HSK 7-9
并非
bìng fēi
Not at all; by no means
Structure
Subject + 并非 + Noun/Adjective/Clause
How it works
‘并非’ is a formal literary term used to emphatically negate a statement, essentially meaning 'is not actually' or 'is by no means.' It is a contraction of ‘并’ (emphasizing negation) and ‘非’ (the classical Chinese equivalent of ‘不是’).
Examples
这里的成功并非偶然，而是多年努力的结果。
Zhèlǐ de chénggōng bìngfēi ǒurán, érshì duōnián nǔlì de jiéguǒ.
The success here is by no means accidental, but rather the result of years of hard work.
这种做法并非上策，我们还需慎重考虑。
Zhèzhǒng zuòfǎ bìngfēi shàngcè, wǒmen hái xū shènzhòng kǎolǜ.
This approach is not exactly the best policy; we still need to consider it carefully.
他并非不想帮忙，只是实在抽不出时间。
Tā bìngfēi bù xiǎng bāngmáng, zhǐshì shízài chōu bù chū shíjiān.
It’s not that he doesn't want to help, it’s just that he truly cannot find the time.
Common mistakes
Do not use '不是' and '并非' together; avoid saying '并非不是' as '并非' already contains the meaning of 'is not'.
Tip
Use '并非' in formal writing or debates to sound more persuasive. It is often paired with '而是' (but is) to clarify a misconception.
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See 并非 in real Chinese
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