不

• 拼音: bù
• 汉字拆解: 不 = ancient pictograph symbolising negation or refusal

含义

Not; no. The most fundamental negation word in Chinese.

Placed before verbs and adjectives to negate them: 不好 (not good), 不去 (not going), 不是 (is not). Has a tone sandhi rule: normally 4th tone (bù), but changes to 2nd tone (bú) before another 4th-tone syllable. Distinguished from 没 which negates past actions.

例句

1. 我不去学校。
2. 今天不冷。
3. 他不是中国人。

用法指南

语境: everyday, grammar

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 我不知道。(I don't know.)
• 这个不好吃。(This doesn't taste good.)

错误说法

• 我不吃了昨天的饭 (Don't use 不 for past events — use 没 instead: 我没吃昨天的饭)

起源与历史

An ancient character originally depicting a flower calyx that refuses to bloom, conveying the idea of refusal or negation. One of the oldest and most basic words in Chinese.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal