Level 4 · Upper Intermediate
On the contrary: 反而
A，Subj. + 反而 + Opposite result
反而 (fǎn'ér) flags a result that's the OPPOSITE of what should have happened: 吃了药，反而更难受了 "after taking the medicine, he felt even worse". Medicine should help — the outcome flipped, so 反而 sits right before it.
It's an adverb after the subject: 他反而生气了, never 反而他生气了. When the reversal is milder — more "contrary to what you'd think" than shocking — 倒 (dào) does the same job with a lighter touch: 他倒很开心 "he's actually quite happy".
Examples
吃了药，他反而更难受了。
吃了藥，他反而更難受了。
chī le yào tā fǎn ér gèng nán shòu le
After taking the medicine, he actually felt worse.
我帮他，他反而生我的气。
我幫他，他反而生我的氣。
wǒ bāng tā tā fǎn ér shēng wǒ de qì
I helped him, and he got angry at me instead.
春天到了，天气反而更冷了。
春天到了，天氣反而更冷了。
chūn tiān dào liǎo tiān qì fǎn ér gèng lěng le
Spring is here, yet the weather has gotten even colder.
我以为他会不高兴，他倒很开心。
我以為他會不高興，他倒很開心。
wǒ yǐ wéi tā huì bù gāo xìng tā dǎo hěn kāi xīn
I thought he'd be upset, but he's actually quite happy.
Common mistakes
✗ 他每天练习，反而说得越来越好。
✓ 他每天练习，所以说得越来越好。
反而 needs the outcome to defeat the expectation — an expected result takes 所以.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: The Impatient Farmer · The Tortoise and the Hare · Drawing a Snake and Adding Feet — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
