不 (bù) or 没 (méi)
2 November 2015
In Chinese, there are two words that you can use to indicate the negative meaning of ‘not’. We have put together 5 rules to help you give your sentence the right meaning.
In Chinese, there are two words 不 (bù) & 没 (méi), indicating negative meaning of ‘not’. Both 不 (bù) and 没 (méi) can be used in front of verbs or adjectives to negate action, characters and states. There are 5 main rules to help you choose the right words so your sentence has the right meaning.
Rule 1.
不 (bù) is used in front of adjectives to negate the nature.
我不舒服 Wo bù shufu? - I’m not comfortable.
她今天不忙 Ta jintian bù máng? - She is not busy today.
Rule 2.
不 (bù) denies the occurrence of a habitual or repeated action.
我不吃肉 Wo bù chi ròu? - I don’t eat meat. (never)
他不喝酒 Ta bù he jiu? - I don’t drink alcohol. (never)
Rule 3.
不 (bù) also denies the willingness of an action.
我不喜欢看电影 Wo bù xihuan kàn diànying? - I don't like to watch movies.
我不想去餐厅 Wo bù xiang qù canting? - I don’t want to go to the restaurant.
Rule 4.
没 (méi) simply denies the completion of a specific action.
昨天我没吃肉 Zuótian wo méi chi ròu? - I didn’t eat meat yesterday.
Rule 5.
不 (bù) is always used to deny 是(shì to be); 没 (méi) is always used to deny 有 (you to have).
我不是法国人 Wo bú shì Faguó rén. - I’m not French.
我没有妹妹 Wo méiyou mèimei. - I have no younger sister.
What is the the right word for each sentence?
Wo ài he kafei.
1. 我______ 爱喝咖啡 (I don’t like to drink coffee.)
Wo zuótian kàn diànying.
2. 我 昨天______ 看 电 影 ( I didn’t watch a movie yesterday.)
Ta shì laoshi.
3. 她_______ 是 老师 (She is not a teacher.)
Wo cónglái chi qiaokèlì.
4. 我 从 来_______ 吃 巧克力 (I never eat chocolate).
Ni you you xiao gou?
5. 你有_______有 小 狗 (Do you have puppy?)
Answer: 1. ? (bù) 2. ? (méi) 3. ? (bù) 4. ? (bù) 5. ? (méi)