「而已 / 罢了」 "éryǐ / bàle"

「而已 / 罢了」（"éryǐ / bàle"）means “…而已 / …罢了: 'that's all', 'nothing more' — plays something down”. 而已 (formal/written) and 罢了 (more colloquial) both close a sentence to mean 'and that's all, nothing more'. Formation: 只是 / 不过 + …… + 而已 / 罢了

…而已 / …罢了: 'that's all', 'nothing more' — plays something down

HSK6

Formation

只是 / 不过 + …… + 而已 / 罢了

Explanation

而已 (formal/written) and 罢了 (more colloquial) both close a sentence to mean 'and that's all, nothing more'. They downplay what was just said, as if to say 'don't make a big deal of it'. They usually pair with 只是 / 不过 ('merely') earlier in the sentence. 罢了 can also express reluctant acceptance ('fine, forget it'), but the core 'nothing more than' use is the same as 而已.

Examples

我 只是 开 个 玩笑 而已。
wǒ zhǐshì kāi gè wánxiào éryǐ.
I was just making a joke, that's all.
这 不过 是 时间 问题 罢了。
zhè búguò shì shíjiān wèntí bàle.
This is merely a matter of time, nothing more.

Note

而已 leans written; 罢了 leans spoken and can add a shrug of resignation.

FAQ

「而已 / 罢了」 — what does it mean and how is it used?

…而已 / …罢了: 'that's all', 'nothing more' — plays something down. 而已 (formal/written) and 罢了 (more colloquial) both close a sentence to mean 'and that's all, nothing more'. They downplay what was just said, as if to say 'don't make a big deal of it'. They usually pair with 只是 / 不过 ('merely') earlier in the sentence. 罢了 can also express reluctant acceptance ('fine, forget it'), but the core 'nothing more than' use is the same as 而已.

「而已 / 罢了」 — how do you form it?

只是 / 不过 + …… + 而已 / 罢了

「而已 / 罢了」 — any usage notes?

而已 leans written; 罢了 leans spoken and can add a shrug of resignation.

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