Instead vs yet: 反而 and 却
反而 says the result went the opposite way from what the situation should have produced. 却 simply marks a turn against expectation. Both follow the subject.
结构
（不但）没／不 + A，反而 + 相反的结果 ｜ 主语 + 却 + 意外的情况
讲解
本文中的中文词语都可以激活，查看词典释义。
，， “He took the medicine, and instead of getting better he got worse.” needs a situation that should have pushed things one way — medicine should cure — and reports that they went the other way. The expected direction is part of the meaning, which is why so often follows … or …: the frame first denies the expected result, then states its opposite.
is lighter. It marks that the second clause runs against what the first led you to expect, without claiming a reversal of cause and effect: ， “I thought he would be angry, but he laughed.” It is the adverb partner of in writing — ， — and often expresses mild surprise or contrast between two facts: ，.
Both are adverbs, so both follow the subject: , . Neither can open a clause the way can. A useful test: if you can add “instead of what you would expect, the very opposite happened”, fits; if “but” or “yet” is enough, use .
正确
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
吃了药，他的病不但没好，反而更重了。吃了藥，他的病不但沒好，反而更重了。
Chīle (first tone, high and level) yào, (fourth tone, falling) tā (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) bìng (fourth tone, falling) búdàn (second tone, rising) méi (second tone, rising) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) fǎn (third tone, dipping) ér (second tone, rising) gèng (fourth tone, falling) zhòng (fourth tone, falling) le. (neutral tone)···
He took the medicine, and instead of getting better, he got worse.
我以为他会生气，他却笑了。我以為他會生氣，他卻笑了。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yǐwéi (third tone, dipping) tā (first tone, high and level) huì (fourth tone, falling) shēngqì, (first tone, high and level) tā (first tone, high and level) què (fourth tone, falling) xiào (fourth tone, falling) le. (neutral tone)···
I thought he would be angry, but he laughed.
风停了，雨反而越下越大。風停了，雨反而越下越大。
Fēng (first tone, high and level) tíng (second tone, rising) le, (neutral tone) yǔ (third tone, dipping) fǎn (third tone, dipping) ér (second tone, rising) yuè (fourth tone, falling) xià (fourth tone, falling) yuè (fourth tone, falling) dà. (fourth tone, falling)···
The wind dropped, but the rain, instead of easing, grew heavier and heavier.
错误 — 常见错误
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 我以为他会生气，却他笑了。
正确
Correct sentence: 我以为他会生气，他却笑了。
为什么: 却 is an adverb and comes after the subject. Only conjunctions such as 但是 can precede it.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 这件衣服很漂亮，反而太贵了。
正确
Correct sentence: 这件衣服很漂亮，却太贵了。
为什么: Being pretty does not cause a dress to be cheap, so there is no expected result to reverse. Two facts in tension take 却.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 雨不但没停，却下得更大了。
正确
Correct sentence: 雨不但没停，反而下得更大了。
为什么: 不但没… is the set-up for 反而: the expected result is denied, then its opposite is stated.
对比
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
但是 and 却 often appear together, but they sit in different places. 但是 is a conjunction and opens the clause, before the subject; 却 is an adverb and follows the subject: 虽然很累，但是他还在工作 ／ 虽然很累，他却还在工作. Both together are also possible — 但是他却… — and are common in writing. 反而 does not replace either: it needs an expected result that turned out the other way.
Concession: 虽然…但是… →小测验
第 1 题 / 3总分: 0
Fill the gap: 我帮了他，他不但不感谢我，___ 生我的气。