Meaning of 但
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- but; yet; however; still
- merely; only; just
How to use 但
但 links two contrasting ideas and is a shorter, slightly more written-sounding version of 但是 (dànshì). It often pairs with 虽然 (suīrán) at the start of the first clause. Example: 他很累，但还在工作。(Tā hěn lèi, dàn hái zài gōngzuò.) He is tired, but he is still working.
但 is made of 亻 (person) and 旦 (dawn, the sun rising over the horizon line). Picture a person who wants to sleep, but the sun is already up.
Common mistake: Learners often write 但 with 日 alone on the right and forget the bottom line of 旦, or confuse it with 担 (dān, to carry), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of 亻. Also, do not put 但 at the very end of a sentence the way English sometimes uses "though"; it must start the contrasting clause.
但 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
但 dàn · but · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 但.
Questions about 但
What does 但 mean?
但 (dàn) means "but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 但?
但 is made of 1 character: 但 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 但 an HSK word?
Yes. 但 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 但 and 但是?
They mean the same thing. 但是 is more common in everyday speech, while 但 is shorter and appears often in writing and in compact sentences.
Can 但 mean only or just?
Yes, in literary or set phrases 但 can mean only, as in 但愿 (dànyuàn), literally only wish, meaning if only or I hope. In modern speech this sense mostly survives in such fixed words.