Usage note
相反表示和前面的意思完全不同。
xiāng fǎn biǎo shì hé qián miàn de yì sī wán quán bù tóng。
相反 means completely opposite.
Context note
相反常用于对比和转折。
xiāng fǎn cháng yòng yú duì bǐ hé zhuǎn zhé。
相反 is often used for contrast and change.
5 examples
他不懒，相反，他很勤奋。
tā bù lǎn， xiāng fǎn， tā hěn qín fèn。
He is not lazy; on the contrary, he is very hardworking.
天气不是冷，相反很热。
tiān qì bú shì lěng， xiāng fǎn hěn rè。
The weather is not cold; instead, it is hot.
这不是坏事，相反是好事。
zhè bú shì huài shì， xiāng fǎn shì hǎo shì。
This is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it is a good thing.
她没有生气，相反她笑了。
tā méi yǒu shēng qì， xiāng fǎn tā xiào le。
She was not angry; instead, she smiled.
结果和我想的相反。
jié guǒ hé wǒ xiǎng de xiāng fǎn。
The result was the opposite of what I thought.
5 mini stories
原来我以为会下雨，相反，天气很好。
yuán lái wǒ yǐ wéi huì xià yǔ， xiāng fǎn， tiān qì hěn hǎo。
I thought it would rain, but instead the weather was great.
他看起来很严肃，相反，他很友好。
tā kàn qǐ lái hěn yán sù， xiāng fǎn， tā hěn yǒu hǎo。
He looks serious, but in fact he is very friendly.
大家以为会失败，相反，结果成功了。
dà jiā yǐ wéi huì shī bài， xiāng fǎn， jié guǒ chéng gōng le。
Everyone thought it would fail, but it succeeded.
她不是害怕，相反，她很期待。
tā bú shì hài pà， xiāng fǎn， tā hěn qī dài。
She was not afraid; on the contrary, she was looking forward to it.
这个问题不难，相反很简单。
zhè ge wèn tí bù nán， xiāng fǎn hěn jiǎn dān。
This problem is not hard; it is quite simple.
Mini dialogue
方向不同
A
图书馆在左边，对吗？
Túshūguǎn zài zuǒbiān, duì ma?
The library is on the left, right?
B
不对，相反，它在右边。
Bù duì, xiāngfǎn, tā zài yòubiān.
No, on the contrary, it is on the right.
喜好不同
A
我喜欢安静地看书。
Wǒ xǐhuān ānjìng de kàn shū.
I like reading quietly.
B
我的性格相反，我喜欢热闹地运动。
Wǒ de xìnggé xiāngfǎn, wǒ xǐhuān rènao de yùndòng.
My personality is the opposite; I like lively sports.
Related words and contrasts
opposite
相同
xiāngtóng
same
相反 means opposite, 相同 means same.
related
不同
bùtóng
different
A softer way to say not the same.