而是

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese word 而是 (érshì) is a conjunction that means "but rather" or "on the contrary". It is composed of two characters: 而 (ér), which means "and", and 是 (shì), which means "to be". The original meaning of 而是 was "and then", but over time it came to be used in its current sense.而是 is often used to contrast two different ideas or statements. For example, you could say 我喜欢吃苹果，而是不喜欢吃香蕉 (wǒ xǐhuan chī píngguǒ, érshì bù xǐhuan chī xiāngjiāo), which means "I like to eat apples, but rather I don't like to eat bananas". In this sentence, 而是 is used to contrast the speaker's liking for apples with their disliking for bananas.而是 can also be used to introduce a correction or clarification. For example, you could say 我不是不喜欢吃香蕉，而是不喜欢吃熟香蕉 (wǒ bùshì bù xǐhuan chī xiāngjiāo, érshì bù xǐhuan chī shú xiāngjiāo), which means "I don't dislike eating bananas, but rather I dislike eating ripe bananas". In this sentence, 而是 is used to correct the speaker's previous statement that they don't like to eat bananas.而是 is a versatile conjunction that can be used in a variety of different contexts. It is an important word to know for HSK learners, as it can help them to express their ideas more clearly and accurately.