无不

• Pinyin: wú bù
• Hanzi breakdown: 无 = 一 + 𠂉 (an absence, nothing); 不 = 一 + 木 variant (a negating particle)

Meaning

Without exception; invariably; all without exclusion. A formal double negative construction meaning 'none without' — i.e., every single person or thing does X.

Classical grammar pattern used in formal and literary Chinese. 无不感动 = without exception, everyone was moved. 无不赞叹 = all without exception marvelled. Creates strong rhetorical emphasis by universalising the predicate. More formal and emphatic than 都 (all) or 全都 (all of them).

Examples

1. 演讲结束后，现场观众无不为她的真情流露所感动，掌声经久不息。 When the speech ended, everyone in the audience was moved by her heartfelt emotion, and the applause went on and on.
2. 面对如此壮丽的自然景观，到访者无不惊叹大自然鬼斧神工的创造力。 Faced with such magnificent natural scenery, every visitor can’t help but marvel at nature’s extraordinary power of creation.
3. 听到这个令人痛心的消息，在场的每一个人无不沉默，无法用言语表达心中的悲痛。 Hearing the heartbreaking news, everyone present fell silent, unable to put the grief in their hearts into words.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, rhetoric, formal writing

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 这位老教授从事教育事业五十余年，桃李满天下，凡曾受过他教导的学生，无不对他充满感激与敬意。(This senior professor has dedicated over fifty years to education — his students are found everywhere; without exception, all who were taught by him are filled with gratitude and respect.)
• 演出当晚，全场观众无不被演员们精湛的表演所折服，纷纷起立鼓掌，久久不愿离去。(On the night of the performance, every audience member without exception was won over by the actors' superb performance — they stood and applauded, reluctant to leave for a long time.)

Don't Say

• 无不 must be followed by a verb or verb phrase — do not say 无不很好 (incorrect); the pattern is 无不 + verb or adjective with verbal force, such as 无不赞叹 or 无不感动, not stative adjectives alone

Origin & History

无 (without, none) + 不 (not) — a classical double negative: 'none do not' = everyone does

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal