AdverbsHSK 6
Expressing "nothing but" with 无非
无非 means 'nothing but' or 'merely.' It is used to emphasize that something is only as stated, and nothing more. You can place it before a verb phrase with optional 是; including 是 sounds more colloquial.
Structure
无非 + (是) + Verb Phrase
是 is optional; including it sounds more colloquial.
Examples
- 他无非是想帮忙。tā wúfēi shì xiǎng bāngmáng 。He just wants to help.
- 这无非是个误会。zhè wúfēi shì gè wùhuì 。This is nothing but a misunderstanding.
- 他无非想帮你。tā wúfēi xiǎng bāng nǐ 。He just wants to help you.