HSK 6 grammar · conjunction
不但不…反而…
不但不…反而… — not only not …, but on the contrary …
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
不但不…反而… says that not only did the expected thing fail to happen, but the opposite did — "not only did not …, but on the contrary …". It marks a result contrary to expectation.
Examples
吃了药，他的病不但没好，反而更重了。
Chī le yào, tā de bìng búdàn méi hǎo, fǎn'ér gèng zhòng le.
After taking the medicine, his illness not only didn't improve but got worse.
你不但不感谢他，反而怪他？
Nǐ búdàn bù gǎnxiè tā, fǎn'ér guài tā?
You not only fail to thank him but blame him instead?
道歉以后，他不但不高兴，反而更生气了。
Dàoqiàn yǐhòu, tā búdàn bù gāoxìng, fǎn'ér gèng shēngqì le.
After the apology, he wasn't pleased — on the contrary, he got angrier.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 不但不…反而… is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.