Chinese word

只不过

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhǐ bù guò

Meaning

  • adverbjust

Example

我只不过提醒你一下。wǒ zhǐ bú guò tí xǐng nǐ yí xià

I am just reminding you.

Illustration for 只不过 (just)

More examples

这只不过是个误会。zhè zhǐ bú guò shì gè wù huì

This is just a misunderstanding.

Core concept

A boundary around a statement that keeps its meaning within one limited fact or action.

Common phrases

  • 只不过是zhǐ bú guò shì

    just be

  • 只不过而已zhǐ bú guò ér yǐ

    just that

Similar words

只是zhǐ shì: Means that only the stated matter is involved, with nothing else included.
不过bú guò: Makes a situation seem less important or serious and softens the wording.

Definition in Chinese

用于句中修饰谓语或整句，表示所说的情形仅此而已，没有其他附加情况。yòng yú jù zhōng xiū shì wèi yǔ huò zhěng jù biǎo shì suǒ shuō de qíng xíng jín cǐ ér yǐ méi yǒu qí tā fù jiā qíng kuàng

Word origin

只 (zhǐ, "only") + 不过 (bùguò, "not beyond") combine to mark a situation as no more than what the statement says.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this word often narrows a statement without making it sound harsh, so a speaker can limit a claim while leaving the main point in place.

Other meanings

  • simplyadverb

Opposites

  • 不只是bù zhǐ shìnot justadverb

Word lists with this word