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只不过 meaning in English

zhǐbùguò

only; merely; nothing but; no more than; it's just that ...

HSK 5adverbTraditional 只不過15 strokes

Meaning of 只不过

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zhǐbuguò
  1. only; merely; nothing but; no more than
  2. it's just that ...

How to use 只不过

只不过 downplays something, often with 是 or 而已 at the end of the sentence for extra softness. It can also start a clause to add a mild 'it's just that' contrast. Example: 我只不过是开个玩笑而已。(Wǒ zhǐbùguò shì kāi gè wánxiào éryǐ.) I was only joking.

只 (zhǐ) means only, and 不过 (bùguò) means no more than, so 只不过 stacks two limiting words together: it is only this and nothing beyond it. Think of it as saying the same thing twice to make it sound small.

Common mistake: Learners often read 只 as zhī (the measure word for animals, as in 一只猫). In 只不过 it is always third tone zhǐ, meaning only.

只不过 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

你nǐ是shì个gè好hǎo人rén，只zhǐ不bù过guò长zhǎng得de好hǎo像xiàng很hěn坏huài。
You are a good person, but you look like a bad person.
他tā只zhǐ不bù过guò是shì有yǒu点diǎn小xiǎo聪cōng明míng。
Although he may be clever, he is not wise.
你nǐ只zhǐ不bù过guò是shì一yí个gè学xué生shēng。
You're nothing but a student.
这zhè只zhǐ不bù过guò是shì个gè借jiè口kǒu。
That's just an excuse.
我wǒ知zhī道dào那nà只zhǐ不bù过guò是shì一yì场cháng梦mèng。
I know it was just a dream.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

只 zhǐ · only · 5 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

不 bù · no · 4 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

过 guò · to cross · 6 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6

Related words

Words that share a character with 只不过.

对不起duìbuqǐI'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint
是不是shì bu shìis or is not (used to form yes-no questions)
不用bùyòngneed not
不大bù dànot very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently
不对bùduìincorrect; wrong
不客气bù kèqìyou're welcome; don't mention it
不要bùyàodon't!; must not
不过bùguòonly; merely
过来guòláito come over; to manage
不错bùcuòcorrect; right
不行bùxíngwon't do; be out of the question
只要zhǐyàoso long as; provided; if

Questions about 只不过

What does 只不过 mean?

只不过 (zhǐbùguò) means "only; merely; nothing but; no more than; it's just that ..." and is used as a adverb.

How do you write 只不过?

只不过 is made of 3 characters: 只 (5 strokes), 不 (4 strokes), 过 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.

Is 只不过 an HSK word?

Yes. 只不过 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 只不过 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 只不过 is written 只不過.

What is the difference between 只不过 and 不过?

不过 alone usually means but or however and links two ideas. 只不过 focuses on making something seem minor, like merely or just. When 只不过 starts a clause it means it's just that, which is softer than a plain 不过.

Can I use 只不过 with 而已?

Yes, they often appear together, as in 他只不过是个孩子而已 (He's just a kid). 而已 at the end repeats the idea of nothing more and makes the tone even lighter.

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