不是... 就...
Reach for this when you want to push back on the idea that something is simple or automatic — 'it's not the case that wanting it means getting it.' The first clause names what someone assumes is enough; the second clause says the result doesn't just fall out from there. It carries a mild correcting tone, often paired with 能 or 会: 不是想做就能做.
Structure
不是 [ASSUMED ACTION] 就 [ASSUMED RESULT]
búshì... jiù...
How to Think About It
This is a 'you can't shortcut this' construction. The 就 here means 'just by doing X' and the 不是 in front cancels that shortcut: 'it's not that just doing X gets you Y.' This is a different 不是...就... from the either/or version ('either A or B') — the giveaway is that 就 is followed by a result word like 能, 会, 行, signaling 'gets you there.'
Examples
不是你想做就能做好的。
Búshì nǐ xiǎng zuò jiù néng zuòhǎo de.
It's not something you can do well just because you want to.
不是有钱就一定幸福。
Búshì yǒu qián jiù yídìng xìngfú.
Having money doesn't automatically mean you're happy.
不是学了就会用。
Búshì xué le jiù huì yòng.
Studying it doesn't automatically mean you can use it.
Common Mistake
Learners read this as the either/or 不是...就... and end up confused. The either/or version pairs two nouns/actions as alternatives; this version pairs one action with its assumed automatic result, then denies the link.
他不是中国人就是日本人。 (used to mean 'just being Chinese doesn't make him Japanese')
不是中国人就懂中国文化。
Don't Confuse With
不是...就是... (either/or)
Use the either/or version to list two alternatives ('either A or B'); this 不是...就 negates the idea that A automatically produces B.
并不是...就...
Adding 并 makes the denial more emphatic — 'it's really not the case that...'. Same logic, stronger pushback.
想...就...
想...就... by itself means 'whenever you want to, just...' — this pattern often negates exactly that, saying you can't just do as you please.
Practice
_____ 努力就一定成功, 方法也很重要。 (it's not that)
Show answer
不是
不是说几句话_____ 能解决问题。 (then can)
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就
Arrange: 就 / 不是 / 能 / 想 / 走 / 你
Show answer
不是你想走就能走。
Translate: It's not the case that buying a book means you've read it.
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不是买了书就读过了。
Write a sentence using 不是...就... to push back on a common assumption.
Show answer
不是会说中文就能教中文。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: