无非 / 不外乎: nothing but, no more than
副词 / adverbs
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
S + 无非(是) + X (而已) | 不外乎 + A、B
无非 ("nothing but") reduces something to its essence, often downplaying it: "it's merely". Often followed by 是, sometimes with a final 而已/罢了.
不外乎 ("doesn't go beyond") gives a closed list: the options come down to A, B, C. Both are written and useful for summing up an analysis.
Examples
人们追求的，无非是幸福和自由。
Rénmen zhuīqiú de, wúfēi shì xìngfú hé zìyóu.What people pursue is nothing other than happiness and freedom.
他说这些话，无非是想让你放心罢了。
Tā shuō zhèxiē huà, wúfēi shì xiǎng ràng nǐ fàngxīn bà le.He's only saying that to put your mind at ease.
失败的原因不外乎两个：准备不足和方法不对。
Shībài de yuányīn bú wàihū liǎng ge: zhǔnbèi bùzú hé fāngfǎ bú duì.The reasons for failure come down to two: poor preparation and the wrong method.
Common mistakes
✗ 无非 for something exceptional: it downplays.
✗ 不外乎 + one vague item: it announces a closed list.
✗ 无非 ≠ 并非 ("is by no means").