实则

實則

shízé

adverb #31,419

Meanings

1 actually
2 in fact
3 in reality
4 but in truth

Characters

real; true; actual

then; (classical) but

Examples

HSK 7-9

他看起来很冷淡，实则非常关心你。

Tā kànqǐlái hěn lěngdàn, shízé fēicháng guānxīn nǐ.

He looks indifferent, but in fact he cares about you very much.

HSK 7-9

这件事看似简单，实则复杂。

Zhè jiàn shì kànsì jiǎndān, shízé fùzá.

This matter seems simple, but is actually complex.

Tips

register

实则 is bookish - it's the formal/written counterpart of 其实 and 实际上. Most natural in essays and news, almost always after a contrastive setup like 看似 X 实则 Y ('seems X, but is actually Y').

Stroke Order

实 shí

则 zé