Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ juéde xuéxí zhōng zuì zhòngyào de bù shì jìzhù měi gè shēngcí, érshì zhīdào zěnme yòng tāmen. - I think the most important thing in learning is not memorizing every new word, but knowing how to use them.

我觉得…… = “I think / I feel that …”
Without 觉得, the sentence would sound like a more objective statement of fact.
With 我觉得, the speaker clearly marks this as a personal opinion or perspective.

So:

学习中最重要的不是……而是…… → sounds like a general statement.
我觉得学习中最重要的不是……而是…… → “In my opinion, the most important thing in studying is not…, but rather…”.

What does 中 (zhōng) in 学习中 mean? Is it necessary? Could I say 在学习中 or 在学习的时候 instead?

中 here means “in / during / within” and indicates a process or period.

学习中 ≈ 在学习中 ≈ 在学习的时候 = “in the process of learning / when learning / in study”.

Nuances:

学习中
- Short, a bit more written/concise.
- Often used like “in the course of study”.
在学习中
- More explicit; 在 + noun/verb + 中 is a common pattern.
- Very natural in both spoken and written Chinese.
在学习的时候
- More like “when (you) are studying / when (we) study”.
- Slightly more colloquial and time-focused.

All three are grammatically correct in this sentence; they just have slightly different styles.

What is 最重要的 (zuì zhòngyào de) doing here? What does the 的 refer to? There is no explicit noun after it.

最重要的 literally is “the most important (one/thing/part/aspect)”.

最 = most
重要 = important
最重要的 = “the most important one/thing”

The 的 here turns the adjective phrase into a noun phrase, where the noun is understood but omitted. You can think of it as:

学习中最重要的（东西 / 事情 / 部分）
= “the most important thing/aspect in learning”

Chinese often drops obvious nouns when the meaning is clear from context. So we don’t need to say 东西 or 事情 explicitly.

Why is it 不是记住每个生词，而是知道怎么用它们? How does the pattern 不是……而是…… work?

不是……而是…… is a very common pattern meaning:

“It’s not A, but rather B.”

Structure here:

不是
- A
  - 记住每个生词 = “memorizing every vocabulary word”
而是
- B
  - 知道怎么用它们 = “knowing how to use them”

So the whole pattern contrasts A with B, and emphasizes that B is what really matters.

Notes:

You generally need both parts: 不是 A，而是 B.
而是 is stronger and more explicit than just 但是; it really corrects or replaces A with B.

Why is 不 placed before 是 (as 不是) instead of directly before the verb, like 不记住?

Here, 不是 is negating the whole idea that follows, not just the verb 记住.

不是记住每个生词 = “it is not (that) memorizing every word is [the most important thing]”.

If you said 不记住每个生词, it would sound like:

“not memorize every new word” (i.e., don’t memorize them), which is not the intended meaning.

So:

不是 + [noun phrase / verb phrase] → “is not [that / this] …”
In this sentence, 最重要的不是记住每个生词 = “what’s most important is not memorizing every single word…”

What is the difference between 记住 (jìzhù) and 记得 (jìde) or just 记 (jì)? Why use 记住 here?

All relate to “remembering/recording”, but with different nuances:

记
- Basic verb “to record / to write down / to remember”.
- Often used as part of compounds: 记住, 记得, 记笔记 (take notes).
记得
- Means “to remember / to recall”.
- Focus on having something in your memory.
- E.g. 你还记得他吗？ – “Do you still remember him?”
记住
- Emphasizes successfully committing something to memory, with a sense of completion.
- It’s like “to memorize (and have it stick) / to learn by heart”.
- E.g. 把这个单词记住。 – “Memorize this word.”

In this sentence, the idea is about successfully memorizing every new word, so 记住 is the most natural.

Why is 个 (gè) used as the measure word in 每个生词? Could other measure words be used here?

个 is the most common and general measure word in Chinese.

每个生词 = “each new word / every vocabulary word”

For 词 / 生词, you might also see:

一个词 – a word
一个生词 – a new word (to the learner)

Other, more specific measure words for words/characters exist:

一个字 – one character
一个词 / 一个词语 – one word/phrasing
一条词条 – one dictionary entry (more technical)

But in ordinary speech about vocabulary, 个 is very natural and standard.

