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不是
bù shì
is not
这不是我的书。
This is not my book.
formal
Used to negate a statement, indicating 'not' or 'no'.
他不是医生。
He is not a doctor.
这不是我的包。
This is not my bag.
Used in both spoken and written Chinese to form negative sentences. Often paired with '是' (shì, 'to be') for emphasis.
Pro Tip
Negation with '是'
To negate a sentence with '是', simply replace '是' with '不是'. Example: '这是书' (This is a book) → '这不是书' (This is not a book).
Gold Rule
Negation in Chinese
Unlike English, Chinese does not use auxiliary verbs (e.g., 'do not') for negation. The particle '不' (bù) is placed before the verb to negate it. For '是', the negation is '不是'.
Word Origin
Combination of '不' (bù, 'not') and '是' (shì, 'to be'). '不' dates back to Old Chinese (c. 1250–1050 BCE) and '是' originally meant 'correct' before evolving into the verb 'to be'.
Usage Notes
'不是' is the standard negation for '是' in modern Mandarin. In classical Chinese, negation was often expressed with '非' (fēi), but '不是' has been the dominant form since the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE).
Word Breakdown
不
not
adverb是
to be
verb汉英词典