Discussion of 而已

To include posts you need to register at trainchinese.com

罢了 (bàle), 而已 (éryǐ), and 只不过 (zhǐ búguò) all express limitation or understatement.

罢了 (bàle) (... and that's all) adds a casual tone and is used at the end of a sentence to downplay or imply that something is ordinary or not worth making a fuss over. E.g. 我只是开个玩笑罢了。(Wǒ zhǐshì kāi gè wánxiào bàle.) "I was just joking, that's all."

而已 (éryǐ) (.. and that's it) is a little more formal than 罢了 and is used in both written and spoken language to emphasize limitation. E.g. 我是说实话而已。(Wǒ shì shuō shíhuà éryǐ.) "I was merely telling the truth, that's it."

只不过 (zhǐ bùguò) ("only," "just") is used before a verb or adjective to emphasize something is just or merely something. It often expresses mild contrast or defense. E.g. 他只不过是个孩子。(Tā zhǐ bùguò shì gè háizi.) "He's just a child."

lisaC

How is 而已 used in a sentence? (ér yǐ)

个学生

Show 1 reply

You you can select to receive personal notifications on the app or via email for important contributions to words that you are learning in the account settings .