Word: 却 (què)

两人初次见面，却似曾相识。

Liǎng rén chūcì jiànmiàn, què sìcéngxiāngshí.

The two met for the first time, yet felt like old acquaintances.

人可以和虎狼搏斗，却无法和苍蝇争吵

rén kěyǐ hé hǔláng bódòu, què wúfǎ hé cāngying zhēngchǎo

a person can fight tigers and wolves but cannot quarrel with flies

他严厉却善良。

Tā yánlì què shànliáng.

He is strict yet kind.

他保证过会来却没有来。

Tā bǎozhèngguo huì lái què méiyǒu lái.

He promised to come, but he didn't come.

他出身卑微，却一直很努力。

Tā chūshēn bēiwēi, què yìzhí hěn nǔlì.

He came from a lowly background, but always worked hard.

他向她求婚，但她却拒绝了。

Tā xiàng tā qiúhūn, dàn tā què jùjuéle.

He asked her to marry him, but she refused.

他向邻居借车，却碰钉子了。

Tā xiàng línjū jiè chē, què pèngdīngzi le.

He tried to borrow a car from his neighbor but was turned away.

他喊了半天，却没人响应。

Tā hǎnle bàntiān, què méi rén xiǎngyìng.

He shouted for ages, but nobody answered.

他工作很累，却从来没有怨言。

Tā gōngzuò hěn lèi, què cónglái méiyǒu yuànyán.

His work is tiring, yet he has never complained.

他很聪明，但却不太帮得上忙。

Tā hěn cōngming, dàn què bú tài bāng de shàng máng.

He may be clever, but he is not very helpful.

他得了奖，却一点不自满。

Tā dé le jiǎng, què yìdiǎn bú zìmǎn.

He won an award, but he isn't the least bit self-satisfied.

他心里有不平，却一直没说。

Tā xīnli yǒu bùpíng, què yìzhí méi shuō.

He has a grievance in his heart but has never said so.

他心里有冤，却没地方说。

Tā xīnli yǒu yuān, què méi dìfang shuō.

He had a grievance in his heart but nowhere to voice it.

他白吃白喝，却心安理得。

Tā báichībáihē, què xīn'ānlǐdé.

He freeloads on food and drink, yet feels no qualms about it.

他的散文简单却隽永。

Tā de sǎnwén jiǎndān què juànyǒng.

His prose is simple yet full of lasting meaning.

他累极了，却还在坚持支撑着。

Tā lèi jíle, què hái zài jiānchí zhīchēngzhe.

He was exhausted, yet he was still holding on.

他自称专家，却不懂行。

Tā zìchēng zhuānjiā, què bù dǒngháng.

He calls himself an expert, but he doesn't know the field.

他虽然有钱，生活却很节俭。

Tā suīrán yǒuqián, shēnghuó què hěn jiéjiǎn.

Although he is rich, he lives very frugally.

他虽然穷，但生活却过得很快乐。

Tā suīrán qióng, dàn shēnghuó què guò de hěn kuàilè.

Even though he was poor, he was happy.

他虽然穷，却很幸福。

Tā suīrán qióng, què hěn xìngfú.

Even though he's poor, he's happy.

他被骂了，却以德报怨。

Tā bèi màle, què yǐdébàoyuàn.

He was cursed at, yet he repaid it with kindness.

他输了比赛，同学们却讥笑他。

Tā shūle bǐsài, tóngxuémen què jīxiào tā.

He lost the match, yet his classmates sneered at him.

你一直都知道，却什么都没做。

Nǐ yìzhí dōu zhīdào, què shénme dōu méi zuò.

You knew all this time, but you did nothing.

你会游泳，我却不会。

Nǐ huì yóuyǒng, wǒ què búhuì.

You can swim, but I can't.

却没有人要听。

Què méiyǒu rén yào tīng.

But no one wanted to hear it.

可燃冰看起来像冰，却能点着火。

Kěránbīng kànqǐlai xiàng bīng, què néng diǎnzháo huǒ.

Methane hydrate looks like ice, but it can be set on fire.

她会说中文，却不会说普通话。

Tā huì shuō Zhōngwén, què búhuì shuō pǔtōnghuà.

She can speak a type of Chinese, but she can't speak Mandarin.

她和我素不相识，却借了我伞。

Tā hé wǒ sùbùxiāngshí, què jièle wǒ sǎn.

She and I are total strangers, yet she lent me her umbrella.

她年纪不大，却已经很世故了。

Tā niánjì bú dà, què yǐjīng hěn shìgu le.

She isn't old, but she's already very worldly-wise.

她很穷，但却很快乐。

Tā hěn qióng, dàn què hěn kuàilè.

She is poor, but she looks happy.

她心里有怨，却从来不说。

Tā xīnli yǒu yuàn, què cóngláibù shuō.

She holds resentment inside but never says so.

她父母很漂亮，而她却长得一般。

Tā fùmǔ hěn piàoliang, ér tā què zhǎng de yìbān.

Her parents are very beautiful, but she looks ordinary.

工资没涨，钱包却缩水了。

Gōngzī méi zhǎng, qiánbāo què suōshuǐle.

My pay hasn't gone up, yet my wallet has shrunk.

带刺的鲜花儿，好看却扎手

dàicì de xiān huār, hǎokàn què zhāshǒu

a flower with thorns: pretty to look at but pricks the hand

戈壁上白天很热，晚上却很冷。

Gēbì shàng báitiān hěn rè, wǎnshang què hěn lěng.

On the Gobi it's very hot by day but cold at night.

我们所知道的很少，而我们所不知道的却很多。

Wǒmen suǒ zhīdào de hěn shǎo, ér wǒmen suǒ bù zhīdào de què hěn duō.

What we know is very little, and what we don't know is a lot.

我们萍水相逢，他却帮了我。

Wǒmen píngshuǐxiāngféng, tā què bāngle wǒ.

We were strangers who met by chance, yet he helped me.

我到处找你，但却找不到你。

Wǒ dàochù zhǎo nǐ, dàn què zhǎo búdào nǐ.

I looked for you everywhere and didn't find you.

我想买那辆车，可是我却没有钱。

Wǒ xiǎng mǎi nà liàng chē, kěshì wǒ què méiyǒu qián.

I would buy the car, but I am poor.

我爱她，但是她却爱别人。

Wǒ ài tā, dànshì tā què ài biéren.

I love her, but she loves someone else.

房子虽小，却被她收拾得很干净。

Fángzi suī xiǎo, què bèi tā shōushi de hěn gānjìng.

Even though the house is small, she keeps it very clean.

梦里的世界很美，却太虚幻了。

Mèng lǐ de shìjiè hěn měi, què tài xūhuàn le.

The world in the dream is beautiful, but too illusory.

虽然我很同情他，但却帮不上忙。

Suīrán wǒ hěn tóngqíng tā, dàn què bāng bú shàng máng.

Much as I pitied him, I could not help him.

要他捐款，他却一毛不拔。

Yào tā juānkuǎn, tā què yìmáobùbá.

When asked to donate, he wouldn't part with a penny.

说英语不容易但它却很有趣。

Shuō Yīngyǔ bù róngyì dàn tā què hěn yǒuqù.

To speak English is not easy, but it is interesting.

这幅画看起来简单，却耐人寻味。

Zhè fú huà kànqǐlai jiǎndān, què nàirénxúnwèi.

This painting looks simple, but it gives you a lot to think about.