98. Expressing “not only…but also” in Mandarin

欢迎光临! Welcome!

You can now subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or you can subscribe by copying the following URL into your favorite podcast APP:

https://www.mandarinblueprint.com/feed/podcast/

The Mandarin Blueprint Podcast focuses primarily on The Mandarin Blueprint Method online curriculum. Creators Luke Neale & Phil Crimmins answer questions and comments, discuss topics related to China and Mandarin learning, and have special guests.

0:00 Affiliate Link & Reviews

Become a Mandarin Blueprint Affiliate

Leave us a Google Business Review 🙂

Leave us a Facebook Review

0:36 GW-Connector-Not-Only-But-Also-1-连词-不但…而且… & GW-Connector-Not-Only-But-Also-2-连词-不仅……而且/也/还

Many times when you are trying to make a point, you’ll want to emphasize that there is more than one reason that helps illustrate your perspective. In these cases, you’ll want to use a “Not only…, but also…” structure.

Structure: 

Subject + 不但 -or- 不仅 + Element 1, 而且 + Element 2

Let’s take a look at some example sentences to see the breakdown:

Sentence 1:

有一天，他不但病了，而且病得很重。 – Level 33
Yǒuyītiān, tā bùdàn bìng le, érqiě bìng de hěn zhòng.
One day, he not only fell ill, but it was also severe. 

Here we see that the subject is “他,” and NOT ONLY (不但) has he ‘fallen ill’ (Element 1), BUT ALSO (而且) it’s ‘quite serious’ (Element 2).

Note that because there is only one subject, “他” gets placed before “不但” (more on this later).

Sentence 2:

没想到，花不但没有长出来，而且都死了。 – Level 36
Méi xiǎng dào, huā bùdàn méiyǒu zhǎng chūlái, érqiě dōu sǐ le.
To his surprise, the flowers not only didn’t bloom but also all died.

In this sentence, the expectation is that the flowers (花) will bloom. Because of that expectation, the “不但…, 而且…” structure plays the role of emphasizing the result that is counter to the expectation. 

How might one express that their expectation wasn’t met? NOT ONLY (不但) ‘didn’t bloom’ (Element 1), BUT ALSO (而且) ‘all died’ (Element 2).

Sentence 3:

他不但爱读书，而且喜欢唱歌。 – Level 36
Tā bùdàn ài dúshū, érqiě xǐhuān chànggē.
He not only loves reading but also enjoys singing.

In this sentence, you could imagine a mother trying to convince her daughter that “他” is an excellent potential romantic partner. What elements could illustrate her point? Well, NOT ONLY (不但) does he ‘love to read’ (Element 1), BUT ALSO (而且) ‘enjoys singing’ (Element 2). Gee, what’s not to like?

Multiple Subjects

There was only one subject in all of the first three subjects. However, it’s possible to use the “不但/不仅…, 而且…” structure with two subjects. When using two different subjects, you need to place one after 不但 and the other after 而且. 

Structure:

不但 + Subject 1 + Phrase, 而且 + Subject 2 + Phrase

Sentence 4:

不但我喜欢在家做饭，而且我的朋友们都喜欢在家做饭。
Bùdàn wǒ xǐhuān zài jiā zuòfàn, érqiě wǒ de péngyǒumen dōu xǐhuān zài jiā zuòfàn.
Not only do I like cooking at home, my friends all like it too.

In this structure, you’ll notice that instead of making two points about one subject, you’re making the same point about two subjects. NOT ONLY (不但) does ‘我’ (Subject 1) ‘like cooking at home,’ BUT ALSO (而且) ‘我的朋友们’ (Subject 2) ‘like cooking at home.’

不但 vs. 不仅

不但 & 不仅 bùjǐn mean the same thing (‘not only’), but 不仅 will often be paired with “也” or “还” instead of 而且 (although pairing with 而且 is still okay). Here’s an example.

Sentence 5:

这不仅是他的问题，也是我的问题。 – Level 15
Zhè bùjǐn shì tā de wèntí, yě shì wǒ de wèntí.
This isn’t only his problem; it’s also my problem.

Who does the problem belong to? It might seem that it’s only 他, but no, NOT ONLY (不仅) is this ‘his problem,’ BUT ALSO (也) is ‘my problem.’ 

Note: If you want, you can also say ‘不仅仅’ instead of ‘不仅.’

