不 + Verb (standard negation)

• Pinyin: bù
• Formation: Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective + (Object)

Meaning

The adverb 不 (bù) is placed before a verb or adjective to express negation. It is the most common way to say 'not' in Mandarin and is used for habitual actions, present states, and future intentions.

不 is the default negator in Mandarin, used with most verbs and adjectives. It negates habitual or general actions ('I don't drink coffee'), present states ('I'm not busy'), and willingness or intention ('I won't go'). Crucially, 不 cannot negate past completed actions — use 没 for that. Before a fourth-tone syllable, 不 changes to second tone (bú), as in 不是 (bú shì). 不 can also negate adjectives directly, though 不太 (not very) is often preferred for politeness.

Examples

1. 我不喜欢吃辣的东西。 I don't like eating spicy food.
2. 她今天不上班，在家休息。 She's not working today, she's resting at home.
3. 这条路不远，走十分钟就到了。 This road isn't far, it's a ten-minute walk.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我不喝咖啡，我只喝茶。
• 明天不下雨的话，我们去爬山。
• 她不高兴，因为考试没考好。

Don't Say

• 我昨天不去学校。(For actions that did not happen in the past, use 没 instead of 不 — 不 only negates habitual or future actions) → 我昨天没去学校。
• 他不吃了饭。(不 cannot appear between a verb and 了 — to negate a completed action, use 没吃饭) → 他没吃饭。

Origin & History

不 is one of the oldest negative particles in Chinese, attested in oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty over three thousand years ago. Its pronunciation and function have remained remarkably stable throughout Chinese language history.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal