而是 - Rather - Simplified Chinese word mnemonic

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rather

[t]

而

and

是

to be

er2shi4 • érshì

rather

but, but rather

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

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.

我要的不是茶，而是水。

What I want is not tea, but water.