并非 bìngfēi really isn't
How to remember 并非: 并 to combine + 非 not = really isn't.
Characters
How it is used
- An emphatic, written 'is not really / by no means' - 这并非事实 (zhè bìngfēi shìshí) this is by no means the case.
- The 并 adds a contrastive punch, refuting an assumption; stronger and more formal than a plain 不是.
- Often followed by a correction: 并非…而是… (bìngfēi…érshì…) it's not…but rather…
Example sentences
- 所有的马都是动物，但并非所有的动物都是马。 Suǒyǒu de mǎ dōu shì dòngwù, dàn bìngfēi suǒyǒu de dòngwù dōu shì mǎ.All horses are animals, but not all animals are horses.
- 战争并非不可避免。 Zhànzhēng bìngfēi bùkěbìmiǎn.War is not inevitable.