反而

fǎn'ér

adverb HSK 4 #4,795

Meanings

1 on the contrary; instead
2 contrary to expectations

Characters

opposite; contrary

and; but (connective)

Examples

吃了药，病反而更重了。

Chī le yào, bìng fǎn'ér gèng zhòng le.

After taking the medicine, the illness got worse instead.

他不但没有生气，反而笑了。

Tā bùdàn méiyǒu shēngqì, fǎn'ér xiào le.

Not only was he not angry, he actually laughed instead.

减价后，买的人反而少了。

Jiǎnjià hòu, mǎi de rén fǎn'ér shǎo le.

After the price cut, fewer people bought it instead.

Tips

grammar

反而 introduces an unexpected opposite result. Often paired with 不但没…反而… (not only didn't… but instead…). It always implies something happened contrary to what was expected.

Stroke Order

反 fǎn

而 ér