不 bù
-
bù
adverb
not; no
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words , Concept: Negation 否定
Notes: 不 is used for simple negation, as opposed to 没, which is used for existence. 不 is used before adjectives, adverbs, and verbs, except 有 (Li Shaoqi, 2003, p. 26; Ho 2002, '不'; NCCED '不' 1). For example, 不知道是怎回事 '[He] did not he did not know how that was possible.' (Lao She, 2003, p. 207) This use is similar in both modern and literary Chinese (Pulleyblank 1995, p. 103). For example, in literary Chinese, 不可,直不百步耳,是亦走也。'They should not do so. Though they did not run a hundred paces, yet they also ran away.' (Meng 1.3/1/26, translation by Legge) The tone is changed to bú when 不 is followed by a syllable with fourth tone, in accordance with tone sandhi 变调. For example, 不去 bú qù 'will not go' (Sun 2006, loc. 545). 不 is the sixth most frequently used word in the Beijing Language Institute's 1985 frequency wordlist (Ho 2002, '不'). -
bù
adverb
expresses that a certain condition cannot be acheived
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words , Concept: Negation 否定
Notes: In this pattern 不 is used after a verb to form a complement (Li Shaoqi, 2003, p. 27; NCCED '不' 7) For example, 洗不掉 'could not be washed away.' (Lao She, 2003, p. 211). -
bù
adverb
as a correlative
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Spoken Language
Notes: Used to form as a correlative with 就 in the pattern 不 ... 就 (NCCED '不' 9)... -
bù
adverb
no (answering a question)
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
Notes: 不 can be used independently to answer a preceding question (Li Shaoqi, 2003, p. 26; NCCED '不' 5). -
bù
adverb
forms a negative adjective from a noun
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words , Concept: Negation 否定
Notes: For example, 不运气 'unlucky' (NCCED '不' 4) -
bù
adverb
at the end of a sentence to form a question
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Spoken Language
Notes: In this form 不 is used at the end of the sentence to turn it into a question (NCCED '不' 6). -
bù
adverb
to form a yes or no question
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Spoken Language
Notes: In this form 不 is used to offer an alternative as part of a question (NCCED '不' 8). For example, 商量商量好不好? 'Can we talk about it?' (Lao She, 2003, p. 216) -
bù
infix
infix potential marker
Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words , Concept: Negation 否定
Notes: 不 is one of the two infixes in Chinese, the other being 得 'can'. For example, 看不见 'cannot see' (Sun 2006, loc. 728).
Contained in
- 不象话(不象話) unreasonable; shocking; outrageous
- 人不可貌相,海水不可斗量 you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot
- 虚不受补(虛不受補) a person who is in poor health cannot handle something so strong as a tonic
- 认识不能(認識不能) agnosia
- 不舍(不捨) reluctant to part with; unwilling to let go of
- 不巧 unfortunately ; bad; harmful
- 溃不成军(潰不成軍) utterly defeated
- 不做亏心事,不怕鬼敲门(不做虧心事,不怕鬼敲門) He who never wrongs others does not fear the knock in the night.; Rest with a clear conscience
- 不归(不歸) to not return ; to not realign one's allegiance; to not submit ; to borrow but not give back
- 气不过(氣不過) so angry it's unbearable; bitter about unbearable grievances
- 不规则(不規則) irregular
- 不起眼儿(不起眼兒) not remarkable
- 不单(不單) not the only; not merely; not simply
- 百吃不厌(百吃不厭) to not object to eating something over and over
- 不在话下(不在話下) to be nothing difficult; to be a cinch
- 活不下去 impossible to make a living
- 言不及义(言不及義) to talk nonsense; frivolous talk
- 不劳而获(不勞而獲) to reap without sowing
- 一病不起 to fall gravely ill, never to recover
- 苦不唧 slightly bitter
- 压不碎(壓不碎) crushproof; unbreakable; indomitable
- 不正常状况(不正常狀況) abnormal state
- 一字不落 without missing a word
- 苍蝇不叮无缝蛋(蒼蠅不叮無縫蛋) flies do not attack an intact egg; no smoke without a fire
- 此路不通 this road is blocked; This method does not work.; Doing this is no good.
- 使不得 cannot be used; must not
- 不事张扬(不事張揚) quietly; without ostentation
- 事不宜迟(事不宜遲) the matter should not be delayed; there's no time to lose
- 生生不息 to grow and multiply without end
- 家门不幸(家門不幸) declining fortunes of a household
- 不辍(不輟) incessant; relentless
- 顾不得(顧不得) unable to deal with
- 能不 is it not?
- 不能自已 unable to control oneself; to be beside oneself
- 小洞不堵,大洞吃苦 a small hole not plugged will give you grief when it gets bigger; a stitch in time saves nine
- 看不顺眼(看不順眼) unpleasant to the eye; objectionable
- 不了了之 to settle a matter by leaving it unsettled; to end up with nothing definite
- 不可能 impossible; cannot; not able
- 不第 to fail the civil service examination (in imperial China)
- 心律不整 arrhythmia
- 果不其然 just as expected; told you so
- 取之不尽,用之不竭(取之不盡,用之不竭) limitless supply (of); inexhaustible
- 不可靠 unreliable
- 不经意(不經意) not paying attention; carelessly; by accident
- 不到案 to not appear [for a case]
- 不长进(不長進) not improving; backward; below par
- 不凑巧(不湊巧) unluckily
- 不倒翁 roly-poly toy; tilting doll
Also contained in
Word is mentioned most frequently in
Truncated for common words
- 昭公 Lord Zhao The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 378
- Daode Jing 《道德經》 Daode Jing 道德經 — count: 311
- 襄公 Lord Xiang The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 297
- Full Text Canon of Supreme Mystery 太玄經 — count: 238
- 僖公 Lord Xi The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳 — count: 170
- 卷九十四 列傳第六十四 隱逸 Volume 94 Biographies 64: Hermits and Recluses Book of Jin 晉書 — count: 168
- 《龜策列傳》 Biographies of Diviners Records of the Grand Historian 史記 — count: 156
- 卷六 魏書六 董二袁劉傳 Volume 6: Book of Wei 6 - Biographies of Dong, the two Yuans, and Liu Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志 — count: 139
- 卷十一 魏書十一 袁張涼國田王邴管傳 Volume 11: Book of Wei 11 - Biographies of Yuan, Zhang, Liang, Guo, Tian, Wang, Bing, and Guan Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志 — count: 138
- 卷九 主術訓 Chapter 9: The Sovereign's Methods Huainanzi 淮南子 — count: 122