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Using 虽然……但是…… to Express Concession and Contrast in Chinese
In Chinese, 虽然 and 但是 work together as a paired conjunction pattern to acknowledge a true fact in the first clause and pivot to an unexpected or contrasting main point in the second clause.
虽然外面下雨了，但是我们还是去公园了。
Rain normally stops people from going to the park; going anyway is the unexpected outcome.
× 虽然今天下大雨，但是比赛取消了。
Incorrect in a normal outdoor context where heavy rain directly causes the cancellation. Because canceling the match is the expected result of heavy rain, a contrastive pattern is logically unsuitable; see the corrected sentence with 因为……所以…….
Corrected example: 因为今天下大雨，所以比赛取消了。
Read the full explanation and examples
Conceding a Fact and Introducing an Unexpected Outcome
The HSK Level 2 outline includes 虽然……，但是…… as a contrastive complex sentence. 虽然 concedes a fact, and 但是 introduces the point the speaker wants to emphasize. The second point may go against an expectation, or weigh a positive aspect against a conceded drawback, as in 这件衣服虽然很贵，但是质量很好. The two clauses need an understandable contrast in their context.
虽然外面下雨了，但是我们还是去公园了。
Rain normally stops people from going to the park; going anyway is the unexpected outcome.
In normal usage, keeping both halves of the pair makes the contrast explicit and clear. However, you will also see variations. For instance, But-markers like 但是 or 可是 may be omitted when the context or a word like 还是 (still) or 却 already makes the unexpected turn obvious, or 虽然 may be omitted in casual speech while keeping 但是. For building solid foundational sentences, pairing them together is the most reliable choice.
Where to Place the Subject
虽然 can appear before or after the first subject. When the clauses concern different subjects or topics, placing 虽然 first often makes the connection clear. In 虽然外面下雨了，但是我们还是去公园了, the first clause describes the weather, while 我们 is the subject of the second.
When both clauses describe the same subject or topic, Chinese frequently places that shared subject at the very beginning of the sentence, before 虽然. The second clause can then omit the repeated subject or state a specific aspect of it.
这件衣服虽然很贵，但是质量很好。
The shared topic (this piece of clothing) is placed before 虽然, conceding the high price before highlighting the positive quality.
Using Alternatives: 但, 可是, and 却
While 虽然……但是…… is a common pair, the second clause can use another contrast marker. These alternatives differ in register and grammatical position.
- 但 (dàn) is a shorter, slightly more compact version of 但是. It is listed alongside 但是 in the syllabus and occupies the exact same position at the start of the second clause.
- 可是 (kěshì) is a conjunction like 但是. It works in the same slot at the start of the second clause and often sounds slightly more conversational or softer in tone.
- In this basic pattern with an explicit subject such as 他, put the adverb 却 after that subject and before the predicate: 他却每天去跑步. Do not simply replace 但是他 with 却他. The subject can be omitted when context supplies it, and other sentence types can place an indefinite noun after a verb, as in 却来了一个人.
虽然汉字很难，可是我觉得很有意思。
可是 replaces 但是 at the beginning of the second clause in conversational speech.
虽然工作很忙，他却每天去跑步。
With the explicit subject 他 in this example, place 却 after 他. 每天 comes between 却 and 去, so 却 does not have to sit directly next to the verb.
You can combine the two markers in 但是他却……: 但是 connects the clauses, while 却 emphasizes the contrast inside the second clause. 却 need not touch the verb; time, frequency or other material can intervene, as in 他却每天去跑步.
Common Learner Error: Confusing Cause with Concession
A frequent mistake when building complex sentences is choosing 虽然……但是…… when the two clauses actually have a straightforward cause-and-effect relationship. Remember that 虽然……但是…… requires an unexpected outcome—something that happens despite the first clause.
Imagine an outdoor match canceled for the stated reason that heavy rain made play unsafe. To explain that cause, use 因为今天下大雨，所以比赛取消了. Although/but markers would need a different contextual contrast; the fact that the sentence is grammatically formed does not make it suitable for this intended causal message.
× 虽然今天下大雨，但是比赛取消了。
Incorrect in a normal outdoor context where heavy rain directly causes the cancellation. Because canceling the match is the expected result of heavy rain, a contrastive pattern is logically unsuitable; see the corrected sentence with 因为……所以…….
Corrected example: 因为今天下大雨，所以比赛取消了。
因为今天下大雨，所以比赛取消了。
Correct replacement when expressing that heavy rain was the direct reason for canceling the match.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use 虽然 without 但是 in a sentence?
Yes, when the contrast in the second clause is already clearly marked by context or by an adverb like 却 or 还是 (still). However, in standard HSK sentence building, keeping 但是 (or an alternative like 可是 or 却) makes the sentence structure much clearer and avoids unfinished-sounding clauses.
Can I put 却 in the exact same spot as 但是?
Not by mechanically replacing 但是他 with 却他. In this basic explicit-subject pattern, write 他却……, with 却 before the predicate. Other material can intervene before the verb: 他却每天去跑步. A contextually understood subject can also be omitted.
Where does 虽然……但是…… appear in the HSK syllabus?
In the supplied 2025-11 syllabus outline, the conjunctions 虽然, 但, and 但是 and the contrastive sentence pattern 虽然……，但是…… are listed under HSK Level 2 grammar.