What exactly does 生词 (shēngcí) mean? Is it just “new words”? How is it different from 新词 or just 词?

生词 literally means “raw/uncooked words”, i.e. words you don’t know yet.

For learners, 生词 = vocabulary items that are new or unfamiliar to you.
Teachers and textbooks often list 生词 at the start of a lesson.

Differences:

生词 – “new/unfamiliar words (to the learner)”.
新词 – “newly-coined words” (in the language, e.g. internet slang, neologisms).
词 – just “word”, neutral.

So in a learning context, 生词 is the natural choice.

What does 而是 (érshì) add that 但是 (dànshì) or 可是 (kěshì) wouldn’t? Could I say 不是记住每个生词，但是知道怎么用它们?

而是 expresses a strong contrast and correction: “not A, but rather B”. It directly pairs with 不是.

不是 A，而是 B is a fixed pattern.

By contrast:

但是 / 可是 mean “but / however” and usually connect two separate statements, not a “not A but B” correction.

If you say:

不是记住每个生词，但是知道怎么用它们。

it sounds awkward and incomplete, because 不是 is looking for its matching 而是.

So in this kind of contrastive correction, 而是 is the natural and correct choice.

Why is it 知道怎么用它们 and not something like 知道用它们怎么? What is the structure here?

The structure is:

知道 + [question-word clause]

In this case:

怎么用它们 = “how to use them”
- 怎么 = how
- 用 = use
- 它们 = them

Order inside that clause is:

怎么 (how) + Verb + Object

So:

怎么用它们 = literally “how use them”

You can’t move 怎么 to the end like 用它们怎么 – that’s not a valid word order in Mandarin for this meaning. Question words like 怎么, 什么, 谁 usually come before the verb (or in specific fixed positions), not after the whole phrase.

So:

知道怎么用它们 = “to know how to use them” – perfectly natural structure.

Why is 知道 (zhīdào) used instead of 会 (huì) or 能 (néng)? Could I say 会用它们 instead of 知道怎么用它们?

Nuance differences:

知道 = “to know (a fact) / to be aware of”.
会 = “to know how (a learned skill) / will (future)”.
能 = “can / be able to (possibility, ability, permission)”.

知道怎么用它们 highlights knowledge of correct usage:

“to know how to use them (correctly/in context)”.

If you say:

会用它们 = “to know how to use them (as a skill) / to be able to use them”.

Both are understandable, but:

知道怎么用它们 sounds more explicit: knowledge of appropriate usage, which fits well with the contrast to simple memorization.
会用它们 is shorter and can also work, but it doesn’t emphasize the “knowing how” part as clearly as the 知道怎么… structure.

Why is 它们 (tāmen) used for words? I thought 它们 was for things/animals, not people—can it really refer to words?

You’re right that:

它 / 它们 are used for non-human things (objects, animals, abstract things).
他 / 他们 are used for people (unless you’re being playful).

Here, 生词 are non-human entities, so 它们 is exactly right:

记住每个生词 → “memorize every new word”
用它们 → “use them” (those words)

Using 它们 for words, ideas, books, objects, etc. is completely standard.

Is the overall word order 我觉得学习中最重要的不是……而是…… fixed, or could I move parts around, like 在学习中我觉得最重要的不是……?

Chinese word order is fairly flexible in terms of topic placement, but the core patterns stay the same.

Your variants like:

在学习中，我觉得最重要的不是记住每个生词，而是知道怎么用它们。

are also grammatical and natural. Differences:

Original: 我觉得学习中最重要的不是……而是……
- Starts with the speaker’s opinion (我觉得)
- Then states what, in learning, is most important.
Variant: 在学习中，我觉得最重要的不是……而是……
- Puts “in learning” as the topic first (“As for in learning, I think…”).
- Then expresses the speaker’s opinion.

Both are common patterns. What should not be changed:

The internal structure of:
- 学习中最重要的
- 不是 A，而是 B
- 知道怎么用它们

Those parts must keep their internal word order to remain grammatical and natural.