却 què
却（què）means “yet; but; however (adverb of contrast, before the verb)”. 却 is an adverb expressing contrast, placed after the subject and before the verb or adjective. Formation: 主语+却+动词/形容词
yet; but; however (adverb of contrast, before the verb)
HSK3Formation
主语+却+动词/形容词
Explanation
却 is an adverb expressing contrast, placed after the subject and before the verb or adjective. It signals that the result is contrary to what one would expect. Because it's an adverb, it cannot begin a clause the way 但是 does.
Examples
Note
却 goes after the subject, not at the clause start; it often co-occurs with 虽然.
FAQ
却 — what does it mean and how is it used?
yet; but; however (adverb of contrast, before the verb). 却 is an adverb expressing contrast, placed after the subject and before the verb or adjective. It signals that the result is contrary to what one would expect. Because it's an adverb, it cannot begin a clause the way 但是 does.
却 — how do you form it?
主语+却+动词/形容词
却 — any usage notes?
却 goes after the subject, not at the clause start; it often co-occurs with 虽然.