Sentence 6:

他们不仅工作日在工作，连休息日也会工作。 – Level 28
Tāmen bùjǐn gōngzuòrì zài gōngzuò, lián xiūxīrì yě huì gōngzuò.
They not only work weekdays but even weekends as well.

This last example combines two grammar points to really emphasize the speaker’s feelings. NOT ONLY (不仅) do they work on weekdays, BUT EVEN (连) on weekends they ALSO (也) will work. We’ll discuss this more in a future article, but if you want to express surprise about an element of a statement, you can say “连 + Subject, 也/都 + Verb Phrase.” 

Keep a lookout for this structure, and focus on reading as many of these sentences as possible. Only use the grammar rule to guide you towards further comprehensible input. 加油！

10:27 Comments & Emails

Jim Awofadeju by Email

Are there any differences between learning Mandarin to “survive” (survival Mandarin) and learning Mandarin to acquire it? I feel like when a person learns Mandarin to “survive” they are not really emotionally or intellectually invested in the task and putting
in the effort. However, when someone is learning Mandarin to acquire it, they stick with it day in and day out. They show up to learn Mandarin every day or on a regular basis. That’s what I’m doing because I’m interested in learning about Chinese people. We
all interact with or use language every day through reading, writing/typing, listening, and speaking. Thus, every day can be a day to learn Mandarin. It certainly has been for me as of late. The more you learn, the more you know, the more you will understand,
and the more you will eventually be able to independently use yourself. 

Mandarin is not a foreign language for me. It is a familiar language. I am familiar with Mandarin, but am not fluent with a high level of command.

Best,
Jim Awofadeju

14:56

TJ Chernick on The Phase 3 Blueprint Expansions

I echo @andrew clapham below. I am so happy I trusted your
guidance on the process. Due to the way we were all taught
languages in school, there is SUCH A STRONG natural sense to
thing “Well shouldn’t we focus on this” or “Well I spoke with a
person who speaks Chinese and they said I should…” but I can
now see how trusting the MB process is so important. I am PUMPED
to take on the next phase! Thanks Guys!

18:41

John Morrison on New Vocabulary Unlocked! 中国人

I’m really enjoying these longer sentences. And now I am able to
read and write them all.

19:17

Irene Ong on Level 13 Complete

I can see how happy you guys are to receiving positive feedbacks
that your students are progressing so well and learning from this
innovative MBM. It must be so fulfilling, Congrats!

20:06

Beth Perazzo on ANKI DECKS INSIDE – Now Just LOOK at how SOLID that Foundation Is!

I just finished the last lesson this morning. It took me just over 2 months to do the Pronunciation Course and the Foundation Course.

I can’t tell you how much finding this course has meant to me. I have learned more in the past 2 months than I think I did in the previous 2 1/2 years that I was studying Chinese on my own (using Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, etc). I don’t just recognize words now–now I can write them and read stories and it’s marvelous.

In all fairness, though, I need to admit that due to COVID, I’ve had a lot more time for my studies than I did previously. However, I realize that even if I had had the same amount of available study time before I found your course, my old system was so boring and tedious that there was no way that I would have studied for hours every day. This course really is fun as well as effective.

I told my husband this morning that I am so excited for each new day because I really love my Chinese studies (and my morning bike ride– where I study my new words before practicing them on Anki). Progress really is a motivator!

I still struggle with remembering some unlocked words (some just don’t seem as logical as others and finding connections can be hard), but I will continue to study them until I have them down. I will also be spending more time shadowing, so I may not be tackling as many new words a day as I have been. But that’s okay. I’m loving it all (well, maybe not loving learning grammar–I so appreciate your low-key approach in how you teach it).

I look forward to continuing on with the Intermediate course. Thanks, Luke and Phil for such an engaging and effective learning method! Your course is amazing!

23:14

William Beeman on New Vocabulary Unlocked! 过来

Thanks for these excellent explanations. The concepts expressed
in the various uses of 过 really do hang together semantically.
Only when one sees the constellation of meanings does this become
clear. What a useful word. It can almost be thought of as a
prefix/suffix but I’m finding that is true for so many
words/characters/morphemes. And when one starts to break down
characters into constituent graphic components the semantic depth
is even more profound. This is such fun.

25:30

Igor Alenc on YOU DID IT!!!

