Introduction
虽然……但是…… (suīrán … dànshì …) is the contrast pair, and like 因为……所以…… it keeps both halves. 虽然很贵，但是我买了。(Suīrán hěn guì, dànshì wǒ mǎi le.) — literally "although it was expensive, but I bought it", which is wrong in English and standard in Chinese.
Overview
Structure: 虽然 (suīrán) + [Clause 1]，但是 (dànshì) / 可是 (kěshì) + [Clause 2]
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 虽然……，但是…… | 虽然很贵，但是我买了。(Suīrán hěn guì, dànshì wǒ mǎi le.) | It was dear, but I bought it. |
| 虽然……，可是…… | 虽然很累，可是很高兴。(Suīrán hěn lèi, kěshì hěn gāoxìng.) | Tired, but happy. |
| ……，但是…… | 很贵，但是我买了。(Hěn guì, dànshì wǒ mǎi le.) | It was dear, but I bought it. |
| 虽然……，……还是…… | 虽然下雨，我还是去了。(Suīrán xià yǔ, wǒ háishi qù le.) | It rained, but I went anyway. |
| Subj + 虽然…… | 他虽然很忙，但是每天都运动。(Tā suīrán hěn máng, dànshì měi tiān dōu yùndòng.) | Busy as he is, he exercises daily. |
Both halves stay, exactly as with 因为……所以…… (yīnwèi … suǒyǐ …):
- ✓ 虽然很贵，但是我买了。(Suīrán hěn guì, dànshì wǒ mǎi le.)
- The English instinct is to delete one. Resist it — in Chinese the pair is the normal form.
- 但是 (dànshì) and 可是 (kěshì) are interchangeable; 可是 is slightly more spoken.
- 虽然 (suīrán) may sit before or after the subject: 虽然他很忙 (suīrán tā hěn máng) and 他虽然很忙 (tā suīrán hěn máng) are both correct.
Examples
虽然很贵，但是我买了。
Suīrán hěn guì, dànshì wǒ mǎi le.
It was expensive, but I bought it.
虽然很累，可是我很高兴。
Suīrán hěn lèi, kěshì wǒ hěn gāoxìng.
I'm tired, but I'm happy.
他虽然很忙，但是每天都运动。
Tā suīrán hěn máng, dànshì měi tiān dōu yùndòng.
Busy as he is, he exercises every day.
虽然下雨了，我还是去了。
Suīrán xià yǔ le, wǒ háishi qù le.
It rained, but I went anyway.
虽然他是中国人，但是他不会做中国菜。
Suīrán tā shì Zhōngguó rén, dànshì tā bú huì zuò Zhōngguó cài.
He's Chinese, but he can't cook Chinese food.
这个菜虽然不好看，但是很好吃。
Zhège cài suīrán bù hǎokàn, dànshì hěn hǎochī.
The dish doesn't look like much, but it tastes great.
Usage Notes
- Dropping 虽然 (suīrán) is common and natural: 很贵，但是我买了。(Hěn guì, dànshì wǒ mǎi le.) Dropping 但是 (dànshì) instead is much rarer.
- 还是 (háishi) can replace or join 但是 (dànshì) to add "all the same": 虽然下雨，我还是去了。(Suīrán xià yǔ, wǒ háishi qù le.)
- 虽然 (suīrán) is 1st tone plus 2nd — suīrán. 但是 (dànshì) is 4th plus neutral — dànshì.
- The contrast pair and the cause pair are built the same way: 因为……所以…… (yīnwèi … suǒyǐ …) for cause, 虽然……但是…… (suīrán … dànshì …) for contrast.
- Do not mix them: ❌ 虽然很贵，所以我买了。(Suīrán hěn guì, suǒyǐ wǒ mǎi le.)