The structure 不是...而是...
In the structure 不是…而是… 
, we emphasize that the second part of the sentence is in opposition to the first.
In this case, we state the subject at the beginning of the first clause and 而是 at the beginning of the second clause.
, we emphasize that the second part of the sentence is in opposition to the first.
In this case, we state the subject at the beginning of the first clause and 而是 at the beginning of the second clause.Scheme
subject
不是
A
而是
B
Examples
他们不是在玩儿手机，而是做作业
They are not playing on their phone, rather they’re doing their homework
tāmen bú shì zài wánr shǒujī, érshì zuò zuòyè
墙面不是绿色的，而是淡绿色的
The wall is not just green, but more specifically light green
qiáng miàn bú shì lǜsè de, érshì dàn lǜsè de
Instead of 不是, we may use just the negative particle 不 with another verb.
Moreover, there are also other negative particles that can be used before the predicate. For example:
没有
未
非
The meaning of the structure remains the same.
未
非
The meaning of the structure remains the same.Examples
我没有开灯，而是摸索着穿过房间
I didn't turn on the light, but walked across my room by feeling things
wǒ méiyǒu kāi dēng, érshì mōsuǒ zhe chuānguò fángjiān
计算机远非破坏就业，而是能创造就业
Computers don't just destroy jobs, they also create them
jìsuànjī yuǎn fēi pòhuài jiùyè, érshì néng chuàngzào jiùyè