78 graded passages with Pinyin, audio & quizzes
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Meaning: Actually, contrary to expectation, though, come on
你倒挺聪明的嘛!
Nǐ dào tǐng cōngmíng de ma!
Well, aren't you quite clever!
说起来容易,做起来倒不简单。
Shuō qǐlái róngyì, zuò qǐlái dào bù jiǎndān.
It sounds easy when you talk about it, but actually doing it turns out not to be simple at all.
天气倒不冷,只是有点儿风。
Tiānqì dào bù lěng, zhǐshì yǒudiǎnr fēng.
The weather isn't actually cold; it's just a little windy.
•As an adverb, 倒 (pronounced 4th tone dào) always stands after the subject and before the predicate (Adj/V); when combined with 是 as 倒是 plus sentence-final 呀/啊 in imperatives, it conveys impatient urging.
⚠️ Common Mistakes:
•Missing the ironic or teasing tone of 倒 in utterances like "你倒挺会说!" and taking it as literal praise.
•Confusing the adverb 倒 with the conjunction 但是 — 倒 stands after the subject and expresses a much subtler shift.
•Placing 倒 after the adjective or verb (e.g., *"聪明倒" — wrong; it must precede the predicate: "倒聪明").
•Using conversational 倒 in strict legal statutes or technical reports — it belongs primarily to dialogue and narrative prose.
Combine Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading Practice, Listening, Hanzi Writing, and Mock Exams at HSK 7–9 to master all skills together.
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Nǐ dào shì shuōhuà ya, bié guāng kū!
Come on, say something—don't just cry!
