不但……而且……
Use 不但……而且…… when one fact isn't enough and you want to pile on a second, stronger one — 'not only X, but also Y.' The second clause should escalate, intensify, or add something more impressive to the first. It's the standard progressive connector in writing and careful speech, and unlike English you usually keep both halves explicit in Chinese.
Structure
不但 [CLAUSE A], 而且 [CLAUSE B]
búdàn... érqiě...
How to Think About It
不但……而且…… is an escalator: clause B has to be a step up from clause A, not just a parallel item. If the second half is just another equal trait, you want 又……又…… instead. Also, both halves must share the same subject (or the subject moves to the front of 不但) — splitting subjects on either side of 而且 breaks the parallelism.
Examples
他不仅是我的同事，更是我最好的朋友。
Tā bù jǐn shì wǒ de tóng shì, gèng shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péng you.
He's not only my colleague — more importantly, he's my best friend.
学外语不仅能找到好工作，而且能让你认识新的世界。
Xué wài yǔ bù jǐn néng zhǎo dào hǎo gōng zuò, ér qiě néng ràng nǐ rèn shi xīn de shì jiè.
Learning a foreign language doesn't just help you find a good job — it also opens up a new world.
这次比赛不仅锻炼了我的能力，更让我交到了很多朋友。
Zhè cì bǐ sài bù jǐn duàn liàn le wǒ de néng lì, gèng ràng wǒ jiāo dào le hěn duō péng you.
This competition didn't just sharpen my skills — even more, it helped me make a lot of friends.
她不仅工作认真，而且对同事也很热情。
Tā bù jǐn gōng zuò rèn zhēn, ér qiě duì tóng shì yě hěn rè qíng.
She's not only diligent at work — she's also warm toward her colleagues.
他不仅会说中文，而且说得比中国人还好。
Tā bùjǐn huì shuō Zhōngwén, érqiě shuō de bǐ Zhōngguó rén hái hǎo.
He doesn't just speak Chinese — he speaks it better than a native.
这本书不仅有趣，而且让人重新思考自己的生活。
Zhè běn shū bùjǐn yǒuqù, érqiě ràng rén chóngxīn sīkǎo zìjǐ de shēnghuó.
This book isn't just fun — it makes you rethink your own life.
这次比赛他不仅参加了，而且拿了第一名。
Zhè cì bǐsài tā bùjǐn cānjiā le, érqiě ná le dì yī míng.
He didn't just take part in the competition — he won first place.
她不仅是老师, 而且是作家。
Tā bùjǐn shì lǎoshī, érqiě shì zuòjiā.
She is not only a teacher, but also a writer.
这部电影不仅好看, 而且有意义。
Zhè bù diànyǐng bùjǐn hǎokàn, érqiě yǒu yìyì.
This movie is not only entertaining, but also meaningful.
他不仅会写代码, 也会做设计。
Tā bùjǐn huì xiě dàimǎ, yě huì zuò shèjì.
He can not only code, but also do design.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 而且 because English often omits 'but also,' producing a half-sentence. Chinese keeps both halves: 不但 needs its 而且 partner to feel complete and progressive.
她不但会说英语，会说中文。
她不但会说英语，而且会说中文。
Don't Confuse With
不但... 而且...
不但 is the slightly more formal twin of 不仅. Same meaning, fully interchangeable in most contexts. 不仅 is more common in modern writing; 不但 sounds a touch older or more formal.
不仅... 也/还...
也/还 is the casual escalation — works in everyday speech. 更/而且 lifts the register and adds rhetorical weight. Pick by register: 也/还 for conversation, 更/而且 for writing or formal talk.
既... 又...
'Both X and Y' — coordinates two equal qualities without escalation. Use it when neither side outranks the other. 不仅...更... explicitly stacks, with the second point bigger.
不仅...也...
Parallel, equal footing. Pick 也 when the second item is just another example; pick 而且 when it climbs higher.
不但...而且...
Near-identical to 不仅...而且..., slightly more spoken. They're interchangeable in most contexts.
Practice
Fill in: 他____是老师，____是我的朋友。
Show answer
不仅；更
Translate to Chinese: This city is not only beautiful — more importantly, the people are very kind.
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这个城市不仅漂亮，更重要的是人很热情。
Arrange: 不仅 / 而且 / 这个手机 / 便宜 / 好用
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这个手机不仅便宜，而且好用。
Use 不仅...更... to describe someone you admire.
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我妈妈不仅会做很多好吃的菜，更教会了我怎么照顾别人。
Fill in: 他____仅是老师，而且是校长。
Show answer
不
Fill in: 这部电影不仅好看，____且让人感动。
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而
Arrange: 而且 / 不仅 / 便宜 / 这个 / 好吃 / 很 / 也 / ，
Show answer
这个不仅便宜，而且也很好吃。
Translate to Chinese: She not only passed the exam, she got the highest score.
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她不仅通过了考试，而且拿了最高分。
Use 不仅...而且... to make an escalating claim about a person or product.
Show answer
这个手机不仅价格便宜，而且功能比很多贵的还多。
他 ___ 聪明, 而且很努力。
Show answer
不仅
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 18 Fluentide episodes. Press play to hear the sentence:
她不但会说流利的英语，而且中文也说得特别好。
Not only does she speak fluent English, but her Chinese is also exceptionally good.
Eileen Gu Heads to Milan OlympicsIntermediate
它不但可以在节目中间和主持人聊天，还能给小品里的机器人配音。
Not only can it chat with the host between programs, but it can also dub the voices for robots in skits.
Unitree Robots Star in CCTV Spring Festival GalaIntermediate
所以不但对环境好，而且经济上也划算。
So it's not only good for the environment, but also economically worthwhile.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan Backs Clean EnergyIntermediate
大家不但不觉得丢脸，而且觉得很有意思。
Not only do people not feel embarrassed, they actually find it amusing.
Prefrontal Cortex Meme Excuses Bad DecisionsIntermediate
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 不但……而且…… in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.