English–Chinese
“but rather” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinér shì
Example
他不是不高兴，而是很忙。tā bú shì bù gāo xìng ér shì hěn máng
He is not unhappy, but rather very busy.
How to say “but rather” in Chinese
“But rather” in Chinese is 而是 (ér shì).
A contrastive turn that sets aside one possibility and puts the real or intended one in focus.
Example sentences with 而是
他不是不努力，而是方法不对。tā bú shì bù nǔ lì ér shì fāng fǎ bú duì
He is not failing to work hard; rather, his method is wrong.
Tips for using 而是
- The phrase usually follows a negative statement rather than joining two equal alternatives, a pattern that narrows its use compared with broad English contrast markers.