Definitions
(adverb)
not; no
Etymology
Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "不" derives from an early pictographic representation of a flower calyx or a plant base, which gradually shed its original concrete meaning to become a dedicated negation particle in classical Chinese. Its etymology illustrates a clear semantic shift from a nominal reference to an abstract grammatical function, exclusively denoting denial or negation in verbal and adjectival constructions. Structurally, it has preserved a simple and balanced four-stroke form throughout its history, with no variant between traditional and modern standardized writing, underscoring how its visual consistency belies a fundamental change in usage from depicting an object to expressing a logical operator within the language.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这不是我的书。
我不知道答案。
她不喝咖啡。
今天不会下雨。
我们不应该迟到。
他不同意我的观点。
如果不努力，就不会成功。
尽管遇到了困难，他从不放弃。