Lol I practically made all the mistakes pointed by you guys when
trying to learn Chinese: Started ignoring the characters and
pronunciation, tried to get as much vocab first and got to a
point where I have many sentences in my head, but with the WRONG
pronunciation and without knowing the characters. I was about to
give up when I found this course and could see in detail what I
was doing wrong when it comes to pronunciation. I’ll keep
reviewing the Anki cards and I look forward to doing the entire MB
course as soon as possible. Obrigado!

26:41

Mathew Cobb on BONUS: What WILL & WON’T Make You Fluent in Mandarin

So, watching Chinese films that I enjoy and trying to remember
the subtitles while listening to the dialogue should help? (Not
sure if that counts as reading and listening to content I don’t
understand)

31:17

Micaela Ellison on MAKE A MOVIE 从

I’m new to this method and I thought it would be difficult for
me but I’m actually enjoying it! I studied for a month at a
martial arts school where I met three memorable male students all
with “C” names, but I don’t know any of them well individually.
I’m wondering if it’s okay to use all three of them (the three
C’s) as the actor. For example, my movie for 从 uses the
kitchen/dining yurt at a camp I visited in Mongolia. I’m eating
at the table and notice two tents (the left one smaller), each
with an American flag sewn onto them. In walk the three C’s, who
are told there are no more yurts available but they can use
tents. The short guy takes the small tent, and the other American
takes the larger one. The third guy is told his tent isn’t ready
because they didn’t know where he was FROM. He’s very annoyed
they didn’t already know he was FROM South Africa. (This fits his
personality well.) I feel this is a strong enough link to the
keyword because of the flags. But I’m wondering if I will have
problems in the future having three people for C. Would it be
best to always use all of them together?

33:37

Mathew Cobb on BONUS: Stroke Order (Rule 8 of 12)

Does it really matter what order you draw the parts? Not being
obnoxious, just kinda an obvious question

34:59

Nacho En on It’s a Word! 对

So we could say that 对 is when we’re towards someone because we
want to say/express something and 往 is when we’re towards a place
or moving on towards to an specific direction?

35:52

Matthew Hutchison on It’s a Word! 记

记不住 is curious to me as the negation comes after 记. Does this
happen often?

Examples:

记住 jìzhù = To commit something to memory -》Can’t commit something to memory

看到 kàndào = See (Something) -》看不到 kànbudào Can’t see (something)

拿住 = Hold onto -》拿不住 nábuzhù = Can’t hold onto

39:49

Christopher Thompson on New Vocabulary Unlocked! 行了

General question about 别哭了.
Can I assume this is a versatile construction? I know that 别 is a command to stop doing something, which implies that, if you are
doing it now, and you stop, that will be a change, so does this
work for most verbs?
别跑步了
别喊了
etc.?

40:51 Movies! 

This blog post explains the theory behind Movie Scenes and learning characters.

Georg Lohrer on Make a Movie 红

Heino, famous country singer from 70th in Germany stands
completely lost in the kitchen of my ong-set. He never was into
home-work. First, he has to glaze his brand new RED silk-kimono..
He thinks hard, which tool he can use. Finally he takes one of
the i-beams laying around. Good choice, all wrinkles are gone
after this treatment.

42:08

Gregory Savage on It’s a Word! 问

Winnie the Pooh(Wu) is on the EN set behind 10 Downing St Door..
The rolling stones MOUTH opens the door and asks Winnie a
QUESTION. Winnie replies, I don’t answer QUESTIONs. I’m a
befuddled bear at the best of times.”

43:50

Bel Hermawan on Make a Movie 扁

Billie Eilish (bi- actor) has been gifted the enchanted rose
from Beauty & the Beast, which is protected by its glass
cover. To keep it safe, she decides to store it in a safety
deposit box. The bank is in the main room of the learning centre
(-an set). She goes up to the teller and says she wants to
deposit the treasure. However, when she tries to hand it over,
the glass case is too tall to fit through the opening in the
teller window. The teller says “lie flat”, so Billie lies down on
the floor while still holding the glass case. The teller waves
her hands and says “no, I meant lay the glass case flat so you
can fit it through the gap sideways!”

45:53

Deborah Driscoll on Make a Movie 猫

My brother in law Mark is standing outside my ‘ao’ set front
door, watching an unidentified animal running around in the rice
fields that happen to be growing across the road. At first he
thinks it is a giant panda (left side component) but as he
watches the animal leaps forward through a rose bush and lands on
his lap with a rose still stuck to it…..of course he now
recognises its a cat ? as it curls up and purrs at him.