Comparing ‘fan er’ and ‘que’ in Chinese

Learning how to properly use 反而 (fǎn ér) and 却 (què) may seem like a head ache, but it isn't! This article will help you out!

学会如何正确使用"反而"和"却"似乎让人很头疼，但其实不是这样的！本文将帮你解决这个问题！

They are placed in different parts of the sentence

它们放于句子的不同位置

反而 can be placed before or after the subject. 却 can only be placed after the subject.

"反而"可放于主语之前或之后，"却"只能放于主语之后。

Subject + 反而

反而 + Subject

Examples

你这么做，效果反而不好。

nǐ zhè me zuò, xiào guǒ fǎn ér bú hǎo.

你这么做，反而效果不好。

nǐ zhè me zuò, fǎn ér xiào guǒ bú hǎo.

However you did it, the quality was no good.

Subject + 却

Examples

外面下雨，他却没带伞。

wài miàn xià yǔ, tā què méi dài sǎn.

It's raining outside, but he didn't bring an umbrella.

(WRONG) 外面下雨，却他没带伞。

Both have different coverage

两者都有不同的适用范围

反而 can point to any part of the sentence to make a turning point, and it often emphasizes the structure around 是. On the other hand, 却 can only make a turning point for the whole sentence, in other words, it can only make a turning point for the predicate part of the sentence.

"反而"可以点出句子的任一部分作为转折点，而且它经常强调与"是"连用的结构。另一方面，"却"只能为整个句子作出转折点，换句话说，它只能对句子的谓语部分作出转折点。

反而 can change any part of the sentence

"反而"可改变句子的任一部分

反而 + one part of a sentence

Examples

Chicago Bulls没赢最后一场比赛，反而是Knicks。

Chicago Bulls méi yíng zuì hòu yī chǎng bǐ sài, fǎn ér shì Knicks.

The Chicago Bulls didn't win their last game, but the Knicks did.

他们都觉得Knicks会输掉最后一场比赛，结果他反而赢了。

tā men dōu jué de Knicks huì shū diào zuì hòu yī chǎng bǐ sài, jié guǒ tā fǎn ér yíng le.

They all thought the Knicks were going to lose the last game, but they won.

我以为Knicks会赢第一场比赛，结果反而是最后一场。

wǒ yǐ wéi Knicks huì yíng dì yī chǎng bǐ sài, jié guǒ fǎn ér shì zuì hòu yī chǎng.

I thought the Knicks would win the first game, but they won the last one.

却 only changes the whole sentence

"却"只改变整个句子

却 + Verb

Examples

Chicago Bulls没赢最后一场比赛，Knicks却赢了。

Chicago Bulls méi yíng zuì hòu yī chǎng bǐ sài, Knicks què yíng le.

The Chicago Bulls didn't win their last game, but the Knicks did.

他们都觉得Knicks会输掉最后一场比赛，他却赢了。

tā men dōu jué de Knicks huì shū diào zuì hòu yī chǎng bǐ sài, tā què yíng le.

They all thought the Knicks would lose the last game, but they won.

我以为Knicks会赢第一场比赛，他却输了。

wǒ yǐ wéi Knicks huì yíng dì yī chǎng bǐ sài, tā què shū le.

I though the Knicks would win the first game, but they lost.

反而 and 却 express different degrees

"反而"和"却"表示不同的程度

Sentences with 反而 express a strong and sudden turn, possibly exceeding expectations. Sentences with 却 are just common turning points.

"反而"的句子表示强烈和突然的转折，可能会是过度的期望值。"却"的句子只表示普通的转折点。

Examples

我帮了他，他却不高兴了。(This is a normal turn of events.)

wǒ bāng le tā, tā què bú gāo xìng le.

我帮了他，他反而不高兴了。(The speaker thought the other person would be happy.)

wǒ bāng le tā, tā fǎn ér bú gāo xìng le.

I helped him, but he wasn't happy.

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