Nothing but / merely (无非)

Structure 无非(是) + what it all comes down to （+ 罢了/而已）

无非 (wúfēi) reduces something to its bare reason or content: "at bottom it's nothing but…", "it all comes down to…". It deflates a pretension or exposes a motive: 他这么说，无非是想推卸责任 = "if he puts it that way, it's only to shirk responsibility". It often closes with 罢了 or 而已 ("and nothing more"). It belongs to written or cultured spoken register; it works like a more emphatic, dismissive 只是.

Examples

他tā这zhè么me说shuō，无wú非fēi是shì想xiǎng推tuī卸xiè责zé任rèn。
If he puts it that way, it's only to dodge responsibility.
所suǒ谓wèi改gǎi革gé，无wú非fēi是shì换huàn汤tāng不bù换huàn药yào罢bà了le。
The so-called reform is, in the end, nothing but a new label on the same old thing.
我wǒ担dān心xīn的de，无wú非fēi是shì孩hái子zi的de安ān全quán。
What worries me is nothing but the children's safety.
这zhè些xiē规guī定dìng无wú非fēi是shì为wèi了le维wéi持chí秩zhì序xù。
These rules are, at bottom, merely there to keep order.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.

Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play