HSK 4 grammar · adverb
却
却 — yet / however (contrary)
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
The adverb 却 sits after the subject and before the verb to mark a contrast with what was just said — "yet", "however". Unlike the conjunction 但是, 却 stays inside the second clause and cannot open it.
Examples
他很努力，成绩却不太好。
Tā hěn nǔlì, chéngjì què bú tài hǎo.
He works hard, yet his grades aren't great.
这件事很小，影响却很大。
Zhè jiàn shì hěn xiǎo, yǐngxiǎng què hěn dà.
The matter is small, but its impact is big.
我叫了他好几次，他却没听见。
Wǒ jiào le tā hǎo jǐ cì, tā què méi tīngjiàn.
I called him several times, yet he didn't hear.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 却 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.