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…倒…

HSK 4
  • Conjunctions

Structure (结构 jiégòu)

Subject倒Verb/Adjective

Meaning (意思 yìsi)

倒 is used to express a mild contrast or a situation contrary to expectation, carrying the meaning of 'on the contrary', 'conversely'.

Explanation (解释 jiěshì)

The adverb 倒 expresses contrast, but with a lighter tone than 但是 or 可是. It typically describes a situation that is somewhat unexpected or contrary to what one would normally think, carrying the meaning of "on the contrary" or "but instead."

倒 is also used in a concessive structure "Adjective + 倒 + Adjective," meaning "it is indeed … but…," used to acknowledge a positive point before introducing a drawback.

Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)

  1. 大家都说难，我倒觉得不难。
    繁: 大家都說難，我倒覺得不難。Dàjiā dōu shuō nán, wǒ dào juéde bù nán.

    Everyone says it's difficult, but I find it not difficult.

  2. 这件衣服好看倒好看，就是太贵了。
    繁: 這件衣服好看倒好看，就是太貴了。Zhè jiàn yīfu hǎokàn dào hǎokàn, jiùshì tài guì le.

    This shirt looks nice enough, it's just too expensive.

  3. 房间不大，倒很干净。
    繁: 房間不大，倒很乾淨。Fángjiān bú dà, dào hěn gānjìng.

    The room is not large, but it is quite clean.

  4. 你想去，我倒不想去。
    Nǐ xiǎng qù, wǒ dào bù xiǎng qù.

    You want to go, but I don't want to go.

  5. 别担心，我倒有个办法。
    繁: 別擔心，我倒有個辦法。Bié dānxīn, wǒ dào yǒu ge bànfǎ.

    Don't worry, I actually have a way to handle this.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong:他很高，倒他弟弟很矮。
    Correct:他很高，他弟弟倒很矮。

    倒 is an adverb that typically appears after the subject or before a verb/adjective; it cannot be used to connect two independent clauses like the conjunction 但是.

  • Wrong:这个菜辣，倒是很好吃。
    Correct:这个菜辣倒辣，但是很好吃。

    To express the concession "it is bitter, sure, but..." use the structure 'Adjective + 倒 + Adjective' for more natural phrasing.

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