不只...还...
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). It's a common way in news and analysis to push a story from local to global, or from immediate to structural. The 还 ('also/even') in the second half adds reach.
Structure
不只 [SCOPE 1]，还 [SCOPE 2]
bùzhǐ... hái...
How to Think About It
不只 sets a ceiling and then immediately punches through it — 'this isn't just X' is a setup that demands a bigger Y. The 还 in the second half does the punch-through, signaling 'there's more, and here it is.' Drop 还 and the escalation loses its force; drop 不只 and you've just got a normal additive sentence. The two halves work as a pair.
Examples
这件事不只影响到我们公司，还影响到整个行业。
Zhè jiàn shì bùzhǐ yǐngxiǎng dào wǒmen gōngsī, hái yǐngxiǎng dào zhěnggè hángyè.
This issue affects not only our company but also the whole industry.
他不只会说中文，还会说四种其他语言。
Tā bùzhǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén, hái huì shuō sì zhǒng qítā yǔyán.
He speaks not only Chinese but also four other languages.
这家店不只卖咖啡，还卖书。
Zhè jiā diàn bùzhǐ mài kāfēi, hái mài shū.
This shop sells not only coffee but also books.
Common Mistake
Learners use 也 instead of 还 in the second half because both can mean 'also.' 也 just adds a parallel item flatly; 还 adds with momentum and is the natural partner for 不只 / 不但. With 也 the escalation feels weak.
这次选举不只关系到匈牙利，也关系到整个欧洲。
这次选举不只关系到匈牙利，还关系到整个欧洲。
Don't Confuse With
不但...而且...
More formal and written version of the same idea. Use 不但...而且 in essays and formal speech; use 不只...还 in conversation, news commentary, and most everyday writing.
不仅...也...
Near-synonym, slightly more written. 不仅 and 不只 are interchangeable; pairing with 也 vs. 还 changes the feel — 还 adds momentum, 也 adds calmly.
除了...还...
'Besides X, also Y' — both items are visible from the start. Use 除了 when listing what's outside an obvious category; use 不只 when the first item is a presumed limit you're pushing past.
Practice
Fill in: 这家店___卖咖啡，还卖书。
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不只
Fill in: 他不只会说中文，___会说英文。
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还
Arrange: 还 / 影响到 / 这件事 / 我们 / 不只 / 整个行业 / 影响到 / ，
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这件事不只影响到我们，还影响到整个行业。
Translate: This problem doesn't only affect children — it also affects parents.
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这个问题不只影响孩子，还影响家长。
Write one sentence using 不只...还... about a topic that has broader effects than people assume.
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学语言不只能找到工作，还能让你认识更多朋友。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: