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phrases
不但…而且… not only … but also
6
不但…而且… escalates: the second half must be a bigger claim than the first, not merely another one. 不但没生气，反而笑了 shows the sharpest version, where 反而 reverses the expectation entirely - not only wasn't he angry, he laughed.
除了…以外 apart from …
6
除了…以外 means two opposite things depending on what follows: with 都 it excludes (除了他以外，都来了, everyone but him), with 还 it includes (除了汉语，我还会英语, Chinese and English too). The word after decides the meaning.
不管…都… no matter …
6
不管 and 无论 mean the same thing - regardless - with 无论 the more formal of the two. Both require a range in the clause that follows: a question word (不管你说什么), an either-or (不管下不下雨), or 多 plus an adjective (不管多贵).
只要…就… / 只有…才…
6
只要 is a sufficient condition - this much is enough - and 只有…才 is a necessary one - only this will do. 只要努力就能成功 says effort suffices; 只有努力才能成功 says nothing else will work. The 才 is obligatory in the second.
即使…也… even if …
6
即使…也… concedes a hypothetical - even if - while 虽然 conceded a fact. 就算 is the spoken equivalent of 即使 and appears here too, so you can pick the register. The 也 in the second half is not optional.
一…就… as soon as …
6
一…就… links two events with almost no gap: as soon as the first, the second. Both halves need their particle, and the subject can differ between them - 他一来我就走, the moment he comes, I leave. 一看就知道 drops the subject entirely.
连…都… even …
6
连…都… picks the most extreme case to make a general point: 连小孩都会 means if even a child can, anyone can. The item after 连 should be the least likely one, which is where the force comes from.
得 / 不 able or unable to
6
得 and 不 slot between a verb and its result to say whether the result can be reached: 听得懂 versus 听不懂. Note that 听不懂 is not the same as 不能听 - it says the understanding fails, not that listening is forbidden.
得 how well it's done
6
This 得 is a different one: it attaches a comment about how an action is performed. 他说得很好 - he speaks well - needs the 很, because a bare adjective after 得 sounds like a comparison. With an object the verb repeats: 他汉语说得不错.
却 / 反而 contrary to expectation
6
却 sits before the verb, never at the head of the clause, which is where English would put "however". 反而 goes further: it says the opposite of what was expected happened - 我劝他，他反而生气, I advised him and he got angry instead.
与其…不如… / 宁可…也…
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与其…不如… rejects the first option in favour of the second, while 宁可…也… accepts a cost to secure something: 宁可累一点也要做完, I'd rather be tired than leave it unfinished. The first weighs, the second sacrifices.
难怪 / 幸亏 / 居然
6
难怪 - no wonder - is said after learning the reason, so it always looks backwards. 幸亏 - fortunately - names the thing that averted trouble. 居然 marks disbelief and sits before the verb, like 竟然 in the reaction set.
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