Learn Chinese Characters 134 不

by Caren Zuo

不 (bù )

 

There are several explanations on its origins. One explanation is that it displays the roots of grasses under the ground, which means that it is not a suitable season for grazing. Anyway, its original meaning is difficult to trace. But it is one of Top 50 most commonly used characters in modern Chinese, which means “NO”.

Notes: When it appears before a character that pronounces the fourth tone, the character “不” turns into the second tone.

不 for the fourth tone

不安 （bù ān） not tranquil, not quiet
不满意（bù mǎn yì）not satisfied
不高兴（bù gāo xìng）not happy
不行（bù xíng）not permissionable, not allowed
不得不（bù dé bú）have to

不 for the second tone

不必（bú bì）no necessary
不便（bú biàn）inconvenient
不对（bú duì）wrong
不错（bú cuò）not bad, correct.