de rén _bù shì_ wǒ, _ér shì_ nǐ zìjǐ. -->
  - The person to later regret this won't be me. It will be you.
- 你 这样 做 _是_ 害 他 ，_而 不 是_ 帮 他 。
  <!-- - Nǐ zhèyàng zuò _shì_ hài tā, _ér bù shì_ bāng tā. -->
  - By doing this you were hurting him, not helping him.
- 不好意思 ，我 _是_ 不 小心 ，_而 不 是_ 故意 的 。
  <!-- - Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ _shì_ bù xiǎoxīn, _ér bù shì_ gùyì de. -->
  - I'm sorry. It was an accident. It wasn't on purpose.
- 现在 要 做 的 _不 是_ 责怪 谁 错 了，_而 是_ 怎么 解决。
  <!-- - Xiànzài yào zuò de _bù shì_ zéguài shéi cuòle, _ér shì_ zěnme jiějué. -->
  - Now is not the time to place blame, but rather to figure out how to resolve this.
- 我 没 说 _不 是_ 因为 想 骗 你 ，_而 是_ 怕 你 不 高兴 。
  <!-- - Wǒ méi shuō _bù shì_ yīnwèi xiǎng piàn nǐ, _ér shì_ pà nǐ bù gāoxìng. -->
  - I didn't tell you not because I wanted to deceive you, but rather I was afraid you would be upset.
- 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 way to help you.
- 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.
- 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 yǎnjīng. -->
  - It's not that life is lacking in beauty, but rather that we lack eyes that discover it.
- 我 今天 去 你 家 找 你 了，_而_ 你 不 在 家。
  <!-- - Wǒ jīntiān qù nǐ jiā zhǎo nǐ le, _ér_ nǐ bù zài jiā. -->
  - I went to your home today looking for you, but you weren't there.
- 孩子 发烧 很 严重，_而_ 你 一点 都 不 关心。
  <!-- - Hái zǐ fāshāo hěn yánzhòng, _ér_ nǐ yīdiǎn dōu bù guānxīn. -->
  - Your child has a very severe fever, and yet you don't seem at all concerned.
- 她 在 公司 很 受 欢迎，_而_ 我 并 不 喜欢 她。
  <!-- - Tā zài gōngsī hěn shòu huānyíng, _ér_ wǒ bìng bù xǐhuan tā. -->
  - She is very popular in our company, but I don't like her at all.

</SentenceQuiz>

<TOC>

- Level: [B2](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B2_grammar_points) / [HSK4](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK4_grammar_points)
- Similar to
  - [Expressing "not only... but also" with "不但... 而且..."](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22not_only..._but_also%22_with_%22budan..._erqie...%22) (B1)
- Used for
  [Contrasting](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Contrasting), [Differentiating](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Differentiating)
- Keywords: [而](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%80%8C), [而是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%80%8C%E6%98%AF)

</TOC>

The conjunction [而](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%80%8C) (ér) is used to connect two sentences that are related to each other, and is also frequently used to emphasize contrast between two parts of the sentence. Used in this way, it can be translated as "but rather." 而 is often used in more formal or literary language, but is also common in everyday speech.

## Start with 是

Frequently you'll see the pattern in one of these two more specific forms involving the verb [是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%98%AF):

### Structure

不是……，而是……

是……，而不是……

Strictly speaking, the 而 isn't _required_ in either of these patterns, but it makes the contrast super clear.

### Examples

- 我们 _是_ 来 办事 的 ，_而 不 是_ 来 玩 的 。
  <!-- - Wǒmen _shì_ lái bànshì de, _ér bù shì_ lái wán de. -->
  - We're here to do work, not to have fun.
- 以后 后悔 的 人 _不 是_ 我，_而 是_ 你 自己。
  <!-- - Yǐhòu hòuhuǐ de rén _bù shì_ wǒ, _ér shì_ nǐ zìjǐ. -->
  - The person to later regret this won't be me. It will be you.
- 你 这样 做 _是_ 害 他 ，_而 不 是_ 帮 他 。
  <!-- - Nǐ zhèyàng zuò _shì_ hài tā, _ér bù shì_ bāng tā. -->
  - By doing this you were hurting him, not helping him.
- 不好意思 ，我 _是_ 不 小心 ，_而 不 是_ 故意 的 。
  <!-- - Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ _shì_ bù xiǎoxīn, _ér bù shì_ gùyì de. -->
  - I'm sorry. It was an accident. It wasn't on purpose.
- 现在 要 做 的 _不 是_ 责怪 谁 错 了，_而 是_ 怎么 解决。
  <!-- - Xiànzài yào zuò de _bù shì_ zéguài shéi cuòle, _ér shì_ zěnme jiějué. -->
  - Now is not the time to place blame, but rather to figure out how to resolve this.
- 我 没 说 _不 是_ 因为 想 骗 你 ，_而 是_ 怕 你 不 高兴 。
  <!-- - Wǒ méi shuō _bù shì_ yīnwèi xiǎng piàn nǐ, _ér shì_ pà nǐ bù gāoxìng. -->
  - I didn't tell you not because I wanted to deceive you, but rather I was afraid you would be upset.
- 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 way to help you.
- 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.
- 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 yǎnjīng. -->
  - It's not that life is lacking in beauty, but rather that we lack eyes that discover it.

## Generalized Pattern

### Structure

Sentence 1， + 而 + Sentence 2

### Examples

- 我 今天 去 你 家 找 你 了，_而_ 你 不 在 家。
  <!-- - Wǒ jīntiān qù nǐ jiā zhǎo nǐ le, _ér_ nǐ bù zài jiā. -->
  - I went to your home today looking for you, but you weren't there.
- 孩子 发烧 很 严重，_而_ 你 一点 都 不 关心。
  <!-- - Hái zǐ fāshāo hěn yánzhòng, _ér_ nǐ yīdiǎn dōu bù guānxīn. -->
  - Your child has a very severe fever, and yet you don't seem at all concerned.
- 她 在 公司 很 受 欢迎，_而_ 我 并 不 喜欢 她。
  <!-- - Tā zài gōngsī hěn shòu huānyíng, _ér_ wǒ bìng bù xǐhuan tā. -->
  - She is very popular in our company, but I don't like her at all.

As you can see, 而 comes between the two to stress the contrast.

## See Also

- ["On the contrary" with "反而"](./反而.md)
- [Conceding a point with "是"](../B1/是.md)
- [Expressing "not only… but also"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22not_only%E2%80%A6_but_also%22)
- [Two words for "but"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Two_words_for_%22but%22)
- [Using "because" with "而" to indicate effect](../C1/而.md)

## Sources and Further Reading

### Books

- [HSK Standard Course 4上](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK_Standard_Course_4%E4%B8%8A) (pp. 22) [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,)
- [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 343-4) [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. 128, 200) [卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy](http://amzn.to/2z4g8q6,)
- [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 277) [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. 20) [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,)
- [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]

### Websites

- Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: [Usage of 而](http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0235.html)