Dictionary › 反而

反而

fǎn ér

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 level 5 2-character word

反而 (fǎn ér) means "on the contrary; instead". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 反而 means

1. on the contrary; instead

How 反而 is used in grammar

反而 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Connective, Manner and Modal Adverbs (HSK 6)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 5, adverbs (语气副词).

The characters in 反而

• 反fǎncontrary; in reverse; inside out or upside down
• 而érand; as well as; and so

Example sentences

• 她不仅没责怪他，反而陈赞他。
  Tā bù jǐn méi zéguài tā, fǎn'ér chén zàn tā.
  It wasn't just that she didn't blame him - she actually praised the guy.
• 她不仅没责怪他，反而称赞他。
  It wasn't just that she didn't blame him - she actually praised the guy.
• 发泄很少改善我的情绪，反而经常使它更糟。
  Venting rarely improves my mood and often makes it worse.
• 你不但不和我一起吃饭，反而去和另一个女生吃饭！
  Nǐ bù dàn bù hé wǒ yīqǐ chīfàn, fǎn'ér qù hé lìngyī gè nǚshēng chīfàn!
  Not only did you not eat with me, you went to have dinner with another girl!
• 不能过度运动，要量力而行，否则反而对身体造成负面影响。
  Bù néng guòdù yùndòng, yào liànglì'érxíng, fǒuzé fǎn'ér duì shēntǐ zàochéng fùmiàn yǐngxiǎng.
  One can't go beyond one's limits with exercising and stay within the bounds of what one can do. Otherwise, it can have negative effects on the body.

Where 反而 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Argumentation, Debate & Criticism (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read fǎn ér correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.