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HSK
4

rather

Character Composition


Characters

Pinyin

er2shi4 érshì

Meaning


Primary

rather

Alternatives

but, but rather

Mnemonic


而是 Rather is a conjunction like 而 and, telling you how things actually 是 be.

Usage


我 不 是 去 上海,而是 去 北京。

I am not going to Shanghai, but rather to Beijing.

她 不 是 老师,而是 学生。

She is not a teacher, but rather a student.

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