可是 (kěshì) means But (however). Below are 24 of the 25 sentences on this site that use it — with pinyin, an English translation and audio. All of them were written by hand; none is machine generated.
From the graded readers
可是 身体先不同意了。
kěshì shēntǐ xiān bùtóng yì le / liǎo / liào.
But my body disagreed first.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Facing Pressure
房间不大， 可是 很干净。
fángjiān búdà, kěshì hěn gānjìng.
It isn't big, but it's very clean.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · My New Room
可是 我在沙发上睡着了。
kěshì wǒ zài shāfā shàng shuìzháole.
But I fell asleep on the sofa.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · My Weekend
可是 我们刚出门，天就黑了。
kěshì wǒmen gāng chū mén, tiān jiù hēi le / liǎo / liào.
But the moment we stepped out, the sky went dark.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · A Rainy Day
今天下雨了， 可是 爸爸不在家。
jīntiān xiàyǔ le / liǎo / liào, kěshì bàba bùzài jiā.
It rained today, but dad wasn't home.
Graded reader · HSK 1 · Going to School
我特别高兴， 可是 也特别害怕。
wǒ tèbié gāoxìng, kěshì yě tèbié hàipà.
I was thrilled, and also terrified.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Learning to Ride a Bike
周末虽然短， 可是 我过得很开心。
zhōumò suīrán duǎn, kěshì wǒ guòde hěn kāixīn.
The weekend was short, but I enjoyed it.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · My Weekend
可是 今天早上，他们打电话来了。
kěshì jīntiān zǎoshang, tāmen dǎdiànhuà lái le / liǎo / liào.
But this morning they rang.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · The Job Interview
小白不喜欢水， 可是 它很喜欢吃鱼。
xiǎo bái bù xǐhuan shuǐ, kěshì tā hěn xǐhuan chī yú.
Xiaobai doesn't like water, but he loves eating fish.
Graded reader · HSK 1 · My Cat
她说话不快， 可是 每个字都很清楚。
tā shuōhuà bùkuài, kěshì měi gè zì dōu hěn qīngchu.
She doesn't speak fast, but every word is clear.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · My Chinese Teacher
可是 从那天起，我就再也没有停过。
kěshì cóng nà / nèi tiān qǐ, wǒ jiù zài yě méiyǒu tíng guò.
But from that day on I never stopped again.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Keeping Up Running
我说：“工作很忙， 可是 我很喜欢。”
wǒ shuō:" gōngzuò hěn máng, kěshì wǒ hěn xǐhuan."
I said, "Work is busy, but I like it."
Graded reader · HSK 1 · A Phone Call
可是 我每天早上醒来，都不想去上班。
kěshì wǒ měitiān zǎoshang xǐnglái, dōu bù xiǎng qù shàngbān.
But every morning I woke up not wanting to go in.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Changing Jobs
我用电脑给自己打电话， 可是 没有人接。
wǒ yòng diànnǎo gěi zìjǐ dǎdiànhuà, kěshì méiyǒu rén jiē.
I rang my own number from the computer, but nobody picked up.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Losing My Phone
我想放弃， 可是 爸爸说：“再试一次。”
wǒ xiǎng fàngqì, kěshì bàba shuō:" zài shì yīcì."
I wanted to give up, but dad said, "One more go."
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Learning to Ride a Bike
我知道他是为我好， 可是 我还是辞职了。
wǒ zhīdào tā shì wèi / wéi wǒ hǎo / hào, kěshì wǒ háishì cízhí le / liǎo / liào.
I knew he meant well, but I resigned anyway.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Changing Jobs
可是 奇怪的是，没有一个人因此不理我。
kěshì qíguài de / dì shì, méiyǒu yīgè rén yīncǐ bùlǐ wǒ.
But oddly enough, not a single person stopped speaking to me.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Learning to Say No
我照了很多照片， 可是 照片没有真的好看。
wǒ zhào le / liǎo / liào hěnduō zhàopiàn, kěshì zhàopiàn méiyǒu zhēnde hǎokàn.
I took a lot of photos, but none of them was as good as the real thing.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · A Trip With Friends
可是 我喜欢那个每天都能说到做到的自己。
kěshì wǒ xǐhuan nèigè měitiān dōu néng shuōdào zuòdào de / dì zìjǐ.
But I do like the version of me who does what he says he'll do, every day.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Keeping Up Running
我以前不太喜欢吃月饼， 可是 那天觉得特别好吃。
wǒ yǐqián bù tài xǐhuan chī yuè bǐng, kěshì nà / nèi tiān juéde tèbié hǎo / hào chī.
I'd never much liked mooncakes, but that night they tasted wonderful.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Mid-Autumn Festival
我从小就喜欢画画， 可是 上大学的时候选了别的专业。
wǒ cóngxiǎo jiù xǐhuan huà huà, kěshì shàng dàxué de / dì shíhou xuǎn le / liǎo / liào biéde zhuānyè.
I'd loved drawing since I was small, but at university I chose a different subject.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · A Decision at Thirty
那天晚上我找到了火车站。 可是 我一直记得的，是那个红薯。
nà / nèi tiān wǎnshang wǒ zhǎodàole huǒchēzhàn. kěshì wǒ yìzhí jìde de / dì, shì nèigè hóngshǔ.
I found the station that night. But what I've remembered ever since is the sweet potato.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Getting Lost
也许他是对的。 可是 有些东西被扔掉以后，就再也找不回来了。
yěxǔ tā shì duì de / dì. kěshì yǒuxiē dōngxī bèi rēngdiào yǐhòu, jiù zài yě zhǎo bù huílai.
Maybe he's right. But some things, once thrown away, can never be got back.
Graded reader · HSK 3 · Moving House
可是 最后一个问题让我愣住了：“你觉得自己最大的缺点是什么？”
kěshì zuìhòu yīgè wèntí ràng wǒ lèng zhùle:" nǐ juéde zìjǐ zuìdà de / dì quēdiǎn shì shénme?"
But the last question stopped me: "What do you think your biggest weakness is?"
Graded reader · HSK 3 · The Job Interview
可是 appears in 25 sentences on this site; the 24 shortest and most direct are shown. The rest are on the pages they were written for — the graded readers, the phrasebook and the grammar library.
Questions about 可是
How is 可是 used in a sentence?
This page shows 25 sentences using 可是 (kěshì, "But (however)"), each with pinyin, an English translation and audio. Every one of them was written by hand for this site.
Are these sentences machine generated?
No. They come from the site's own dictionary examples, graded readers, travel phrasebook and grammar library — all written by a person. A word with no sentence gets no page here, rather than a page of invented ones.
Is 可是 an HSK word?
Yes — 可是 is on the official HSK 4 vocabulary list, and you can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 4 page.
Where can I see the full entry for 可是?
The dictionary page for 可是 has its stroke order, its traditional form, every sense the dictionary lists and a character-by-character breakdown. It is linked at the top of this page.
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