How to Use 然而"(rán ér) and "反而"(fǎn ér)

There are many different words to express adversative relations among Chinese mandarin, but they are different from each other in the aspects of usage and emotional extent. And this article aimed to present the differences between “然而(rán ér)” and “反而(fǎn ér )”.

The Basic Meaning of “然而(rán ér)”: but, however, nevertheless

然而(rán ér): Here it is used as a conjunction to joint two clauses, or to limit and compliment description in the above mentioned. And it is often used together with “虽然(suī rán)”

Eg:

tā yǐ nián lǎo, rán ér jì yì hái hǎo。 
他已年老，然而记忆还好。
(He is aged, but his memory is still good.)

zhè ɡe xiāo xi fēi chánɡ chū hū yì liào,rán ér tā shì zhēn de。 
这个消息非常出乎意料，然而它是真的。
(The news is really unexpected, however, it is true.)

suī rán miàn lín xǔ duō kùn nɑn, rán ér wǒ men duì shènɡ lì rénɡ chōnɡ mǎn xìn xīn。
虽然面临许多困难，然而我们对胜利仍充满信心。
(We are in the face of many difficulties, yet we still have faith in victory.)

2.The Basic Meaning of “反而(fǎn ér)”: on the contrary, instead, whereas

反而(fǎn ér): Here it is used as an adverb with complicated usages, and it’s an uneasy task to master its meaning.

Eg:

fēnɡ bú dàn méi tínɡ, fǎn ér yuè ɡuā yuè dà le。 
风不但没停，反而越刮越大了。
(Instead of abating, the wind is blowing even harder.)

wǒ xiǎnɡ bānɡ zhù tā, méi xiǎnɡ dào fǎn ér ɡěi tā tiān le má fɑn 。 
我想帮助他，没想到反而给他添了麻烦。
(I wanted to help him, unexpectedly I have brought him troubles.)

chī le nà yào, fǎn ér bìnɡ jiā zhònɡ le。
吃了那药，反而病加重了。
(I’ve taken the medicine, whereas I’m getting worse than before .)

The difference between “然而” and “反而”

1. Differences in parts of speech:

“然而”: A conjunction, can be arranged before the subject and the verb.

“反而”: An adverb, can only be arranged before the verb.

Eg:

wǒ de mā mɑ xǐ huɑn tiào wǔ, rán ér wǒ bù xǐ huɑn。 
我的妈妈喜欢跳舞，然而我不喜欢。
(My mother likes dancing, but I don’t like it.)

tā méi yǒu mǎi dào yào, fǎn ér bǎ qián ɡěi diū le。 
他没有买到药，反而把钱给丢了。
(He didn’t buy medicine but lost his money.)

2. Differences in meanings:

然而: Only express adversative relations.

反而: In addition to express adversative relations, it also shows the absurd tone to something totally on contrast side.

Eg:

dà jiā dōu nǔ lì ɡōnɡ zuò, rán ér tā què bù nǔ lì。 
大家都努力工作，然而他却不努力。
(All of us are working hard, but he isn’t.)

dà jiā dōu nǔ lì ɡōnɡ zuò, tā què bù nǔ lì, fǎn ér wā ku wǒ men 。 
大家都努力工作，他却不努力，反而挖苦我们。
(All of us are working hard, while he isn’t even mocking at us.)

3.There will be some preconditions to be comparisons when using “反而”.

Eg:

tā hěn xǐ huɑn zhè bù diàn yǐnɡ, rán ér wǒ jué dé bù zěn me yànɡ。
她很喜欢这部电影，然而我觉得不怎么样。
(She appreciates this movie deeply, but I think it is not up to much.)

nǐ de chénɡ jì yì zhí zài xià jiànɡ, nǐ fēi dàn bù ɡǎi shàn, fǎn ér rèn qí fā zhǎn 。 
你的成绩一直在下降，你非但不改善，反而任其发展。
(Your performance keeps declined, you haven’t try to improve it and only let it be on the contrary.)

 

Exercises: Choose the right word from “然而” and “反而” to make the sentence completed.

　wǒ xué le sān nián hàn yǔ ，_______ tīnɡ hàn yǔ ɡuǎnɡ bō rénɡ yǒu kùn nɑn。 
1.我学了三年汉语，________听汉语广播仍有困难。
(I’ve been studying Chinese for three years, but I still feel difficult to understand Chinese radios.)

　nǐ zuò wéi ɡōnɡ zuò zǔ zú zhǎnɡ,______dài tóu kuànɡ bān, zhēn shì tài bù yīnɡ ɡāi le 。
2.你作为工作组组长，__________带头旷班，真是太不应该了。
(As the leader of your team, whereas were absent as the first person, which shouldn’t have happen.)

　

　

Welcome to visit Hanbridge Mandarin and book a free Chinese trial class. Continue to learn Chinese online with us!You can click here to see more details.