反而
HSK 4 (2021)Old HSK 5
反而 (fǎn'ér) · instead
反而 (fǎn'ér) means “instead; on the contrary”. It is written with 2 characters: 反 (reverse) + 而 (and). It is an HSK 4 word in the 2021 standard.
How 反而 is built
The characters
反 fǎn · reverse
What 反 is made of
- 厂chǎng — "cliff" in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 27)
- 又yòu — and
Origin hint: A hand 又 held up against a cliff 厂 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
而 ér · and
What 而 is made of
而 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 6 strokes.
Example sentences
吃了药，他的病反而更重了。Chī le yào, tā de bìng fǎn'ér gèng zhòng le.After taking the medicine, his illness got worse instead.
雨不但没停，反而越下越大。Yǔ bùdàn méi tíng, fǎn'ér yuè xià yuè dà.Instead of stopping, the rain got heavier and heavier.
Questions about 反而
What does 反而 mean?
反而 (fǎn'ér) means “instead; on the contrary”.
How do you pronounce 反而?
反而 is pronounced fǎn'ér.
Which HSK level is 反而?
反而 is in HSK 4 (2021) and Old HSK 5.
Related words
- 反对fǎnduìto oppose
- 反复fǎnfùrepeatedly
- 反应fǎnyìngreaction
- 反正fǎnzhènganyway
- 反映fǎnyìngto reflect
- 相反xiāngfǎnopposite
- 违反wéifǎnto violate
- 反驳fǎnbóto refute
- 反常fǎnchángunusual
- 反感fǎngǎnto dislike
Learn 反而 with its group
It is part of HSK 4 (2021) · Group 30: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.