??not?so?much．．．as．．．是一个常用的并列连词，其含义相当于rather than，意为"与其说是……倒不如说是……"。和其它连接词一样，它可以连接词与词，短语与短语以及句子与句子。例如：
??He isn't so much ill as depressed．（＝He's depressed rather than ill．）他不是生病，而是情绪低落。
??
??Oceans don't?so much divide the world as unite it．（＝Oceans unite the world rather than divide it．）与其说海洋分隔了世界，倒不如说海洋联结了世界各国。
当连接句子时，not?so?much．．．as．．．连接的往往是because或that引起的从句，意思是"倒不是因为……而是因为……"。as后的that有时可省去。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．面对这毫不掩饰的仇恨，你感到不知所措，惶恐不安，这倒不是因为它威胁了你，而是因为它显示了人类居然如此没有人性。
It's not so much that the machine is out of order as（that）I have not learned to operate it．倒不是机器出了故障，而是我还没有学会操作。

??该并列连词中的as可用but（rather）替换，即出现该连词的一种变体：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．重要的与其说是实际的世界人口总数，倒不如说是世界人口增长率。
这一点尚未引起国内外辞书编纂者们的必要重视，但实际上，用not so much．．．but（rather）．．．代替not?so?much．．．as．．．的情况已越来越常见。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．（《大学英语》 1997／6P．28）我选迈克作本周最佳球员，不是因为他球打得好，而是因为他促使队员坚持拼搏。

??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）这名妇女的家人和她族内的所有亲属情绪都很激动：与其说是由于被强奸，还不如说是由于被强奸降低了这名妇女作为新娘的价格。

??后两句中的not?so?much．．．but．．．连接一个介词短语和一个分句。被连接的两个成分在形式上是不平行的，但在语法上都是在句中作状语。