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HSK 6 Adverbs

何止 / 岂止 / 不止

Far more than / not just (何止/岂止)

Structure 何止/岂止 + apparent figure/scope (… 而已)

何止 (hézhǐ) and 岂止 (qǐzhǐ) rhetorically deny a limit: "is it only…?, far more than…". They imply the real figure or scope vastly exceeds what was stated: 这样的人何止他一个 = "people like that — just him? Far more than that!". 岂止 is more literary and keeps the rhetorical 岂 ("could it be only?"), so it reads like an essay or editorial: 其影响岂止于此 = "its impact is by no means confined to this". 不止 (bùzhǐ) is the plain, neutral cousin: "more than…, not only…" (不止一次 = "more than once").

Examples

  • 这zhè样yàng的de人rén何hé止zhǐ他tā一yī个gè。

    People like that — just him? Far more than him.

  • 其qí影yǐng响xiǎng岂qǐ止zhǐ于yú此cǐ。

    Its influence is by no means confined to this.

  • 受shòu害hài的de岂qǐ止zhǐ是shì消xiāo费fèi者zhě,整zhěng个gè行háng业yè都dōu在zài受shòu损sǔn。

    Is it only consumers who are harmed? The whole industry is suffering.

  • 我wǒ去qù过guo那nà里lǐ不bù止zhǐ一yī次cì。

    I've been there more than once.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

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