adverbBeginner
formal

Not; no; non-

我不去

I won't go

不开心

Not happy

💡

Often used as a negative prefix in Chinese, equivalent to 'not' in English.

formal

Cannot; unable to

我不懂

I don't understand

我不想去

I don't want to go

💡

Used to express inability or unwillingness.

Collocations

不去not go不懂not understand不想not want

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

不去phrase
not go
不懂phrase
not understand
不想phrase
not want

💡Pro Tip

Negation in Chinese

'不' is the most common way to negate a verb in Chinese. Unlike English, Chinese does not use 'do not' or 'does not' constructions.

Gold Rule

Position in Sentence

'不' is placed directly before the verb it negates. For example, '我不吃' (I don't eat) and '我不喝' (I don't drink).

📖Word Origin

The character '不' is one of the most basic and ancient Chinese characters, originally representing a crossroads or a fork in the road, symbolizing negation or refusal.

📝Usage Notes

'不' is a versatile negative adverb in Chinese, often used to negate verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. It can also be used as a prefix to form negative words.

Word Breakdown

not
root
汉英词典