反而 (fǎn ér) — (adverb) on the contrary, instead (indicating a result opposite to expectation)
Definition
反而 (fǎn'ér) is a contrastive adverb meaning 'instead / on the contrary', used when a result goes against what was expected. Unlike the conjunction 相反, it always appears as a single-word adverb mid-sentence, not as a topic-shifting connector.
adverb
on the contraryinstead (indicating a result opposite to expectation)
Examples
- ，反而。Tā chī le yào, bìng fǎn ér gèng yán zhòng le.He took medicine, but instead his illness got worse.
- ，反而。Wǒ běn lái xiǎng bāng tā, fǎn ér gěi tā tiān le má fan.I originally wanted to help him, but instead I caused him trouble.
- ，反而。Nǐ shuō dé màn yì diǎn, tā fǎn ér tīng bù dǒng le.You spoke more slowly, but he couldn't understand instead.
Grammar
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