每日中文 Daily ZhongWen

Chinese Grammar: 17 different ways to use 不

HSK Grammar Points > 不


Tone Change Rule of the Negative Adverb 不 （bù）：
When followed by a 4th tone character, 不 is pronounced as the 2nd tone (bú).
  1. no
    【Answer a question with 不】
    不 can be used to give a negative answer.
    • “Nǐ xiǎnglái diǎn dàngāo ma?”“Bù, xièxiè.”
      “你想来点蛋糕吗？”“不，谢谢。”
      "Would you like some cake?" "No, thank you." 13785
  2. not
    【不 + Auxiliary Verb/Verb/Adj.】
    As a negative adverb, 不 can be used before a Verb/Adj. to negate its meaning.
    • Nǐ bùnéng chóngfù guòqù.
      你不能重复过去。
      You can't repeat the past. 547
      Tā bù xǐhuān yóuyǒng.
      他不喜欢游泳。
      He doesn't like swimming. 11605
      Zhèlǐ de shuǐ bù gānjìng.
      这里的水不干净。
      The water here is not clean. 13786
  3. no…no…
    【不 + Adj. 1 + 不 + Adj. 2】
    The phrase "不A不B" is used to express: neither A nor B.
    • Tā gōngzuòle bù duō bù shǎo yīgè xiǎoshí.
      他工作了不多不少一个小时。
      He has worked one hour, no more, no less. 13433
      Wēndù gānghǎo，bù lěng bù rè.
      温度刚好，不冷不热。
      The temperature is just right – not cold, not hot. 13787
  4. Don't
    【不用/不要/不许 + Verb】
    不许 has the strongest tone among these 3 words.
    • “Xièxiè nǐ de bāngzhù.”“Bùyòng xiè.”
      “谢谢你的帮助。”“不用谢。”
      "Thanks for your help." "Don't mention it." 13792
      Bùyào ná bù shǔyú nǐ de dōngxī.
      不要拿不属于你的东西。
      Don't take things that do not belong to you. 13793
      Bùxǔ dòng!
      不许动!
      Don't move!(Freeze!) 13794
  5. dis-/un-/in-/non-
    【不 + word】
    不 can be added to the front of some words to form their opposites, just like the negative prefixes in English.
    • Mìmǎ yīnggāi shì bù kějiàn de.
      密码应该是不可见的。
      The password should be invisible. 12703
      Nà bù kěnéng. Wǒ bùxìn!
      那不可能。我不信！
      That's impossible. I don't believe it! 13778
      Tā duì méitǐ fēicháng bù xìnrèn.
      她对媒体非常不信任。
      She has a deep distrust of the media. 13779
  6. without
    【不需要】
    with no need for
    • Tā bù xūyào jiěshì jiù néng míngbái.
      他不需要解释就能明白。
      He can understand without explanation. 13795
  7. strongly 'No'
    【并不】
    used to say "no" or "not" strongly
    • Zhè duì wǒ lái shuō bìngbù róngyì.
      这对我来说并不容易。
      This is not easy for me. 11961
  8. otherwise
    【...，不然...。】
    to show that the opposite result will occur if the condition is not met.
    • Wǒ huì zǎodiǎn qù, bùrán jiù méi zuòwèile.
      我会早点去，不然就没座位了。
      I'll go early, otherwise I won't have a seat. 13788
  9. however
    【...，不过，...。】
    despite this situation
    • Wǒ hái méi yíng, bùguò, wǒ huì zài shì yīcì.
      我还没赢，不过，我会再试一次。
      I haven't won yet, however I will try again. 13789
  10. not only...but also
    【不但/不仅...，而且...。】
    used to say that two related things are true or happened
    • Tā bùdàn chídàole, érqiě hái wàngle dài shū.
      他不但迟到了，而且还忘了带书。
      Not only was he late, he also forgot to bring the book. 7113
      Tā bùjǐn shì huàjiā érqiě shì zuòjiā.
      她不仅是画家而且是作家。
      She's not only a painter but also a writer. 7132
  11. not as good as
    【A + 不如 + B (+ Adj.)】
    不如 indicates that the person or thing mentioned earlier is not as good as what is mentioned later
    • Zhè bù diànyǐng bùrú shàng yī bù hǎo.
      这部电影不如上一部好。
      This movie is not as good as the last one. 13790
  12. no matter
    【不管...，...。】【不论...，...。】
    不管/不论 are used to emphasize that something is always true.
    • Bùguǎn wǒ zěnme nǔlì, dōu wúfǎ jiǎnféi.
      不管我怎么努力，都无法减肥。
      No matter how hard I try, I can't lose weight. 11135
      Bùlùn tā zài nǎlǐ zhǎo, dōu zhǎo bù dào tā.
      不论她在哪里找，都找不到它。
      No matter where she looked, she could not find it. 11200
  13. neither…nor
    【Subject + 既不 + A，也不 + B】
    not either of two things
    • Tā jì bù chōuyān yě bù hējiǔ.
      他既不抽烟也不喝酒。
      He neither smokes nor drinks． 7668
  14. (to negate complements)
    【Verb + 不 + Complement】
    不 can be placed between the verb and complement to express negation.
    • Tā tīng bù dào yīdiǎn shēngyīn.
      他听不到一点声音。
      He can't hear anything. 320
      Wǒ xiǎng bù qǐlái tā de míngzì.
      我想不起来他的名字。
      I can't remember his name. 4611
  15. (to ask questions)
    【Sentence + 不？】
    used at the end of the sentence to form a question
    • Nǐ dìdì zàijiā bù?
      你弟弟在家不？
      Does your younger brother at home? 11731
      Wǒ zuò de dàngāo hào chī bù?
      我做的蛋糕好吃不？
      Is the cake I made delicious? 12130
  16. (positive/negative questions)
    【Verb + 不 + Verb】【Adj. + 不 + Adj.】
    used in a positive/negative construction to change a statement into question form
    • Nǐ xiǎng bùxiǎng kàn diànyǐng?
      你想不想看电影？
      Do you want to watch a movie? 11793
      Nǐ xiànzài gāoxìng bù gāoxìng (or gāo bù gāoxìng)?
      你现在高兴不高兴( or 高不高兴)？
      Are you happy now? 11794
  17. (tag questions)
    【...，是不是？】【...，行不行？】
    used in tag questions to ask for confirmation
    • Zhè jìshù hěn liǎobùqǐ, shì bùshì?
      这技术很了不起，是不是？
      This technology is amazing, isn't it? 9862
      Wǒ yòng měiyuán fùkuǎn xíng bùxíng?
      我用美元付款行不行？
      Is it OK that I pay in US dollars? 13791



Posted by