Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 不 functions primarily as a negative adverb. Originally a pictograph of a bird soaring upward toward the sky, this meaning is now obsolete. Its modern form, a top horizontal stroke (一) with intersecting strokes below, is an abstract symbol for negation. Through phonetic borrowing, it came to replace earlier negative markers, becoming the primary word for "not" or "no" placed before verbs and adjectives. Its pronunciation shifts according to the tone of the following character, such as changing to a second tone before a fourth-tone syllable, though its structural form remains constant.
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。