English–Chinese
“but” in Chinese
How to say “but” in Chinese
“But” in Chinese is 不过 (bù guò).
A boundary marker that lets a speaker accept what came before while adding what keeps it from being complete.
Example sentences with 不过
他很忙，不过还是来帮我了。tā hěn máng bú guò hái shì lái bāng wǒ le
He was very busy, but he still came to help me.
Tips for using 不过
- Noticing whether this word comes before a new clause or a number helps learners recognize its two common jobs: a conversational turn and a stated upper limit.
Other Chinese words for “but”
他很聪明，但是不努力。tā hěn cōng míng dàn shì bù nǔ lì
He is very smart, but he does not work hard.
我想去，可是下雨了。wǒ xiǎng qù kě shì xià yǔ le
I want to go, but it is raining.
我累了，但还要工作。wǒ lèi le dàn hái yào gōng zuò
I am tired, but I still have to work.
她说会来，却没来。tā shuō huì lái què méi lái
She said she would come, but she didn't.
我想去旅行，而他想留在家里。wǒ xiǎng qù lǚ xíng ér tā xiǎng liú zài jiā lǐ
I want to go traveling, but he wants to stay home.
我很想去旅行，然而现在没时间。wǒ hěn xiǎng qù lǚ xíng rán ér xiàn zài méi shí jiān
I really want to travel, but I don't have time right now.