不只是...还...
Reach for 不只是...还... when you want to say 'this isn't ONLY about X — Y is also part of it.' It is the spoken-Chinese 'not just X, also Y,' the casual cousin of 不仅...还.... Use it when you want to push back gently on a narrow framing: someone thinks a concert is just music, you point out it's also a show; someone thinks Live Nation just sells tickets, you add that they put on the whole event. The first clause acknowledges what's obvious, the second adds what was missed.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 不只是 [OBVIOUS POINT] ，还 [ADDED POINT]
bù zhǐ shì... hái...
How to Think About It
不只是 admits 'yes, X is true' before adding the missed piece. The 是 inside 不只是 anchors the first clause as an identity or category claim — that's why this pattern often introduces a noun-like predicate. 还 then stacks a second category or activity, keeping the same subject. Drop 还 and the sentence dangles; the listener is waiting for the addition you promised.
Examples
这家店不只是卖咖啡，还卖蛋糕。
Zhè jiā diàn bù zhǐ shì mài kāfēi, hái mài dàngāo.
This place doesn't just sell coffee — it also sells cakes.
他不只是我的同事，还是我的好朋友。
Tā bù zhǐ shì wǒ de tóngshì, hái shì wǒ de hǎo péngyǒu.
He isn't just my coworker — he's also a good friend.
学语言不只是为了考试，还为了交流。
Xué yǔyán bù zhǐ shì wèile kǎoshì, hái wèile jiāoliú.
Learning a language isn't just for tests — it's also for communication.
Common Mistake
Learners use 不只是 to negate a verb-action and forget that 不只是 carries a 是, so it naturally takes a noun or noun-like phrase. To negate an action ('not just doing X'), 不只 alone or 不仅 is smoother.
他不只是去了。还吃了饭。
他不只是去看演出，还和朋友吃了饭。
Don't Confuse With
不仅...还...
Same meaning, more formal/written. Use 不仅 in essays and reports; use 不只是 in conversation, voice messages, and casual writing.
除了...还...
除了 excludes one item ('besides X, also Y'). 不只是 includes X as part of the picture and adds Y as another part. Subtle: 除了 frames Y as additional; 不只是 frames Y as previously overlooked.
不只是...也...
Same pattern, with 也 instead of 还. 也 sounds more like a parallel quality; 还 sounds like an escalation or addition. Both are correct; the choice is a feel call.
Practice
她 ___ 是老师，还是作家。
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不只
这本书不只是好看，___ 很有用。
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还
Put in order: [不只是 / 还 / 他 / 唱歌 / 跳舞 / 会 / 会]
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他不只是会唱歌，还会跳舞。
Translate to Chinese: 'This city isn't just beautiful — it's also very safe.'
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这个城市不只是漂亮，还很安全。
Reframe a place or person you know as more than what people assume, using 不只是...还...
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Example answer: 我们公司不只是做软件的，还做硬件。 (Our company doesn't just do software — it also does hardware.)