虽然...但是...
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. 虽然 owns up to the inconvenient fact, 但是 delivers the point you actually care about. Use it for almost any 'yes, but' moment: it's expensive but worth it, he's young but smart, the food is bad but cheap.
Structure
虽然 [CONCESSION] 但是 [MAIN POINT]
suīrán... dànshì...
How to Think About It
The 但是 clause is the one that wins. 虽然 is just clearing brush — it acknowledges something so you can move past it. Native listeners barely register the 虽然 clause; their attention waits for 但是. So whichever idea you put after 但是 is the one you're really committing to. Flip the clauses and the meaning flips with them.
Examples
虽然这家餐厅很贵, 但是菜真的好吃。
Suīrán zhè jiā cāntīng hěn guì, dànshì cài zhēn de hǎochī.
Although this restaurant is expensive, the food is really good.
虽然她学中文才一年, 但是说得很流利。
Suīrán tā xué Zhōngwén cái yì nián, dànshì shuō de hěn liúlì.
Although she has only studied Chinese for a year, she speaks fluently.
虽然外面下雨, 但是我们还是出去了。
Suīrán wàimiàn xiàyǔ, dànshì wǒmen háishì chūqù le.
Although it was raining outside, we still went out.
Common Mistake
English speakers drop 但是 because their inner monologue says 'although' already does the contrast work. In Chinese, 虽然 without 但是 (or 可是 / 不过) sounds incomplete — like setting up a punchline and walking away. Keep both, especially while learning.
虽然他很累, 他还是去上班了。
虽然他很累, 但是他还是去上班了。
Don't Confuse With
尽管...但是...
Same meaning, slightly more formal and emphatic. Use 尽管 in writing or when the concession is dramatic ('despite serious illness...'). 虽然 is the everyday default.
即使...也...
虽然 concedes something REAL ('he is in fact tired'). 即使 concedes a HYPOTHETICAL ('even IF he were tired'). If the first clause is a fact, use 虽然; if it's a 'what if', use 即使.
但是 (alone)
You can start with just 但是 if the concession is already understood from context. Use 虽然...但是... when you need to spell out both halves in one sentence.
Practice
___ 我很累, 但是我还要工作。
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虽然
虽然今天很冷, ___ 我没穿外套。
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但是
Put in order: [虽然 / 但是 / 这本书 / 很有意思 / 很厚]
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虽然这本书很厚, 但是很有意思。
Translate to Chinese: 'Although he is young, he is very smart.'
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虽然他很年轻, 但是他很聪明。
Write one sentence about your city using 虽然...但是....
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Example answer: 虽然北京很大, 但是交通很方便。 (Although Beijing is big, the transportation is convenient.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 20 Fluentide episodes: