About
The character "但" structurally integrates the human radical 人 with the component 旦, which originally offered phonetic clues while contributing to an early semantic association with bareness or exposure, reflecting its use in classical contexts to denote a state of being unclothed. Over time, its meaning shifted from this concrete reference toward more abstract functions, first serving as an adverb meaning "only" or "just", and later grammaticalizing into the common conjunction "but" in modern usage, a transition that did not involve any graphical alteration to the character's form.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我很忙，但很快乐。
他想去，但没时间。
天气不好，但我们去了。
他学习很努力，但成绩不好。
这本书很厚，但内容很有趣。
虽然价格昂贵，但质量非常好。
她昨天生病了，但今天还是来上班了。
虽然他已经道歉了，但我仍然觉得很难过，因为伤害已经造成了。