不仅 (bù jǐn) — not only (..., but also ...); not just | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

不仅…而且/还… means 'not only… but also…', basically interchangeable with the simpler 不但. Slightly more common in writing; 不光 is the most colloquial of the three.

conjunction

not only (..., but also ...)not just

Examples

不仅，。
Tā bù jǐn xué xí hǎo, ér qiě hěn nǔ lì.
He not only studies well, but also works very hard.
不仅，。
bù jǐn Wǒ xǐ huan zhè ge diàn yǐng, wǒ de péng you yě xǐ huan.
Not only do I like this movie, but my friend also likes it.
不仅，。
Tā bù jǐn wán chéng le zuò yè, hái bāng le mā ma.
He not only finished his homework, but also helped his mother.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不 negates 仅, so it is not limited to one item.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 僅; 仅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

堇

堇jǐn僅jǐn

Same sound today

The traditional form 僅 pairs 人, a person, with 堇, which gives the sound; the simplified 仅 is a later shorthand.

Grammar

Full explanation →

Appears in

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