búdàn...fǎn’ér...
Not only not... instead... (不但……反而……)
不但……反而…… means “not only did X not happen; the opposite happened instead.” It is used for a result that is contrary to expectation.
Anchor example
他不但没生气，反而笑了。
Tā búdàn méi shēngqì, fǎn’ér xiào le.
Not only was he not angry, he laughed instead.
HSK 3
HSK 3
1
1 structures
10
10 exercises
Lesson summary
不但……反而…… means “not only did X not happen; the opposite happened instead.” It is used for a result that is contrary to expectation.
Use 不但……反而…… when the first clause denies an expected result, and the second clause gives an opposite or surprising result. 反而 means “instead / on the contrary.” It is different from 不但……而且……, which simply adds more information in the same direction. With 不但……反而……, the two parts must contrast strongly.
Grammar pattern
不但……反而……
不但……反而…… means “not only did X not happen; the opposite happened instead.” It is used for a result that is contrary to expectation.
这件事不但没有变好，反而更麻烦了。
Zhè jiàn shì búdàn méiyǒu biàn hǎo, fǎn’ér gèng máfan le.
This matter not only did not get better, it became more troublesome instead.
他不但不帮忙，反而一直说话。
Tā búdàn bù bāngmáng, fǎn’ér yìzhí shuōhuà.
Not only did he not help, he kept talking instead.
我不但没觉得累，反而觉得很开心。
Wǒ búdàn méi juéde lèi, fǎn’ér juéde hěn kāixīn.
Not only did I not feel tired, I felt very happy instead.
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