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

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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