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反倒

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

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Definitions

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

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.

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