…倒…
HSK 4- Conjunctions
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
倒 is used to express a mild contrast or a situation contrary to expectation, carrying the meaning of 'on the contrary', 'conversely'.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
The adverb 倒 expresses contrast, but with a lighter tone than 但是 or 可是. It typically describes a situation that is somewhat unexpected or contrary to what one would normally think, carrying the meaning of "on the contrary" or "but instead."
倒 is also used in a concessive structure "Adjective + 倒 + Adjective," meaning "it is indeed … but…," used to acknowledge a positive point before introducing a drawback.
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 大家都说难，我倒觉得不难。繁: 大家都說難，我倒覺得不難。Dàjiā dōu shuō nán, wǒ dào juéde bù nán.
Everyone says it's difficult, but I find it not difficult.
- 这件衣服好看倒好看，就是太贵了。繁: 這件衣服好看倒好看，就是太貴了。Zhè jiàn yīfu hǎokàn dào hǎokàn, jiùshì tài guì le.
This shirt looks nice enough, it's just too expensive.
- 房间不大，倒很干净。繁: 房間不大，倒很乾淨。Fángjiān bú dà, dào hěn gānjìng.
The room is not large, but it is quite clean.
- 你想去，我倒不想去。Nǐ xiǎng qù, wǒ dào bù xiǎng qù.
You want to go, but I don't want to go.
- 别担心，我倒有个办法。繁: 別擔心，我倒有個辦法。Bié dānxīn, wǒ dào yǒu ge bànfǎ.
Don't worry, I actually have a way to handle this.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:他很高，倒他弟弟很矮。Correct:他很高，他弟弟倒很矮。
倒 is an adverb that typically appears after the subject or before a verb/adjective; it cannot be used to connect two independent clauses like the conjunction 但是.
- Wrong:这个菜辣，倒是很好吃。Correct:这个菜辣倒辣，但是很好吃。
To express the concession "it is bitter, sure, but..." use the structure 'Adjective + 倒 + Adjective' for more natural phrasing.