In Chinese, the progressive complex sentence pattern 不但……，而且…… (bùdàn ... érqiě ...) connects two clauses to indicate a progressive (building/adding) relationship. The second clause builds upon, reinforces, or adds further detail to the statement in the first clause. In English, it translates to “not only ..., but also ...”.
Grammar Rules
1. Building Information: Expresses that in addition to the trait or situation mentioned in the first clause, another (often more noteworthy) trait or action applies.
2. Same Subject Placement: If the subject of both clauses is the same, 不但 (bùdàn) is placed after the subject (Subject + 不但).
3. Different Subjects Placement: If the subjects of the two clauses are different, 不但 (bùdàn) is placed before the first subject (不但 + Subject₁).
4. Accompanying Adverbs: When the subjects are different, the second clause typically includes adverbs like 也 (yě — also) or 还 (hái — in addition) before the verb.
Grammar Structure
Same Subject: Subject + 不但 + Trait / Action₁, 而且 + Trait / Action₂
Different Subjects: 不但 + Subject₁ + Action₁, 而且 + Subject₂ + (也 / 还) + Action₂
Examples
现在的电视不但便宜，而且用着非常方便。
Today's TVs are not only cheap, but also very convenient to use.
家月不但喜欢唱歌，而且唱得很好听。
Jiayue not only likes singing, but also sings very beautifully.
不但家月会说汉语，而且天中也会说汉语。
Not only can Jiayue speak Chinese, but Tianzhong can speak Chinese too.
Important Note
Subject Position (crucial rule):
Same subject: 家月 + 不但……，而且…… (the subject goes BEFORE 不但).
Different subjects: 不但 + 家月……，而且 + 天中…… (不但 goes BEFORE Subject₁).
Conversational Short Form: In casual spoken Chinese, 而且 is sometimes omitted, relying on 也 (yě) or 还 (hái) in the second clause (e.g., 他不但会汉语，还会英语 — He not only knows Chinese, but also English).
