??not?so?much．．．a(chǎn)s．．．是一個常用的并列連詞，其含義相當于rather than，意為"與其說是……倒不如說是……"。和其它連接詞一樣，它可以連接詞與詞，短語與短語以及句子與句子。例如：
??He isn't so much ill as depressed．（＝He's depressed rather than ill．）他不是生病，而是情緒低落。
??
??Oceans don't?so much divide the world as unite it．（＝Oceans unite the world rather than divide it．）與其說海洋分隔了世界，倒不如說海洋聯(lián)結(jié)了世界各國。
當連接句子時，not?so?much．．．a(chǎn)s．．．連接的往往是because或that引起的從句，意思是"倒不是因為……而是因為……"。as后的that有時可省去。例如：
??You feel lost，sick at heart before such unmasked hatred，not so much because it threatens you as because it shows humans in such an inhuman light．面對這毫不掩飾的仇恨，你感到不知所措，惶恐不安，這倒不是因為它威脅了你，而是因為它顯示了人類居然如此沒有人性。
It's not so much that the machine is out of order as（that）I have not learned to operate it．倒不是機器出了故障，而是我還沒有學會操作。
??該并列連詞中的as可用but（rather）替換，即出現(xiàn)該連詞的一種變體：not somuch．．．but（rather）．．．。例如：
It is not so much the actual population of the world but its rate of increase which is important．重要的與其說是實際的世界人口總數(shù)，倒不如說是世界人口增長率。
這一點尚未引起國內(nèi)外辭書編纂者們的必要重視，但實際上，用not so much．．．but（rather）．．．代替not?so?much．．．a(chǎn)s．．．的情況已越來越常見。再如：
I picked Michael as player of the week，not so much for his play but because he was obviously the reason the others had kept fighting．（《大學英語》 1997／6P．28）我選邁克作本周球員，不是因為他球打得好，而是因為他促使隊員堅持拼搏。
??The woman's family and all their clan relatives were very worked up about?it：not?so much because of the assault，but because it had lowered the woman's bride price．（1990／4P．56）這名婦女的家人和她族內(nèi)的所有親屬情緒都很激動：與其說是由于被強*，還不如說是由于被強*降低了這名婦女作為新娘的價格。
??后兩句中的not?so?much．．．but．．．連接一個介詞短語和一個分句。被連接的兩個成分在形式上是不平行的，但在語法上都是在句中作狀語。
??He isn't so much ill as depressed．（＝He's depressed rather than ill．）他不是生病，而是情緒低落。
??
??Oceans don't?so much divide the world as unite it．（＝Oceans unite the world rather than divide it．）與其說海洋分隔了世界，倒不如說海洋聯(lián)結(jié)了世界各國。
當連接句子時，not?so?much．．．a(chǎn)s．．．連接的往往是because或that引起的從句，意思是"倒不是因為……而是因為……"。as后的that有時可省去。例如：
??You feel lost，sick at heart before such unmasked hatred，not so much because it threatens you as because it shows humans in such an inhuman light．面對這毫不掩飾的仇恨，你感到不知所措，惶恐不安，這倒不是因為它威脅了你，而是因為它顯示了人類居然如此沒有人性。
It's not so much that the machine is out of order as（that）I have not learned to operate it．倒不是機器出了故障，而是我還沒有學會操作。
??該并列連詞中的as可用but（rather）替換，即出現(xiàn)該連詞的一種變體：not somuch．．．but（rather）．．．。例如：
It is not so much the actual population of the world but its rate of increase which is important．重要的與其說是實際的世界人口總數(shù)，倒不如說是世界人口增長率。
這一點尚未引起國內(nèi)外辭書編纂者們的必要重視，但實際上，用not so much．．．but（rather）．．．代替not?so?much．．．a(chǎn)s．．．的情況已越來越常見。再如：
I picked Michael as player of the week，not so much for his play but because he was obviously the reason the others had kept fighting．（《大學英語》 1997／6P．28）我選邁克作本周球員，不是因為他球打得好，而是因為他促使隊員堅持拼搏。
??The woman's family and all their clan relatives were very worked up about?it：not?so much because of the assault，but because it had lowered the woman's bride price．（1990／4P．56）這名婦女的家人和她族內(nèi)的所有親屬情緒都很激動：與其說是由于被強*，還不如說是由于被強*降低了這名婦女作為新娘的價格。
??后兩句中的not?so?much．．．but．．．連接一個介詞短語和一個分句。被連接的兩個成分在形式上是不平行的，但在語法上都是在句中作狀語。