HSK 4 Grammar 15: "But" Statements
HSK · HSK · HSK 4 주제 15 4:32 영어 내레이션 · 영어 + 중국어 자막 burned-in
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But statements at HSK four come in three flavours. Jinguan concedes a point and then overrides it, although, but. Dao flags the pleasant surprise, actually, on the contrary. And que marks the disappointing twist from inside the sentence, yet. Choosing between dao and que is a feeling question, the bright side against the let-down, and que carries a strict position rule that the exam loves to probe.
The structure is jinguan plus the concession, then the override, usually with a haishi or danshi riding along. Jinguan henduo ren piping ta, ta haishi jianchi zheme zuo, although many people criticise him, he still insists on doing it. Jinguan wo hen shengqi, danshi mei fapiqi, although I was furious, I didn't lose my temper. Jinguan is a shade stronger and more formal than suiran, closer to despite or even though. And the pairing habit from topic five returns: Chinese happily keeps both halves, jinguan and danshi in one sentence, where English would use only although or only but.
Pause and choose. You wen ti jinguan wen, ask away if you have questions, uses the other jinguan, the one meaning go right ahead, feel free. Same characters, two jobs, and the sentence around it decides: a clause following with a concession is although, while an invitation closing with a verb is go ahead. Both are common at HSK four, so let the grammar around the word, not the word alone, tell you which one you have.
Dao flags a surprising turn, actually, on the contrary, if anything, and it usually ushers in a positive or unexpected comment. Ta bu shi hen nuli, chengji dao ye bucuo, he's not very hard-working, but his grades actually aren't bad. Yingyu bu shi ta de muyu, ta shuo de dao ting didao, English isn't his native language, but he actually speaks it quite naturally. It often pairs with ye or you, and the word actually almost always works in the English translation. One caution of the ear: this dao reads d a o, fourth tone, actually, while the falling-over dao reads d a o, third tone. Same character, different word.
Que marks contrast inside the sentence, and the rule the exam probes is position: it sits before the verb, after the subject. Ta shi laoban, que meiyou ren ting ta de, he's the boss, yet nobody listens to him. Ta de xueli hen gao, nengli que hen yiban, he's highly qualified, but his ability is only average. It often teams up with danshi, danshi que, and it usually brings the disappointing twist, which makes it the dark twin of dao. And the boundary with English: however can open a sentence, but que never can, because it tucks in after the subject.
Put the two twists side by side. Dao usually carries the pleasant surprise, the bright side, the grades that turn out fine after all. Que usually carries the disappointment, the boss nobody listens to, the qualifications that outrun the ability. Same grammar family, opposite emotional weather, usually. The way to choose is to read the sentence's surprise first: a huh, nice turn takes dao, and a what-a-shame turn takes que. When the surprise is genuinely neutral, either word can carry it, and the position rule becomes the tiebreaker.
Pause and check both. First, que cannot start a sentence, because it tucks in after the subject and before the verb. Second, dao is the bright-side twist, actually and pleasantly so, while que brings the let-down. The remaining review item builds the concession sentence: jinguan henduo ren piping ta, ta haishi jianchi zheme zuo, although many people criticise him, he still insists on doing it. Take one but-word into your next conversation, and let its feeling choose it for you.