毫不

• Pinyin: háo bù
• Hanzi breakdown: 毫 = 高 (tall/high, phonetic) + 毛 (hair) — a fine hair as the smallest unit of measure; 不 = negation particle

Meaning

Not in the slightest; not at all — an intensifying adverbial phrase placed before adjectives or verbs to express the complete absence of the quality described.

毫 means a single hair or one-thousandth of a unit, so 毫不 literally means 'not even by a hair's breadth.' More emphatic and literary than 一点也不 or 完全不. Used before adjectives (毫不犹豫 — without any hesitation), verbs (毫不在乎 — not caring at all), and abstract qualities. Formal and assertive in register.

Examples

1. 面对检察官的连续盘问，这名嫌疑人毫不慌乱，每一个细节都回答得滴水不漏。 Under the prosecutor’s relentless questioning, the suspect didn’t panic at all and answered every detail flawlessly.
2. 这位外科医生面对极度复杂的手术情况时，始终毫不动摇地贯彻术前制定的方案，最终使患者转危为安。 Faced with an extremely complex operation, the surgeon never wavered in carrying out the pre-op plan, ultimately bringing the patient out of critical condition.
3. 尽管批评声四起，他依旧毫不妥协地坚持自己的艺术理念，最终赢得了市场和学界的双重认可。 Despite a wave of criticism, he refused to compromise at all on his artistic vision and ultimately won recognition from both the market and academia.

Usage Guide

Context: formal writing, journalism, literature, speeches, persuasion

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 在商业谈判桌上，她毫不示弱，以充分的数据准备和冷静的逻辑分析逐一回应了对方提出的每一项质疑。(At the business negotiation table, she showed not the slightest sign of weakness, responding to each challenge raised by the other party with thorough data preparation and calm logical analysis.)
• 志愿者们毫不计较个人得失，连续数周奔波于受灾社区之间，为受灾居民提供物资分发和心理援助服务。(The volunteers showed not the slightest concern for personal gain or loss, travelling for weeks on end between affected communities, providing goods distribution and psychological support services.)

Don't Say

• 毫不 in casual spoken conversation — 毫不 sounds stiff and literary; in everyday speech use 一点也不, 根本不, or 完全不 instead

Origin & History

毫 (one-thousandth; a fine hair) + 不 (not, no) — not even by a hair's breadth

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal