但是

但是

Chinese

		but; yet; however but; yet; however; only; merely; still	be; yes; this
simp. and trad. (但是)		但	是
anagram		是但

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dànshì

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄢˋ ㄕˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): daan⁶ si⁶
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): tān-sī / tān-sǐ / nā-sī

  (Teochew, Peng'im): dang⁶ si⁶

• Wu (Wiktionary): de zr (T3)

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: dànshì → dànshi (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄢˋ ㄕˋ → ㄉㄢˋ ˙ㄕ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dann.shyh
    • IPA ^(key): /tän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/ → /tän⁵¹ ʂʐ̩¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: daan⁶ si⁶
    • Yale: daahn sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: daan⁶ si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: dan⁶ xi⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /täːn²² siː²²/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tān-sī
    • Tâi-lô: tān-sī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: daxnsi
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tan³³⁻²¹ ɕi³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /tan²²⁻²¹ ɕi²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tan³³⁻¹¹ ɕi³³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tān-sǐ
    • Tâi-lô: tān-sǐ
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tan⁴¹⁻²² ɕi²²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nā-sī
    • Tâi-lô: nā-sī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: naxsi
    • IPA (Xiamen): /nã²²⁻²¹ ɕi²²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /nã³³⁻²¹ ɕi³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /nã³³⁻¹¹ ɕi³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: dang⁶ si⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tăng sĭ
    • IPA ^(key): /taŋ³⁵⁻¹¹ si³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: de zr (T3)
    • IPA ^(key): /d̻e̞²² z̻z̩⁴⁴/

Conjunction

但是

1. but; however

   這兩臺筆記本雖然外形很像，但是功能上卻差別很大。 [MSC, trad.]
   这两台笔记本虽然外形很像，但是功能上却差别很大。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè liǎng tái bǐjìběn suīrán wàixíng hěn xiàng, dànshì gōngnéng shàng què chābié hěn dà. [Pinyin]

   Although these two notebooks look very similar, their functions are quite different.

   王秀英雖然考了第一，但是她一點也不驕傲。 [MSC, trad.]
   王秀英虽然考了第一，但是她一点也不骄傲。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wáng Xiùyīng suīrán kǎo le dìyī, dànshì tā yīdiǎn yě bù jiāo'ào. [Pinyin]

   Although Wang Xiuying scored first in the exam, she was not at all arrogant about it.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 但是 (“but; however”) [map]
Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		但是, 但, 可是, 不過, 然而
Mandarin	Beijing	但是, 但, 可是, 不過
	Taiwan	但是, 但, 可是, 不過
Cantonese	Guangzhou	但係, 不過, 之不過, 之但係
	Hong Kong	但係, 不過, 之不過, 之但係
	Taishan	但係
Hakka	Meixian	但係
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	但係, 毋過
	Liudui (S. Sixian)	但係, 毋過
	Hsinchu (Hailu)	但係, 毋過
	Dongshi (Dabu)	但係, 毋過
	Hsinchu (Raoping)	但係, 毋過
	Yunlin (Zhao'an)	毋過
Min Dong	Matsu	但是
Min Nan	Xiamen	但是, 毋過, 毋句, 不過, 不而過
	Quanzhou	但是, 毋句, 不過, 不而過
	Zhangzhou	但是, 毋過, 不過, 不而過
	Taipei	但是, 毋過, 不而過
	Penang	tapi, 但是
	Singapore	tapi
	Philippines (Manila)	但是, 毋句
	Medan	tapi
	Thailand (Bangkok)	但是, แต่ว่า
Wu	Shanghai	但是, 必過, 不過

Usage notes

Unlike in English, in Chinese it is customary for 雖然／虽然 (suīrán, “although”) to be followed by 但是 (dànshì, “but; however”).

Adverb

但是

1. (literary) merely by; just by ... alone