---
title: "Fandao Meaning: 反倒 (fǎndào) Means “on the contrary”"
description: "反倒 (fǎndào) means “on the contrary; instead”. Hear its tones, see what 反 and 倒 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fandao"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 反倒 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

反倒 fǎndào

## on the contrary; instead

## Its characters

1. 反 fǎn on the contrary (as in 反而)
2. 倒 dào to pour

## In a sentence

吃了药，病反倒更重了。 After taking the medicine, the illness got worse instead.

却说齐天大圣偷吃蟠桃、盗食金丹，又在老君的丹炉里炼了七七四十九日，**反倒**炼成一双火眼金睛。

From [五行山下 · Under the Five-Element Mountain](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/under-the-five-element-mountain-journey-to-the-west-advanced-chinese-8#library-word-33-35)

[More about 反倒](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%8F%8D%E5%80%92)

## More words with 反 or 倒

- [倒霉 dǎoméi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daomei)
- [倒数 dàoshǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daoshu)
- [反对 fǎnduì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fandui)
- [反而 fǎn’ér](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/faner)
- [反复 fǎnfù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fanfu)
- [反击 fǎnjī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fanji)
- [反抗 fǎnkàng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fankang)
- [反馈 fǎnkuì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fankui)
- [反射 fǎnshè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fanshe)
- [反思 fǎnsī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fansi)

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