Meaning of 倒是
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- contrary to what one might expect
- actually
- contrariwise
- why don't you
How to use 倒是
倒是 marks something contrary to expectation, softens a concession, or urges someone impatiently. It goes before the verb or adjective, after the subject. Example: 这个地方不大，倒是挺安静的。(Zhège dìfang bú dà, dàoshi tǐng ānjìng de.) This place isn't big, but it's actually quite quiet.
倒 (dào) means to turn upside down or reverse, and 是 (shì) means to be. Together, 倒是 flips the situation: what comes next is the reverse of what you expected.
Common mistake: Learners often put 倒是 at the start of a clause like 但是 (dànshì), but 倒是 is an adverb and follows the subject: say 他倒是很聪明, not 倒是他很聪明. Also read 倒 as dào (fourth tone) here, not dǎo (third tone, to fall over).
倒是 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.
倒 dǎo · to fall · 10 strokes
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是 shì · to be · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 倒是.
| 还是 | háishi | still (as before); had better |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 但是 | dànshì | but; however |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 正是 | zhèngshì | is precisely |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 就是 | jiùshì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 有的是 | yǒudeshì | have plenty of; there's no lack of |
| 是否 | shìfǒu | whether (or not); if |
Questions about 倒是
What does 倒是 mean?
倒是 (dàoshì) means "contrary to what one might expect; actually" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 倒是?
倒是 is made of 2 characters: 倒 (10 strokes), 是 (9 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 倒是 an HSK word?
Yes. 倒是 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 倒是 mean when used in a command like 你倒是说啊?
In this use it expresses impatience and means something like "why don't you" or "come on." 你倒是说啊 (Nǐ dàoshi shuō a) means "Well, say something then."
How is 倒是 different from 但是?
但是 (dànshì) is a conjunction that simply joins two contrasting clauses. 倒是 is an adverb that adds a feeling of surprise or concession, and it can appear together with 但是 or 可是 in the same sentence.