而是 (érshì) · but rather (不是…而是)

而是 (érshì) means “but rather (不是…而是)”. It is written with 2 characters: 而 (and) + 是 (to be). It is an HSK 4 word in the 2021 standard.

How 而是 is built

What 而 is made of

而 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 6 strokes.

What 是 is made of

日rì — sun; day
- 口kǒu — mouth
  - 冂 — frame
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
疋pǐ — foot shape

Origin hint: To speak 日 directly 疋 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

不是我不想去，而是我没有时间。Bù shì wǒ bù xiǎng qù, érshì wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.It's not that I don't want to go; it's that I don't have time.

他不是老师，而是医生。Tā bù shì lǎoshī, érshì yīshēng.He isn't a teacher; he's a doctor.

What does 而是 mean?

而是 (érshì) means “but rather (不是…而是)”.

How do you pronounce 而是?

而是 is pronounced érshì.

Which HSK level is 而是?

而是 is in HSK 4 (2021).

Learn 而是 with its group

It is part of HSK 4 (2021) · Group 16: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.