否

fǒu

adverb★Beginner

general

To deny or refuse something; to say no.

我否认了这个指控。

I denied this accusation.

💡

Can be used as an adverb or verb depending on context.

formal

Not; no (used in formal or literary contexts).

他否有此事？

Is there no such thing?

💡

Often used in questions or negative constructions.

Collocations

否认to deny否决to veto否定to negate

否极泰来idiom

After the worst comes the best

'否' is more formal than '不' and is often used in written or official contexts.

From Middle Chinese 'pjiwX', meaning 'not' or 'no'.

In modern Chinese, '否' is often used in formal or written contexts. In spoken language, '不' is more common for negation.

汉英词典