AdverbsHSK 6
Comparing 反而 and 却
反而 indicates an unexpected reversal or opposite outcome, often translating to 'on the contrary' or 'instead'. It frequently appears with 不但没/不 to emphasize that instead of something happening, the opposite occurred. 却 is a more general contrastive adverb meaning 'but' or 'yet', commonly used with 虽然 or 但是 to highlight a surprising turn.
Examples
- 他不但没生气，反而笑了。Tā bùdàn méi shēngqì, fǎn'ér xiào le.Not only did he not get angry, but on the contrary, he smiled.
- 我帮了他，他反而怪我。Wǒ bāng le tā, tā fǎn'ér guài wǒ.I helped him, but he blamed me instead.
- 虽然很累，却很开心。Suīrán hěn lèi, què hěn kāixīn.Although very tired, I was very happy.
- 我想去，他却不让。Wǒ xiǎng qù, tā què bù ràng.I wanted to go, but he wouldn't allow it.
- 吃了药，病反而更重了。Chī le yào, bìng fǎn'ér gèng zhòng le.After taking medicine, the illness got worse instead.