fǎn ér
au contraire; au lieu de
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我以为他会生气，反而他很高兴。
wǒ yǐwéi tā huì shēngqì, fǎn'ér tā hěn gāoxìng.
I thought he would be angry, but instead he was very happy.
他本来想拒绝，反而答应了。
tā běnlái xiǎng jùjué, fǎn'ér dāyìngle.
He originally wanted to refuse, but instead he agreed.
我以为他会很高兴，反而他很生气。
wǒ yǐwéi tā huì hěn gāoxìng, fǎn'ér tā hěn shēngqì.
I thought he would be very happy, but instead he was very angry.
反而 (fǎn'ěr)
on the contrary
相反 (xiāngfǎn)
on the contrary
The Chinese word 反而 (fǎn'ěr) is composed of two characters: 反 (fǎn) and 而 (ér). 反 means "to turn back" or "to go against," while 而 is a conjunction that can mean "but" or "on the contrary." Together, these two characters create a word that means "on the contrary" or "conversely."The word 反而 is often used to introduce a contrasting statement or to express a change in direction. For example, the sentence "他本来想买车，但反而买了房子" means "He originally wanted to buy a car, but instead he bought a house." In this sentence, the word 反而 is used to introduce the contrasting statement "but instead he bought a house."The word 反而 can also be used to express a change in direction. For example, the sentence "他本来想往东走，但反而往西走" means "He originally wanted to go east, but instead he went west." In this sentence, the word 反而 is used to express the change in direction "but instead he went west."The word 反而 is a versatile word that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important word for HSK learners to know, as it can help them to express contrasting statements and changes in direction.
