不过…罢了
it’s only …, nothing more
Structure
不过／只不过 事情的实质 罢了／而已
What it means
“It’s only …, nothing more”: it shrinks something to “merely this”, often with a touch of disdain.
How it is built
不过／只不过 + the point + 罢了／而已: 他说要起诉，不过是说说罢了 (his talk of suing is only talk).
When to use it
罢了 and 而已 are interchangeable here (不过是…而已); 只是 can replace 不过 (只是…罢了); either half can be dropped: 不过是说说, 说说罢了. 只不过 was in lesson 2-19.
Watch out
This 不过 means “only”; at the head of a sentence 不过 means “but”. And 罢了 (“that is all”) is not 算了 (“forget it”).
Examples
花了现做的钱，吃到的却不过是加热过的菜罢了。
You pay for food cooked to order, yet what you get is merely reheated dishes.
他说要起诉，不过是说说罢了。
His talk of suing is only talk.
我只不过随便问问罢了，你别多想。
I was only asking in passing; don’t read too much into it.
Learn this in Lesson 61 · HSK 6: 预制菜之争 (The ready-meal debate)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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