Grammar Topic

Connectives in Chinese Grammar

Choose the connective by the relationship between clauses: cause, contrast, addition, or sequence.

Choose the structure by meaning

Common mix-ups

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Browse all connective patterns (40)

Cause and result

10 patterns

因为...所以...yīnwèi... suǒyǐ...HSK 1

Reach for this when you want to explicitly link a reason to its result — 'because X, so Y.' It's the workhorse cause-and-effect connector in Chinese: stick the reason after 因为, the result after 所以, and you have a clean two-clause sentence anyone from HSK 1 onward will understand.HSK 1

因为...yīnwèi...HSK 1

Use 因为 by itself when you want to give a reason without the full 因为……所以…… frame.HSK 1

之所以……是因为……zhī suǒ yǐ... shì yīnwèi...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to flip the usual order of cause and effect — name the result first, then explain why.HSK 5-6

为什么...？因为...wèishénme...? yīnwèi...HSK 2

Reach for this self-Q&A structure when you want to grab attention, then immediately deliver the answer.HSK 2

X 是 ... 的，因为 ...... shì ... de, yīnwèi ...HSK 3-4

Use this when you state a claim and immediately back it up with a reason.HSK 3-4

之所以……是因为…… / ……的缘由，都要追溯到……zhīsuǒyǐ... shì yīnwèi... / de yuányóu... yào zhuīsù dào...HSK 5-6

Reach for 之所以……是因为…… when you want to flip the usual cause-result order and put the result first, then explain why — 'the reason that X is because Y.' It's the move you make when the listener already knows what happened and you want to deliver the explanation as the punchline.HSK 5-6

因为 ... 所以 ... / 因为 aloneyīnwèi ..., suǒyǐ ...HSK 3-4

Reach for this when you want to spell out a cause and its result.HSK 3-4

恰恰是因为...才...qiàqià shì yīnwèi... cái...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to overturn an expected explanation and insist the real cause is one the listener didn't see coming.HSK 5-6

是因为...shì yīnwèi...HSK 1

Reach for this when you want to give the reason for something — 'It's because...' The previous sentence (or your conversation partner's question) sets up the situation; 是因为 then drops the cause cleanly at the start of the explanation.HSK 1

比一个人聪明bǐ...HSK 1

The most basic Chinese comparison: 'A is more [ADJ] than B.' Reach for this anytime you want to say one thing beats another on some quality — smarter, taller, faster, cheaper.HSK 1

Contrast and concession

7 patterns

虽然...但是...suīrán... dànshì...HSK 1

Reach for this when you want to admit one thing and then push back against it — 'sure, X is true, BUT Y.' It's the standard concession pattern in Chinese.HSK 1

但是...dànshì...HSK 1

Reach for 但是 when you want to flip a sentence's direction — you stated one thing, and now you are about to say something that pushes against it.HSK 1

虽然...但...suīrán... dàn...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to acknowledge one fact while emphasizing a contrasting reality — 'although X, but Y.' It's the same concession structure as 虽然...但是..., just with the shorter 但 instead of 但是.HSK 5-6

X 听起来 ...，但是其实 ...... tīng qǐlái ..., dànshì qíshí ...HSK 3-4

Use this when you want to set up a reveal — first describe how something SOUNDS to the casual listener, then pull back the curtain on what it ACTUALLY is.HSK 3-4

之所以... 归功于...zhī suǒyǐ ... guī gōng yúHSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to spotlight an outcome and credit a specific cause for it — 'the reason X happened is owed to Y.' A formal, written-register attribution pattern used in speeches, business reports, sports commentary, and acceptance remarks.HSK 5-6

尽管...但是/也...jǐnguǎn... dànshì/yě...HSK 3-4

Reach for 尽管...但是/也...HSK 3-4

正因为 ... 所以 / 反而 ...zhèng yīnwèi ... suǒyǐ / fǎn'ér ...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to highlight that the cause matters precisely BECAUSE of what it is — 'it's exactly because of X that Y.' Two flavors: pair with 所以 for an emphatic version of normal cause-and-effect ('precisely because, therefore'), or pair with 反而 for a counter-intuitive twist ('precisely because of X, the OPPOSITE of what you'd expect').HSK 5-6

Addition

22 patterns

不但……而且……búdàn... érqiě...HSK 3-4

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.HSK 3-4

不仅……更……bùjǐn... gèng...HSK 5-6

Reach for 不仅……更…… when one claim already says a lot and the second claim says even more — 'not only X, but even more so Y.' The 更 in the second clause is what makes this different from 不仅……而且……: it explicitly signals that the second point outweighs the first.HSK 5-6

不仅仅是……更是……bùjǐnjǐn shì... gèng shì...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to upgrade a description — not just X, but something deeper or more important.HSK 5-6

