---
title: "不是…而是… in Chinese Grammar: Not … but …, With Examples"
description: "不是…而是…: not … but …. Rejects one option and states the true one. 4 real lines from stories, each word explained."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/bushi-ershi"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[Chinese grammar](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar)

# 不是…而是…

Not … but …

Rejects one option and states the true one.

## In stories

人们跑过去一看，掉在地上的**不是火球，而是一只三条腿的大黑**鸟。

[后羿射日 · Hou Yi shoots the nine suns](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/hou-yi-shoots-the-suns#library-word-450-465) HSK 5

这里的“老”**不是说你老，而是表示亲切和尊重**。

[中国人的名字有什么讲究？ · How do Chinese names work?](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-do-chinese-names-work#library-word-593-608) HSK 5

她进门第一件事**不是买东西，而是看表**。

[十分钟 · The nurse who sleeps for ten minutes](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-nurse-who-sleeps-for-ten-minutes#library-word-115-125) HSK 5

所以对中国人来说，龙**不是要打败的敌人，而是能带来好日子的力量**。

[中国的龙为什么不喷火？ · What does the Chinese dragon mean?](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-does-the-chinese-dragon-mean#library-word-282-302) HSK 5

[Read 后羿射日](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/hou-yi-shoots-the-suns#library-word-450-465)

## More patterns

- [是…的 (emphasis) it was … that (stresses when, where, how or who)](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/shi-de)
- [verb + 不/得 + result (potential) cannot / can (manage to) …](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/v-bu-c)
- [再也 + 不/没 never again; not any more](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/zaiye-bu)
- [于是 so; and so; thereupon](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/yushi)
- [如果/要是…就… if …, then …](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/ruguo-jiu)
- [谁 + 也/都 + (V不C) no one / nothing: …](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-grammar/shei-ye-neg-v)

## What does 不是…而是… mean in Chinese?

Not … but …. Rejects one option and states the true one.

## How common is 不是…而是…?

It comes up in 11 readings of the 392 stories and articles in our free Library.

## Does it correct my mistakes?

No. It shows which patterns a text uses and what each one does; it doesn’t mark errors. Paste a sentence you wrote to see whether it uses the pattern you meant.

## More free tools

- [Chinese dictionary](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-dictionary)
- [Measure words](https://mandarinthewild.com/measure-words)
- [How hard is this text?](https://mandarinthewild.com/text-level)
- [Free Chinese stories](https://mandarinthewild.com/library)

Patterns found by our own parser; lines from our free Library.