不是…而是
búshì…érshì
Peel off what's wrong, put the right one in its place
The picture A name tag pulled off the slot it never belonged in, and another tag pressed onto the very same slot. 不是…而是 swaps what sits in the slot; 不但…而且 leaves it and stacks one more on top.
Where the picture shows up in 不是…而是
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Off with the misreading, on with the reason
我不是不想去，而是真的没时间。
wǒ búshì bù xiǎng qù, érshì zhēn de méi shíjiān
It's not that I don't want to go — I really have no time.
a hand waved once in denial, then a packed schedule opened up to show
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Moving where the fault sits
这不是你的错，而是系统的问题。
zhè búshì nǐ de cuò, érshì xìtǒng de wèntí
This isn't your fault, it's a problem with the system.
a hand lifted off a bowed head's shoulder and turned to point at an error on the screen
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Swapping what is wanted
他要的不是钱，而是一句道歉。
tā yào de búshì qián, érshì yí jù dàoqiàn
What he wanted wasn't money, it was an apology.
an offered envelope pushed back and eyes settling quietly on the other person's mouth
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Dropping 而 for speed
问题不是价格，是时间。
wèntí búshì jiàgé, shì shíjiān
The problem isn't the price, it's the time.
a price tag slid aside and a finger laid on the days left in the calendar
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Resetting how it's taken
不是我说你，而是大家都这么看。
búshì wǒ shuō nǐ, érshì dàjiā dōu zhème kàn
It's not me picking on you — everyone sees it that way.
a hand that was pointing at one's own chest sweeping out to take in the whole room
All of it in one picture
不是…而是 is two hands, one peeling and one pressing. Off comes 'doesn't want to go', on goes 'genuinely has no time'; off comes 'your fault', on goes 'the system'. It can swap what someone wants from money to an apology, drop 而 and move fast in speech, or reset how a remark is being taken.