If you can already hold a basic conversation in Mandarin but want to sound more persuasive when describing people or places, this HSK 4 speaking lesson teaches you 不仅...而且 (bùjǐn...érqiě) — a pattern that adds emphasis by stacking two qualities together. After this lesson, you can emphasize a point by adding a second quality or fact, like explaining why a restaurant is great by mentioning both its food and its atmosphere.
Use 不仅 (bùjǐn) before your first point and 而且 (érqiě) before your second to connect two facts about the same topic, building from one point to an even stronger one. Here is the example from this lesson:
他不仅会说中文，而且会写毛笔字 (tā bùjǐn huì shuō zhōngwén, érqiě huì xiě máobǐzì) — He not only speaks Chinese, but also does calligraphy. Note: More formal than 不但...而且.
A shorter key sentence you'll practice: 她不仅聪明，而且很努力 (tā bùjǐn cōngmíng, érqiě hěn nǔlì) — She's not only smart, but also very hardworking.
This is a live conversation lesson — you talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin in real time, not by typing. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation and adapts to your level. The lesson targets this one pattern and takes roughly 10 minutes. You'll practice building sentences that connect two qualities about the same person, place, or thing, and Mei Lin will help you with word order and pronunciation in real time.
You can try the first lesson free. When you're ready to write out the characters by hand, the free printable Chinese worksheet generator offers ready-made packs covering HSK 1–3 words to reinforce your writing practice.
Once you're comfortable with this pattern, explore more HSK 4 lessons to keep building. You might enjoy another HSK 4 live lesson on highlighting favorites with 尤其 (yóuqí), or try narrowing down options with 不是...就是 (búshì...jiùshì).
It means "not only...but also." You place 不仅 before your first point and 而且 before your second, connecting two facts about the same topic. This Lesson 8 pattern is more formal than 不但...而且 and lets you build from one quality to a stronger one — like saying someone is not only smart but also very hardworking.
Each live conversation lesson targets one grammar pattern and takes roughly 10 minutes. In Lesson 8, you'll spend that time practicing 不仅...而且 (bùjǐn...érqiě) out loud with Mei Lin, building sentences that stack two qualities about the same person, place, or restaurant.
Yes — the first lesson can be tried free. You'll speak with Mei Lin in real time, and she'll correct your grammar and pronunciation as you practice the 不仅...而且 (bùjǐn...érqiě) pattern in conversation.
The example in this lesson notes that 不仅...而且 (bùjǐn...érqiě) is more formal than 不但...而且. Both patterns connect two facts about the same topic, but 不仅...而且 gives your sentence a slightly more polished tone — useful when you want to sound articulate in conversation.