wǒ juéde xuéxí zhōng zuì zhòngyào de bú shì jìzhù měi gè shēngcí, érshì zhīdào zěnme yòng tāmen.

我觉得 means I feel / I think and softens the statement by making it clearly a personal opinion.

• 我觉得... = I think... / I feel...
• It is very common in spoken Mandarin.
• It sounds a bit more personal and conversational than 我认为..., which is often a little more formal or stronger.

So the sentence is not just stating a fact; it is presenting the speaker’s view.

Here 中 means in / during / in the course of.

So 学习中 means in learning or during the learning process.

A helpful way to understand it:

• 学习 = learning, to study
• 中 = in the middle of, during

Together:

• 学习中最重要的... = the most important thing in learning...

This use of 中 is common in written and semi-formal Chinese. In more everyday speech, many people might also say:

• 在学习中...

The meaning is basically the same.

The 的 turns 最重要 into something like the most important one / thing that is most important.

In this sentence:

• 学习中最重要的 literally means the most important thing in learning

The noun after 的 is omitted because it is understood from context. Chinese often does this.

Compare:

• 最重要的不是A，而是B。 = What is most important is not A, but B.

So 的 is helping create a noun-like phrase.

This is because of tone sandhi.

Normally:

• 不 is fourth tone: bù

But when 不 comes before another fourth-tone syllable, it changes to second tone:

• 是 shì is fourth tone
• so 不 + 是 becomes bú shì

This is a very common pronunciation rule.

Examples:

• 不是 → bú shì
• 不要 → bú yào
• 不对 → bú duì

But if the next syllable is not fourth tone, it usually stays bù.

不是...而是... means not... but rather...

It is a very common contrast pattern in Mandarin.

In this sentence:

• 不是记住每个生词，而是知道怎么用它们
• It’s not memorizing every new word, but rather knowing how to use them.

Important point: This structure is used when the second part replaces or corrects the first part.

So it is stronger and more precise than simply saying 但是.

Compare:

• 不是A，而是B = not A, but B
• A，但是B = A, but B

They are similar, but 不是...而是... is the more exact match here.

记住 and 记得 are related, but they are not exactly the same.

• 记住 = to memorize, to retain in memory, to get something fixed in your mind
• 记得 = to remember, to recall

In this sentence, the idea is memorizing every new word, so 记住 fits better.

Compare:

• 记住这个单词 = memorize/remember this word so it stays in your mind
• 我记得这个单词 = I remember this word

So 记住每个生词 emphasizes successful memorization, not just the act of recalling.

Because 个 is the measure word here.

In Mandarin, when you say every + noun, you usually need:

• 每 + measure word + noun

So:

• 每个生词 = every new word

You generally cannot say:

• 每生词 ✘

Other examples:

• 每个人 = every person
• 每本书 = every book
• 每天 = every day

With some time words like 天, 年, 次, the measure word and noun are often fused into one common form. But with 生词, you need 个.

Yes, there are other measure words related to words, but 个 is the most general and common one here.

• 个 is the default general classifier
• 生词 means new word / unfamiliar vocabulary item
• 每个生词 sounds completely natural

You may also learn measure words like:

• 一个词
• 一个单词
• 一句话 for a sentence, not a word

For learners, using 个 with 词 / 生词 is very normal and safe.

Not exactly.

• 生词 = a new or unfamiliar word, usually from the learner’s point of view
• 单词 = a word, often used especially for vocabulary items, and very commonly for words in foreign-language learning

So:

• 生词 focuses on the fact that the word is new/unfamiliar
• 单词 is more neutral: just word / vocabulary word

In this sentence, 生词 is better because the topic is language learning and the challenge of dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary.

用 is the everyday, natural verb here.

• 用 = to use
• 使用 = to use, but often a bit more formal

So:

• 知道怎么用它们 = know how to use them

This sounds very natural in spoken and written Mandarin.

You could say:

• 知道怎么使用它们

but it sounds a little more formal and less conversational.

Here 怎么 means how in an embedded question.

• 怎么用它们 = how to use them
• 知道怎么用它们 = know how to use them

This is similar to English structures like:

• I know how to do it
• She doesn’t know what to say

In Mandarin, these indirect-question structures are very common:

• 知道怎么说 = know how to say it
• 知道怎么写 = know how to write it
• 知道怎么做 = know how to do it

So 怎么 here is not asking a direct question; it is part of the object of 知道.

Because 怎么 goes before the verb phrase it modifies.

So:

• 怎么用它们 = how to use them

The basic structure is:

• 怎么 + verb + object

Examples:

• 怎么说这句话 = how to say this sentence
• 怎么写这个字 = how to write this character
• 怎么用这个词 = how to use this word

So 用怎么它们 is not correct Chinese word order.

Yes. Here 它们 refers to 生词.

• 它 = it
• 它们 = they / them for non-human things

Since 生词 are things, 它们 is grammatically fine.

That said, in natural Chinese, people do not always use plural pronouns for things as often as English does. Sometimes Chinese may simply repeat the noun or leave it understood.

For example, people might also say:

• 知道怎么用这些生词
• 知道怎么用这些词

But 它们 is still correct here.

Yes.

Without 我觉得, you get:

• 学习中最重要的不是记住每个生词，而是知道怎么用它们。

That version sounds more direct and more like a general statement.

With 我觉得:

• it becomes more personal
• it sounds less absolute
• it reflects the speaker’s own opinion

So both are correct, but they have a slightly different tone.

Yes. In this sentence, 学习中最重要的 functions like a noun phrase meaning:

• the most important thing in learning

So the structure is:

• 学习中最重要的 = subject
• 不是记住每个生词，而是知道怎么用它们 = predicate

You can think of it like this:

• [What is most important in learning] is not A but B.

This kind of adjective + 的 phrase is very common in Chinese.

Examples:

• 我喜欢便宜的。 = I like the cheap one(s).
• 最难的是发音。 = The hardest thing is pronunciation.

The comma helps separate the two contrasted parts:

• 不是记住每个生词
• 而是知道怎么用它们

Chinese punctuation is often used to make sentence structure clearer, especially in longer sentences. In a sentence with 不是...而是..., the comma is very natural and helps the reader follow the contrast.

In short, it marks a clear pause between:

• what is not most important
• what is most important