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HSK 5 · VERSION 2.0#43

Expressing “That’s All” with “éryǐ”

而已

éryǐ

How it works

而已 (éryǐ) means “that’s all,” “nothing more than that,” or “simply.” It is used to downplay something, showing that it is not as serious, important, or special as someone may think.

The pattern

Clause / Phrase + 而已 (éryǐ)

Example sentences

这不过是个小误会而已,没必要把事情弄得这么复杂。

Zhè búguò shì ge xiǎo wùhuì éryǐ, méi bìyào bǎ shìqing nòng de zhème fùzá.

This is only a small misunderstanding, and there is no need to make the matter so complicated.

他只是有点儿累了而已,休息一下就好了。

Tā zhǐshì yǒudiǎnr lèi le éryǐ, xiūxi yíxià jiù hǎo le.

He is only a little tired, that’s all. He will be fine after some rest.

这对他来说不过是工作的一部分而已,你不用想得太严重。

Zhè duì tā láishuō búguò shì gōngzuò de yí bùfen éryǐ, nǐ búyòng xiǎng de tài yánzhòng.

For him, this is only part of the job, nothing more. You do not need to take it too seriously.

Key point

而已 (éryǐ) often makes the tone lighter by reducing the importance of something.

Source: HelloMandarin · Revised edition, 2026 · PDF p. 255.

Old_HSK_1-6_Grammar_Points_2.0.pdf

Old six-level teaching collection. This is an independent learning reference.

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