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反倒

fǎn dào
HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Adverb Uncommon

Definitions

  1. 1. but on the contrary
  2. 2. but expectedly

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Word relationships

Related words

1 item
可是
kě shì

but; however

反倒是 means 'on the contrary', while 可是 means 'but'.

Synonyms

1 item
反而
fǎn ér

on the contrary; instead

Both mean 'on the contrary', but 反倒 is more colloquial and subjective.

Usage notes

Collocations

Often used in patterns like 不但不...反倒... to express unexpected contrast.

Formality

反倒 is colloquial; avoid in formal writing.

Grammar

Guides that feature 反倒

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1 guide
HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min
偏偏, 好在, 反倒 and 碰巧: Adverbs for Luck and Surprise

Learn the mood adverbs that react to how things turned out: 碰巧/恰巧 “by chance”, 偏偏 “of all things”, 好在 “fortunately”, 竟 “unexpectedly”, 愣 “stubbornly” and 反倒 “instead”.

Reading: fǎn dào Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown
他不但没生气， 反倒 笑了。
Not only did he not get angry, but on the contrary he laughed.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 反倒

倒
dǎo

to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally

倒
dào

to invert; to place upside down or frontside back

反
fǎn

contrary