How to say “on the contrary” in Chinese
on the contrary, instead
“On the contrary” in Chinese is 反而, fǎn ér: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
反而 is read fǎn ér: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
It hints at the sound of 饭 fàn and 板 bǎn.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “反而”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 反而. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 他吃了药，病反而更重了。tāchīleyào,bìngfǎn’érgèngzhòngleHe took the medicine, but instead the illness got worse.
- 他不但不生气反而笑了tābúdànbùshēngqì,fǎn’érxiàoleFar from getting angry, he laughed instead.
- 我每天学到很晚，可是成绩反而下降了。wǒměitiānxuédàohěnwǎn,kěshìchéngjìfǎn’érxiàjiàngleI study late every day, and yet my grades have actually dropped.
More words from the lesson “Even if, and the opposite”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “on the contrary” in Chinese?
“On the contrary” in Chinese is 反而, pinyin fǎn’ér.
What does 反而 mean?
反而 (fǎn’ér) means “on the contrary, instead”.
How do you write 反而?
反而 is 2 characters: 反 (fǎn) — reverse; against; 而 (ér) — and, but (literary). The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 反而?
反而 is read fǎn’ér. Tones: fǎn — third tone, ér — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“on the contrary” in the lesson “Even if, and the opposite”
This word is from the topic “Linking ideas” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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