ConjunctionsHSK 4

Expressing "not only" with 不光

不光 means "not only" and is used to add information that goes beyond what was just mentioned.

It often pairs with 还, 也, 而且 or 就是 to introduce the additional point.

Structure

不光 + A, 还/也/而且 + B

Parallel structure: the two items being compared usually appear in the same grammatical form.

不光 + Clause 1, (就)是 + Clause 2

Used when emphasizing that the second fact is surprising or goes further than expected.

不光他会说汉语，他妹妹也会说。
Bù guāng tā huì shuō hàn yǔ, tā mèi mei yě huì shuō.
Not only can he speak Chinese, his younger sister can too.
这种水果不光好吃，而且很有营养。
Zhè zhǒng shuǐ guǒ bù guāng hǎo chī, ér qiě hěn yǒu yíng yǎng.
This kind of fruit is not only delicious, but also very nutritious.
不光学生要学中文，老师也要学中文。
Bù guāng xué shēng yào xué zhōng wén, lǎo shī yě yào xué zhōng wén.
Not only students need to study Chinese, teachers need to study Chinese too.
这个城市不光风景美，就是交通也很方便。
Zhè ge chéng shì bù guāng fēng jǐng měi, jiù shì jiāo tōng yě hěn fāng biàn.
This city not only has beautiful scenery, its transportation is also very convenient.
他不去，不光是因为忙，也是因为不想去。
Tā bú qù, bù guāng shì yīn wèi máng, yě shì yīn wèi bù xiǎng qù.
He's not going, not only because he's busy, but also because he doesn't want to.