HSK 4

不过 (bú guò) — how to say "but" in Chinese

不过

But, however

conjunction joining clauses · adverb

  1. 1. but; howeverHSK 3.0 · level 4

    conjunction joining clauses

  2. 2. only; merely; no more thanHSK 3.0 · level 5

    adverb

How to use it

Joins the parts of a complex sentence, often paired with another conjunction.

天很冷,不过我没穿外套。

tiān hěn lěng bú guò wǒ méi chuān wài tào

It's cold, but I didn't wear a coat.

Rule: A softer "but" with "不过 (bùguò)" →

Character composition

不

not

过

to pass

Radicals / Keys

一

One

#1 · yī · 1 stroke

辵

Walk

#162 · chuò · 7 strokes

Synonyms

Collocations

不过关

bú guò guān

fail to pass

Examples

这个电影很有意思,不过时间太长了。

This movie is very interesting, but it's too long.

好吃,不过贵。

Delicious, but expensive.

Writing

Frequently asked questions

But in Chinese Mandarin

"but" in Chinese is 不过 (bú guò).

不过 meaning in English

不过 (bú guò) means "But, however".

How is 不过 pronounced?

It is pronounced bú guò (written as bu guo, buguo). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "but" in Chinese characters?

It is written 不过: 不 has 4 strokes, 过 has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK level is 不过?

不过 belongs to the HSK 4 vocabulary list.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition

Add 不过 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.

Download the app

Grammar with 不过

More HSK 4 words