不仅...也/还...bù jǐn... yě / hái...HSK 1

Reach for this when you want to stack two true statements about the same subject and signal that the second one goes beyond expectation — 'not only X, but also Y.' 不仅 introduces the first quality, 也 or 还 introduces the second, often something stronger or more surprising.HSK 1

不仅...还...bùjǐn... hái...HSK 5-6

Reach for 不仅...还...HSK 5-6

不仅...还/也...bùjǐn... hái/yě...HSK 3-4

Reach for 不仅...还/也...HSK 3-4

不仅... 更/还...bùjǐn... gèng/hái...HSK 5-6

Reach for 不仅...更/还...HSK 5-6

不仅...也...bùjǐn... yě...HSK 3-4

Reach for this when one thing is true and a second, related thing is ALSO true — and you want to emphasize that the situation extends beyond the first item.HSK 3-4

不仅仅是……更像是……bùjǐnjǐn shì... gèng xiàng shì...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to upgrade a definition — 'it's not just X, it's more like Y.' The first clause names the shallow or obvious label; the second clause replaces it with a richer, more accurate analogy.HSK 5-6

绝不仅仅是...而是...jué bùjǐnjǐn shì... érshì...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to forcefully correct an underselling — 'it is absolutely not just X; rather, it is Y.' 绝 ('absolutely, definitely not') gives the negation real weight, and 而是 hard-pivots to the truer description.HSK 5-6

不仅 / 不只 ... 也 / 还 ...bùjǐn / bùzhǐ... yě / hái...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to stack two facts about the same subject and make the second one feel bigger or more surprising — 'not only X, but also Y.' The first half states a known or expected fact; the second half escalates with something extra.HSK 5-6

不仅不 ... 反而 ...bùjǐn bù... fǎn'ér...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when the result goes against expectation — 'not only does it NOT do X, on the contrary, it does Y.' You set up what you (or the reader) thought would happen, then deliver the opposite.HSK 5-6

不仅仅是 ... 还有 ...bùjǐnjǐn shì ... hái yǒu ...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you're broadening the scope of who or what is involved — 'it's not only X, there's also Y.' Where 不仅仅...HSK 5-6

不仅仅是...，...也...bù jǐn jǐn shì..., ... yě...HSK 3-4

Use this when one label undersells the thing.HSK 3-4

不仅仅是……bùjǐnjǐn shì...HSK 3-4

Reach for 不仅仅是…… when you want to push back against a too-small reading of something — 'it's not merely…,' 'it's not just…' You're acknowledging the obvious label but signaling that the real story is bigger.HSK 3-4

不仅仅是...更在于...bù jǐn jǐn shì..., gèng zài yú...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to redirect attention from the surface-level reason to the deeper one.HSK 5-6

不仅无法/不... 反而会...bùjǐn wúfǎ / bù..., fǎn'ér huì...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to say something not only fails to achieve its goal, it actually produces the OPPOSITE result.HSK 5-6

不但……甚至……búdàn... shènzhì...HSK 3-4

Reach for this when you want to escalate a claim past where the listener would expect — 'not only X, but even Y.' 不但 sets the baseline ('this much is already true'), and 甚至 vaults past it ('and beyond that, even this').HSK 3-4

不但……还……búdàn... hái...HSK 3-4

Reach for this when you want to stack two true qualities or actions on the same subject — 'not only X, but also Y.' The first clause states what's already true, and 还 piles on a second fact that's often more impressive, more surprising, or one notch beyond expectation.HSK 3-4

不只...还...bùzhǐ... hái...HSK 2

Reach for this when one fact isn't the whole picture and you want to escalate to a bigger one — 'not only X, but also Y.' The first clause states what people might assume is the full scope (just one city, just one effect, just one person); the second clause expands it (also another, also bigger, also further).HSK 2

不只是...还要...bù zhǐ shì... hái yào...HSK 2

Reach for this when you want to push past one obvious point and add a second, often harder requirement — 'not only X, but also need to Y.' The 要 in the second clause signals that the second part is a demand or expectation, not just a fact.HSK 2

之所以...不仅仅是因为...zhī suǒyǐ... bù jǐnjǐn shì yīnwèi...HSK 5-6

Reach for this when you want to argue that something matters for MORE than one reason — and the obvious reason is just the start.HSK 5-6

Sequence

1 patterns

第一...第二...第三...dì-yī... dì-èr... dì-sān...HSK 2

Reach for this when you want to list reasons, points, or steps in a clear, numbered way — 'first… second… third…' It's the structural backbone of explanations, arguments, and recipes.HSK 2

Connectives in Chinese Grammar

Choose the structure by meaning

Common mix-ups

Paired words may omit one half

但是 vs 不过

而且 vs 并且

Looking for a specific connective?

Cause and result

Contrast and concession

Addition

Sequence

Other Grammar Topics