不服

• Pinyin: bù fú
• Hanzi breakdown: 不 = not; 服 = 月 (body) + 卩 (kneeling person) variant, meaning to submit or accept

Meaning

To refuse to accept; to be unconvinced; to not submit to. Expressing disagreement with a judgment or outcome.

Used when someone disagrees with a decision, verdict, or assessment and refuses to accept it. Can range from formal legal appeals to casual competitive defiance. Often implies the speaker believes the judgment was unfair.

Examples

1. 他对判决结果不服，决定继续上诉。 He refused to accept the verdict and decided to continue the appeal.
2. 输了比赛他很不服，坚持要再比一场。 He was unconvinced by his loss and insisted on a rematch.
3. 你要是不服，咱们可以找第三方来评评理。 If you're not convinced, we can find a third party to judge.

Usage Guide

Context: disputes, competition, legal

Tone: defiant

Do Say

• 你不服可以申诉。(If you disagree, you can appeal.)
• 我不服这个结果。(I refuse to accept this result.)

Don't Say

• 我不服这件衣服。(For not liking clothes, use 不喜欢 — 不服 is about refusing to accept judgments, not preferences)

Origin & History

不 (not) + 服 (to submit, accept). 服 originally meant clothing but evolved to mean accepting or submitting to authority.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal