The Chinese word 但是 is a conjunction that translates to “but” or “however” in English. It is used to introduce a contrasting idea or situation to what has been previously stated. For example, “我很喜欢中国菜，但是我不喜欢吃辣的” means “I really like Chinese food, but I don’t like spicy food”. In this sentence, the word 但是 is used to express a contrast between the speaker’s overall enjoyment of Chinese food and their dislike of spicy food.
Translation
Conjunction: but, however
Pronunciation
Example Sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | Engish |
|---|---|---|
| 我很想去旅行，但是我没有时间 | wǒ hěn xiǎng qù lǚxíng, dànshì wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān | I really want to travel, but I don’t have time |
| 他很聪明，但是他不喜欢学习 | tā hěn cōngmíng, dànshì tā bù xǐhuān xuéxí | He’s very smart, but he doesn’t like to study |
| 这个电影很有趣，但是有些场景很暴力 | zhège diànyǐng hěn yǒuqù, dànshì yǒuxiē chǎngjǐng hěn bàolì | This movie is very interesting, but some scenes are very violent |
| 我们可以去游泳，但是天气有点凉 | wǒmen kěyǐ qù yóuyǒng, dànshì tiānqì yǒudiǎn liáng | We can go swimming, but the weather is a bit cold |
| 这个问题很重要，但是我们需要更多的时间来解决它 | zhège wèntí hěn zhòngyào, dànshì wǒmen xūyào gèng duō de shíjiān lái jiějué tā | This problem is very important, but we need more time to solve it |
| 我们可以去看电影，但是我没有钱 | wǒmen kěyǐ qù kàn diànyǐng, dànshì wǒ méiyǒu qián | We can go watch a movie, but I don’t have money |
HSK
但是 is part of HSK Level 2 in both HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0.
Learning Card
