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Expressing "that's all" with 而已 ("er2yi3")

而已 éryǐ

Sentence patterns
HSK 4

Structure

(只是 / 就是 / 才 +) Noun + 而已 Subj. + (只是 / 就是 / 才 / 仅仅 +) Verb + Obj. + 而已

Definition

用于句末，表示‘仅仅如此’、‘罢了’，强调不重要或程度低。

Used at the end of a sentence to mean 'that's all', 'just', or 'only', indicating that something is insignificant or limited.

Usage

通常与‘只是’、‘不过’等连用，放在陈述句末尾，缓和语气或缩小程度。

Often used with '只是' or '不过' at the end of a declarative sentence to soften the tone or downplay the significance.

Examples

  • 1 我只是问一下而已。 (I'm just asking, that's all.)
  • 2 他不过是个孩子而已，别太严格。 (He's just a child, don't be too strict.)
  • 3 这本书我随便翻翻而已。 (I just skimmed through this book, that's all.)
  • 4 她只是开个玩笑而已，你别当真。 (She was just joking, don't take it seriously.)
  • 5 我不过是想帮忙而已。 (I just wanted to help, that's all.)
  • 6 这次考试我考了及格而已，不算好。 (I only got a pass on this exam, not good.)
  • 7 别担心，只是小感冒而已。 (Don't worry, it's just a mild cold.)

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