Structure 不但不/没…反而… (bùdàn bù/méi... fǎn'ér...): Not only not... on the contrary...

Pattern

• Subject + 不但不 / 不但没 + A，反而 + B

Usage

• 不但不/没…反而… is the negative counterpart of 不但…而且….
• The first clause negates an expected action or state (it should have been A, but wasn't), and the second clause uses the adverb 反而 ("on the contrary / instead") to point out an unexpected outcome moving in the opposite direction.
• Distinguish carefully between 不但不 (used for habitual, volitional, or adjective predicates) and 不但没 (used when an expected event did not happen in the past).
• Do not replace 反而 with 但是 or 而是; 反而 specifically means "contrary to expectations" and stands before the predicate of the second clause.

Examples

1. 1

   吃了药不但不好，反而更严重了。

   Chī le yào bùdàn bù hǎo, fǎn'ér gèng yánzhòng le.

   After taking the medicine, not only did it not get better, on the contrary it got worse.

2. 2

   他不但不感谢我，反而怪我。

   Tā bùdàn bù gǎnxiè wǒ, fǎn'ér guài wǒ.

   Not only did he not thank me, on the contrary he blamed me.

3. 3

   下了雨，天气不但没凉快，反而更闷热了。

   Xià le yǔ, tiānqì bùdàn méi liángkuài, fǎn'ér gèng mēnrè le.