Usages of érshì
他 学 中文 不 是 为了 考试， 而是 因为 对 中文 有 兴趣。tā xué zhōngwén bú shì wèile kǎoshì, érshì yīnwèi duì zhōngwén yǒu xìngqù.
He studies Chinese not for exams, but because he is interested in Chinese.
我 想 提高 中文 水平， 不 是 为了 让 成绩 更 好， 而是 为了 可以 跟 更 多 朋友 自由 表达 自己 的 想法。wǒ xiǎng tígāo zhōngwén shuǐpíng, bú shì wèile ràng chéngjì gèng hǎo, érshì wèile kěyǐ gēn gèng duō péngyou zìyóu biǎodá zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ.
I want to improve my Chinese level not to make my grades better, but so that I can freely express my ideas with more friends.
她 说 自己 玩 游戏 不 是 为了 赢， 而是 为了 跟 朋友 一起 玩 得 很 高兴。tā shuō zìjǐ wán yóuxì bú shì wèile yíng, érshì wèile gēn péngyou yìqǐ wán de hěn gāoxìng.
She says she plays games not to win, but to have fun playing together with friends.
她 说 自己 睡觉 的 时候 喜欢 开着 空调， 不 是 因为 外面 很 热， 而是 因为 这样 比较 安心。tā shuō zìjǐ shuìjiào de shíhou xǐhuan kāizhe kōngtiáo, bú shì yīnwèi wàimiàn hěn rè, érshì yīnwèi zhèyàng bǐjiào ānxīn.
She says that when she sleeps she likes to leave the air conditioner on not because it’s hot outside, but because that way she feels more at ease.
他 说 最 重要 的 不 是 礼物 多 贵， 而是 送 礼物 的 人。tā shuō zuì zhòngyào de bú shì lǐwù duō guì, érshì sòng lǐwù de rén.
He says what matters most is not how expensive the gift is, but the person who gives it.
我 觉得 学习 中 最 重要 的 不 是 记住 每 个 生词， 而是 知道 怎么 用 它们。wǒ juéde xuéxí zhōng zuì zhòngyào de bú 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.
夏天 的 晚上， 公园 里 很 多 人 不 想 一直 在 开 着 空调 的 房间 里， 而是 想 出来 散步。xiàtiān de wǎnshang, gōngyuán lǐ hěn duō rén bù xiǎng yìzhí zài kāi zhe kōngtiáo de fángjiān lǐ, érshì xiǎng chūlái sànbù.
On summer evenings, many people in the park don’t want to stay in air‑conditioned rooms; instead, they want to come out for a walk.
记者 又 问 她， 为什么 不 在 家 玩 游戏， 而是 每天 来 公园 打 篮球。jìzhě yòu wèn tā, wèishénme bú zài jiā wán yóuxì, érshì měitiān lái gōngyuán dǎ lánqiú.
The reporter then asked her why she doesn’t play games at home, but instead comes to the park to play basketball every day.
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