Meaning of 反而
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- on the contrary; instead
How to use 反而
反而 is an adverb placed before the verb or adjective in the second clause, showing the outcome is the opposite of what was expected. It often follows 不但没有 or 不仅不 in the first clause. Example: 吃了药，他的病反而更重了。(Chī le yào, tā de bìng fǎn'ér gèng zhòng le.) He took the medicine, but instead his illness got worse.
反 (fǎn) means to turn over or go against, and 而 (ér) is a linking word. Together 反而 links two ideas where the result flips against what you expected.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 反而 with 而是 (ér shì). 而是 corrects a wrong statement in 不是A，而是B, while 反而 marks an unexpected result. Also, 反而 must go after the subject, so say 他反而笑了, not 反而他笑了.
反而 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.
反 fǎn · contrary · 4 strokes
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而 ér · and · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 反而.
| 而且 | érqiě | (not only ...) but also; moreover; in addition; furthermore |
| 反正 | fǎnzhèng | anyway; in any case |
| 反对 | fǎnduì | to oppose; to be against; to object to |
| 反应 | fǎnyìng | to react; to respond |
| 反复 | fǎnfù | repeatedly; over and over |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather |
| 然而 | rán'ér | however; but; yet |
| 相反 | xiāngfǎn | opposite; contrary |
| 反映 | fǎnyìng | to mirror; to reflect |
| 违反 | wéifǎn | to violate (a law) |
| 从而 | cóng'ér | thus; thereby |
| 因而 | yīn'ér | therefore; as a result |
Questions about 反而
What does 反而 mean?
反而 (fǎn'ér) means "on the contrary; instead" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 反而?
反而 is made of 2 characters: 反 (4 strokes), 而 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 反而 an HSK word?
Yes. 反而 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 反而 just to mean 'instead' when choosing between two options?
Usually not. For a simple choice like 'I drank tea instead of coffee', Chinese uses 没喝咖啡，而是喝了茶 or 不喝咖啡，喝茶. 反而 needs a sense that the result goes against expectation.
What is the difference between 反而 and 却 (què)?
却 marks a general contrast, like 'but' or 'yet'. 反而 is stronger and says the result is the exact opposite of what should have happened. For example, 他很累，却睡不着 is plain contrast, while 休息以后他反而更累了 shows a reversed outcome.