而是

• Pinyin: ér shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 而 = conjunction meaning 'but'; 是 = 日 (sun) + 正 (correct), meaning 'to be'

Meaning

But rather; instead. Used to introduce the actual situation after negating something.

Almost always appears in the pattern 不是…而是… (not… but rather…). This structure first negates one possibility, then presents the true one. Common in both spoken and written Chinese for making clarifications or corrections.

Examples

1. 他不是不喜欢你，而是不善于表达。 It's not that he doesn't like you, but rather that he's not good at expressing himself.
2. 问题不是出在技术上，而是出在管理上。 The problem isn't with the technology, but with the management.
3. 我不是在抱怨，而是想提一个建议。 I'm not complaining — rather, I want to make a suggestion.

Usage Guide

Context: clarification, writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 不是我不想帮你，而是我真的没办法。(It's not that I don't want to help you, but that I really can't.)
• 成功不是靠运气，而是靠努力。(Success doesn't depend on luck, but rather on effort.)

Don't Say

• 不用'不是'直接用'而是'开头 (Don't start a sentence with 而是 alone — it almost always follows 不是 in the pattern 不是…而是…)

Origin & History

Compound of 而 (but, yet) and 是 (to be, is). Functions as a conjunction phrase meaning 'but rather is.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal