Level 5 · Advanced
Actually, though: 倒是
Subj. + 倒是 + Unexpected Comment
倒是 (dàoshi) flags a mild reversal of expectations: 房间不大，倒是很干净 "the room isn't big — it is clean, though." It concedes one thing while pointing out a redeeming (or complicating) surprise.
It also adds bite to comebacks: 你说得倒是容易 "easy for YOU to say." Unlike the heavier 却, 倒是 stays conversational and often softens rather than sharpens the contrast.
Examples
房间不大，倒是很干净。
房間不大，倒是很乾淨。
fáng jiān bù dà dào shi hěn gān jìng
The room isn't big — it is clean, though.
他年纪不大，懂的倒是不少。
他年紀不大，懂的倒是不少。
tā nián jì bù dà dǒng de dào shi bù shǎo
He's young, but he sure knows a lot.
你说得倒是容易，做起来难。
你說得倒是容易，做起來難。
nǐ shuō de dào shi róng yì zuò qǐ lai nán
Easy for you to say — doing it is another matter.
我倒是想去，可是没时间。
我倒是想去，可是沒時間。
wǒ dào shi xiǎng qù kě shì méi shí jiān
Oh, I'd love to go — I just don't have time.
Common mistakes
✗ 倒是我想去，可是没时间。
✓ 我倒是想去，可是没时间。
倒是 is an adverb — it comes after the subject, not before it.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Pictures vs. Reality (Part 2) inside the Literate Chinese app.
