不予

• Pinyin: bù yǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 不 = not; 予 = a pictograph of hands exchanging something, meaning to give

Meaning

To not grant; to refuse to give; to deny. A formal way of expressing refusal or denial.

Highly formal, typically used in official, legal, or bureaucratic contexts. Common collocations include 不予批准 (deny approval), 不予受理 (refuse to accept), 不予置评 (decline to comment). Implies authoritative rejection.

Examples

1. 申请材料不完整，本次申请不予受理。 The application materials are incomplete; this application will not be accepted.
2. 公司对未经核实的传闻不予置评。 The company declines to comment on unverified rumors.
3. 法院以证据不足为由，不予立案。 The court refused to file the case on grounds of insufficient evidence.

Usage Guide

Context: official, legal, bureaucratic

Tone: authoritative

Do Say

• 该请求不予批准。(The request is denied.)
• 对此问题，我们不予回应。(We decline to respond to this issue.)

Don't Say

• 妈妈不予我零花钱。(Too formal for family contexts — use 不给 instead)

Origin & History

不 (not) + 予 (to give). 予 is a classical word meaning to give or grant, making 不予 a formal negation.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Official/Professional