HSK 6 grammar · conjunction
多重复句
多重复句 — multi-level (nested) complex sentences
Pattern
+ + + + + +
the middle one links two pairs of clauses
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
A multi-level complex sentence is one whose parts are themselves complex sentences, joined by a higher-level connective. Reading the outer relation first, then the inner ones, makes long formal sentences clear.
Examples
因为他不但努力，而且有天赋，所以很快就成功了。
Yīnwèi tā búdàn nǔlì, érqiě yǒu tiānfù, suǒyǐ hěn kuài jiù chénggōng le.
Because he is not only hardworking but also gifted, he soon succeeded.
虽然天气不好，但是大家都来了，而且来得很早。
Suīrán tiānqì bù hǎo, dànshì dàjiā dōu lái le, érqiě lái de hěn zǎo.
Although the weather was bad, everyone came, and came early too.
如果你现在努力，那么将来不但会有好工作，还会生活得很好。
Rúguǒ nǐ xiànzài nǔlì, nàme jiānglái búdàn huì yǒu hǎo gōngzuò, hái huì shēnghuó de hěn hǎo.
If you work hard now, then in the future you'll not only have a good job but also live well.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 多重复句 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.