Chinese word

反而

Pronunciation

Pinyinfǎn ér

Meaning

  • adverbinstead

Example

我以为他会生气，他反而笑了。wǒ yǐ wéi tā huì shēng qì tā fǎn ér xiào le

I thought he would get angry, but instead he laughed.

Illustration for 反而 (instead)

More examples

大家都来了，他反而没来。dà jiā dōu lái le tā fǎn ér méi lái

Everyone came, but he was the only one who did not come.

Core concept

An earlier expectation is overturned by what actually happens.

Common phrases

  • 反而没来fǎn ér méi lái

    not come after all

  • 反而更糟fǎn ér gèng zāo

    get worse instead

Similar words

却què: Highlights a result or situation that goes against the earlier statement.
倒dào: Suggests a surprising result or situation with a lighter tone.

Definition in Chinese

用来表示与预期相反或与常理不符的情况，通常用来突出意外或反转的结果。yòng lái biǎo shì yǔ yù qī xiāng fǎn huò yǔ cháng lǐ bù fú de qíng kuàng tōng cháng yòng lái tū chū yì wài huò fán zhuǎn de jié guǒ

Word origin

反而 (fǎnér, "instead; on the contrary") uses 反 (fǎn, "turn back") + 而 (ér, "a classical connective") to present the following situation as a turn away from the preceding one.

Usage tips

  • The first clause may state a belief, plan, or normal cause rather than a direct prediction, so this word also works when the expectation is understood from context.

Other meanings

  • on the contraryadverb

Word lists with this word