反而fǎn'ér

Adverb 反而 (fǎn'ér): On the contrary / Instead (contrary to expectations)

Meaning: On the contrary, instead (opposite of expectation)

Pattern

反而 is an adverb meaning "on the contrary / instead".
Unlike conjunctions like 但是 or 可是 (which stand before the subject at the start of the clause), 反而 is an adverb and must stand AFTER the subject and BEFORE the predicate when a subject is present (e.g., 我帮了他，他反而怪我).
It indicates a reversal of expectations—not merely a contrast, but an outcome that moves in the opposite direction of normal logic (e.g., taking medicine makes an illness worse instead of better).
It frequently pairs with 不但不/没 or 不仅不/没 in the first clause, and can be preceded by 却 (却反而) for extra emphasis.

1
吃了药以后病不但没好，反而更严重了。
Chī le yào yǐhòu bìng bùdàn méi hǎo, fǎn'ér gèng yánzhòng le.
After taking the medicine, the illness not only didn't get better, on the contrary it got even worse.
2
下雨了，他不但不回家，反而跑出去了。
Xià yǔ le, tā bùdàn bù huí jiā, fǎn'ér pǎo chūqù le.
It started raining, yet not only did he not go home, he ran outside instead.
3
我帮了他，他反而怪我。
Wǒ bāng le tā, tā fǎn'ér guài wǒ.
I helped him, and yet he blamed me instead.

•As an adverb, 反而 must stand AFTER the subject and BEFORE the predicate, indicating an outcome opposite to expectations.

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Placing 反而 before the subject like a conjunction (*反而他没来 instead of 他反而没来).

•Using 反而 for a normal expected result instead of a counter-expectation reversal.

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