不仅是...更是...
Reach for this when you want to argue that something isn't just one thing — it's also something bigger or more significant. 'Not only is it A, it's even more so B.' A rhetorical elevation move used in essays, speeches, brand copy, and editorials: 'It's not just a phone, it's a lifestyle.' 不仅是 names the obvious surface description; 更是 raises it to a deeper or higher characterization. Formal-leaning register — common in writing and prepared speech, less in casual chat.
Structure
Subject + 不仅是 + [surface description] + 更是 + [elevated description].
bù jǐn shì ... gèng shì
How to Think About It
Think of this as a two-floor elevator. The first floor (不仅是) is the everyday label; the second floor (更是) is the deeper truth or richer meaning. The 更 ('even more') signals upward movement — the second description outranks the first, often by being more abstract, more important, or more emotionally weighted. Unlike 不仅...而且... (which just adds more facts), 不仅是...更是... ranks them.
Examples
他不仅是我的老师，更是我的榜样。
Tā bù jǐn shì wǒ de lǎoshī, gèng shì wǒ de bǎngyàng.
He's not only my teacher — he's even more my role model.
这本书不仅是一个故事，更是一段历史。
Zhè běn shū bù jǐn shì yí gè gùshi, gèng shì yí duàn lìshǐ.
This book isn't just a story; it's a piece of history.
音乐不仅是娱乐，更是一种表达。
Yīnyuè bù jǐn shì yúlè, gèng shì yì zhǒng biǎodá.
Music isn't only entertainment — it's even more a form of expression.
对她来说，跑步不仅是运动，更是一种生活方式。
Duì tā lái shuō, pǎobù bù jǐn shì yùndòng, gèng shì yì zhǒng shēnghuó fāngshì.
For her, running isn't just exercise — it's a way of life.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the 是 in either half, turning the pattern into the looser 不仅...更... which sounds incomplete when both clauses are nouns. Both halves need 是 because you're equating the subject with two descriptions.
他不仅老师，更朋友。
他不仅是老师，更是朋友。
Don't Confuse With
不仅...而且...
'Not only... but also...' — adds parallel information. The second clause is additional, not elevated. Use for stacking facts, not for ranking them.
不但...还...
Casual 'not only... also...' — common in speech. Doesn't carry the ranking weight that 更是 brings. Use for everyday additions.
与其说是...不如说是...
'Rather than calling it X, it's more accurate to call it Y.' Replaces the first label with the second; 不仅是...更是... keeps both and elevates.
Practice
Fill in: 北京____中国的首都，____中国的文化中心。
Show answer
不仅是, 更是
Translate to Chinese: This isn't just a job — it's a passion.
Show answer
这不仅是一份工作，更是一种热爱。
Arrange: 不仅 / 是 / 更 / 是 / 妈妈 / 我的 / 老师 / 朋友
Show answer
妈妈不仅是我的老师，更是我的朋友。
Use 不仅是...更是... to elevate something familiar into something more meaningful.
Show answer
中文不仅是一门语言，更是一扇了解中国的窗户。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 不仅是...更是... 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, no card.