Discussion of 倒 [dào] (contrary to common sense or one's expectation); but, however; (after a "verb + de" structure, implying blame); (in the subordinate clause, indicating concession); (in an imperative sentence or a question, indicating impatience); (used to soften the tone)

Discussion of 倒

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yet, actually (used to indicate contrast)

Achjawassever

How is 倒 (dào) typically used in a sentence?

个学生

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倒 (dào) is typically used to indicate a contrast or unexpected result. For example, 他这么努力学习，考试结果倒 (dào) 不理想 (tā zhème nǔlì xuéxí, kǎoshì jiéguǎ dào bù lǐxiǎng). This sentence means "Although he studied hard, the test result was not satisfactory."

当老师

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却 and 倒 can both be translated as "but, however". Do they have any differences?

倒 (but, however) is usually followed by something with a positive meaning. Example:
Example 1. 这篇文章引用的数据虽然不多，结论倒还站得住。 -/- [phr] Not a whole lot of data are cited in this article, but its conclusion holds.

却（but, however） does not have this limit. In the example above, we can use 却 too. But in the following examples, we cannot use 倒, because it's not something positive:
Example 2. 战士在战斗中战胜了敌人，但是他却牺牲了。 r/s [phr] The soldier defeated the enemy in the battle, but he lost his life.
Example 3. 我帮了他三个多小时的忙，他却一句“谢谢”都没说。 r/- [phr] I helped him for over three hours, but he didn’t even say “thanks” (to me).

lisaC

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