HSKReadyGet the appHSK 5 · Sentence types › Complex sentences › Progressive clauses
HSK 5: Going Beyond a First Step with 不是……，还/还是……
One use of 不是……，还/还是…… rejects the idea that one step is enough, then adds a further requirement or recommendation. 不是 still negates something; it does not mean “not only” on its own.
这次活动不是报了名就能参加，还需要提前确认名额。
不是 negates the claim 报了名就能参加, not necessarily the act of registering. 还需要 adds a further condition.
Read the full explanation and examples
Meaning: one step is not enough
The outline lists 不是……，还/还是…… under 递进复句. One clear use denies that an initial action or condition is sufficient and then develops the point with something further that is needed or advisable. The negation remains real: in 不是报了名就能参加, what is rejected is the idea that registering alone guarantees participation.
这次活动不是报了名就能参加，还需要提前确认名额。
不是 negates the claim 报了名就能参加, not necessarily the act of registering. 还需要 adds a further condition.
报了名就能参加 is the assumption being rejected. Confirming a place is the additional condition. The sentence leaves open whether someone has already registered or is planning to do so. Read the whole proposition after 不是 to identify what is denied.
Build the rejected claim and the next requirement
A practical model is 不是 A 就够了/就行了/就可以了， 还要/还得/还需要 B. Fill the first clause with a complete claim about sufficiency or an automatic result, not just an arbitrary positive verb phrase. The subject or topic may precede 不是, as in 学会这个句型不是…. In the displayed formula, the slot after 不是 includes that complete claim.
学会这个句型不是看懂例句就行了，还要能在新情境中使用。
The rejected idea is that understanding the examples completes the learning task. The added requirement is independent use.
Understanding examples can be a genuine step in learning; the sentence denies only that it is enough. It then asks for an additional ability: using the pattern in a new context. Compare 她不但会说英语，还能主持会议, which directly lists two positive abilities without the sufficiency-negation frame.
这项政策不是公布以后就能落实，还需要配套的执行方案。
公布以后就能落实 is denied as a sufficient account. The sentence does not assert that the policy was never announced.
还 and 还是 in the second clause
还要, 还得 and 还需要 add a further requirement. 还是 should be read in its actual context: in 还是应该 it supports a recommendation that remains appropriate, not a simple “also” that can replace 还 before any verb. The report example below rejects an insufficient approach and keeps a recommendation to analyse the reasons.
这份报告不是列出数据就够了，还是应该分析一下原因。
还是应该 keeps the recommendation in force after rejecting the “data alone is enough” idea. 还是 is not an “or” linking two choices here.
The 还是 here is not a choice-question conjunction: no listener is being asked to choose “data or reasons”. Nor is the first clause claiming that data should never be listed. The speaker wants analysis as well. The strength of the recommendation comes from 应该 and context, not from 还是 alone.
Avoid a false “not only” reading
Do not use bare 不是 as a replacement for 不但 or 不仅. A fragment such as 她不是会说英语 does not, without further context, establish that she does speak English. Appending 还能主持会议 does not automatically turn it into “not only”. For two affirmative abilities, use 不但…还…. For this lesson’s use, say what is not sufficient before adding the next requirement.
改进服务不是解决了眼前的问题就可以了，还得考虑长期的安排。
还得 adds a necessary further consideration. The first clause rejects sufficiency; it does not deny that immediate problems need solving.
The service example rejects stopping at an immediate fix. Solving that problem and considering the long term are compatible actions; the contrast is between “that is enough” and “something further is needed”. Nothing here means that 不是 loses its negative force.
Frequently asked questions
Does 不是 mean “not only” by itself?
No. It negates the proposition that follows. In a sentence such as 不是做完 A 就够了，还需要 B, the negated idea is that A alone is sufficient. A itself may still be a necessary or useful step. For a straightforward “not only A but also B”, 不但…还… is a different, clearer frame.
Does 还是 make this a question?
Not here. In 还是应该分析一下原因, 还是 supports a continuing recommendation. In a question such as 你分析数据还是检查设备？ it links alternatives. The surrounding predicates and sentence type determine the reading; 还 and 还是 are not freely interchangeable.
