岂止

豈止

qǐzhǐ

adverb #34,697

Meanings

1 not only
2 far more than
3 much more than (just)
4 how could it stop at...

Characters

(rhetorical) how; how could

Examples

他岂止是个好学生，他还是位天才。

Tā qǐzhǐ shì gè hǎo xuéshēng, tā háishì wèi tiāncái.

He is far more than a good student — he's a genius.

这个项目岂止难，简直是不可能。

Zhège xiàngmù qǐzhǐ nán, jiǎnzhí shì bù kěnéng.

This project isn't just difficult — it's downright impossible.

Tips

grammar

岂 is a classical rhetorical-question particle ('how could?'). 岂止 = 'how could it stop at?' = 'far more than'. Pattern: 岂止 X，(还/简直) Y — 'not just X, but (even/downright) Y'. Slightly literary register; in casual speech use 不只 (bùzhǐ) instead.

Stroke Order

岂 qǐ

止 zhǐ