而是服食了一种毒物
“He ingested a poison instead.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
“It means he didn't die of a sudden heart illness.”
而是 服食了 一种 毒物
“He ingested a poison instead.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
In formal Chinese rhetoric and investigative analysis, explicitly negating a false assumption before stating the factual truth is standard practice to strengthen argumentative authority.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
but rather; instead
Typically pairs with '不是' (not A, but rather B) to correct a misconception and present the truth.
to ingest; to take (medicine or poison)
A formal, literary verb used especially in historical or medical contexts for consuming ingestibles.