但

dàn

#95 most

frequent character

but, however

conjunction

Character breakdown

但 has 亻 person as the meaning part and 旦 dàn as the sound part. It first meant 'bare above the waist'. The sense 'only' was borrowed for its sound, and 'but' grew from that.

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Example Sentences

我想去，但是我没有时间。

wǒxiǎngqù ， dànshì wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān 。

I want to go, but I don't have time.

他很聪明，但他不努力。

tā hěn cōngmíng ， dàn tābù nǔlì 。

He is very smart, but he doesn't work hard.

这个问题很难，但我会努力解决。

zhègè wèntí hěn nán ， dàn wǒ huì nǔlì jiějué 。

This problem is difficult, but I will try to solve it.

Grammar Points

HSK 2

Expressing "although" with "suiran" and "danshi"虽然…但是虽然…可是

HSK 3

Expressing "not only... but also" with "budan... erqie..."不但…而且

HSK 4

Two words for "but"

Homophones

蛋dàn

egg

石dàn

dry measure for grain equal to ten dou 斗[dou3]

诞dàn

birth, birthday, brag, boast

担dàn

picul (100 catties, 50 kg)

旦dàn

(literary) dawn, daybreak

Words Starting With 但

但是dàn shì

but; however

但