非但不/没有……反而……
Reach for this when something went the opposite way of what anyone would have expected — and you want to underline how upside-down the outcome is. 'You'd think the medicine would help; instead it made things worse.' 非但不/没有 sets up the expectation that was denied, 反而 delivers the punchline that the reality flipped the other way. This is a written and formal-spoken pattern, common in news and essays.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 非但不/没有 [EXPECTED ACTION], 反而 [OPPOSITE OUTCOME]
fēidàn bù/méiyǒu... fǎn'ér...
How to Think About It
非但 means 'not only' but it's almost always followed by the negative — 不 or 没有. The trick: where English 'not only X but also Y' adds Y on top of X, Chinese 非但不 X 反而 Y subtracts X and then puts the opposite Y in its place. The 反而 is the swivel — it announces 'reality went the other way.' Without 反而 the sentence sounds like a list; with it, the listener feels the reversal.
Examples
这种药非但没有效果, 反而让病情更严重了。
Zhè zhǒng yào fēidàn méiyǒu xiàoguǒ, fǎn'ér ràng bìngqíng gèng yánzhòng le.
This medicine didn't help — it made the condition worse.
他非但不感谢我, 反而把责任推给我。
Tā fēidàn bù gǎnxiè wǒ, fǎn'ér bǎ zérèn tuī gěi wǒ.
Far from thanking me, he pushed the blame onto me.
下雨之后, 空气非但没变凉, 反而更闷了。
Xià yǔ zhīhòu, kōngqì fēidàn méi biàn liáng, fǎn'ér gèng mēn le.
After the rain, the air didn't cool down — it got muggier.
Common Mistake
Learners pair 非但不 with 也/还 (the additive partners of 不但) and produce a sentence that means the wrong thing. 非但不 demands 反而 because the whole point is contrast, not addition.
他非但不道歉, 还说我错了。
他非但不道歉, 反而说我错了。
Don't Confuse With
不但...而且...
Additive: 'not only X but ALSO Y.' Both parts point the same direction. Use this when Y reinforces X, not when Y contradicts the expectation.
反而
反而 can stand alone for a contrast: '我帮他, 他反而怪我' (I helped him, instead he blamed me). 非但不...反而... raises the stakes by spelling out the denied expectation first.
不仅没有...反而...
Near-synonym, slightly more conversational. 非但 is more literary; 不仅 is the everyday cousin. Both pair with 反而 the same way.
Practice
他非但不听劝, ___ 越说越大声。
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反而
这场雨 ___ 没有缓解旱情, 反而引发了山洪。
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非但
Put in order: [反而 / 房价 / 涨了 / 政策 / 出台后 / 非但 / 没降]
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政策出台后, 房价非但没降, 反而涨了。
Translate to Chinese: 'He didn't apologize — he got even angrier.'
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他非但不道歉, 反而更生气了。
Describe a situation that went opposite to your expectation using 非但不...反而...
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Example answer: 加班之后我非但不困, 反而更精神了。 (After working overtime I wasn't sleepy — I felt more energetic.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: