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How to say “not only… but also…” in Chinese with 不但 (bùdàn)

不但 (búdàn)……，而且 (érqiě)……

不但 (bù dàn) — not only… but also…

HSK 3Complex Sentence Patterns

Rule structure

不但 (bùdàn)… 而且 (érqiě)… is a correlative conjunction meaning "not only… but also…" emphasizing an added, often stronger point.

Examples

他不但聪明，而且很努力。

Tā bùdàn cōngmíng, érqiě hěn nǔlì.

He is not only smart, but also very hardworking.

她不但漂亮而且善良。

Tā bùdàn piāoliàng érqiě shànliáng.

She is not only beautiful, but also kind.

这个菜不但便宜而且好吃。

Zhège cài búdàn piányi érqiě hǎochī.

This dish is not only cheap but also delicious.

Practice

Build the sentence

Drag the characters to put them in the correct order

Characters

Words from this rule

不

bù

No, not

但

dàn

But

而且

érqiě

Moreover, furthermore

他

tā

He

聪明

cōngmíng

Clever, smart

很

hěn

Very

努力

nǔlì

To work hard

她

tā

She

漂亮

piàoliang

Beautiful, pretty

善良

shàn liáng

Kind-hearted

这个

zhè ge

This, this one

菜

cài

Dish, vegetables, cuisine

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “not only… but also…” in Chinese with 不但?

Use the structure: 不但 (búdàn)……，而且 (érqiě)……. For example: 他不但聪明，而且很努力。 — “He is not only smart, but also very hardworking”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他不但聪明，而且很努力。 — “He is not only smart, but also very hardworking”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.

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More HSK 3 grammar rules

如果…就 — if… then…

如果 (rúguǒ)……，就 (jiù)……

如果…的话 — if… then…

如果 (rúguǒ)……的话 (de huà)，……

除了 — except, in addition

除了 (chúle) ⋯⋯ (+ 以外 (yǐwài))，Subj. + 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě) / 还 (hái) ⋯⋯

一边 — doing two things at once

一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2

万 — big numbers

Number + 万 (wàn) / 亿 (yì)

地 — turning adjectives into adverbs

Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb

AA — reduplicating adjectives

AA / AABB

想 — as one likes

想 (xiǎng) + Verb Phrase with Question Word + 就 (jiù) + Same Verb Phrase