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Mandarin Chinese Articles
How to say “no” and “not” in Mandarin Chinese: 不 (bù) or 没 (méi)?
By: Grace Zhang Tue Nov 26 2024
Mandarin chineseAdverbs
There are two common words used for negation in Mandarin Chinese: 不 (bù) and 没 (méi). While both mean “no” or “not,” the two are used in different ways when negating present, future, or past actions:
不 (bù, does not, will not) | used when talking about the present and future |
没 (méi, did not) | used when talking about the past |
他不去看电影。
(Tā bù qù kàn diànyǐng.)
He isn’t going to see the movie.
他没去看电影。
(Tā méi qù kàn diànyǐng.)
He didn’t go to see the movie.
The first example highlights that he isn’t going to the movie. That is, the action will not happen. The second example highlights that he didn’t go to see the movie in the past.
This is the simplest rule for how to use these words, but there are other structures where you cannot use either 不 (bù) or 没 (méi).
You want to know how to say “no” and “not” properly in Mandarin Chinese, yes? Let’s dive in to find out!
Also, if you want to find out about imperatives in Mandarin and how to negate them, head to our relevant post.
Table of Contents
How to use 不 (bù, “does not, will not”) in Mandarin?
不 (bù) is used to negate present and future actions, as well as everyday actions. For these uses, this is the pattern to follow:
Remember, in some cases, the tone of 不 may change. Let’s see this in practice!
How to use 不 (bù) with present and future actions
不 (bù) usually describes something that’s not happening now or won’t happen in the future. For example:
他不高，带眼镜。
(Tā bù gāo, dài yǎnjìng.)
He is not tall and wears glasses.
我明天很忙，不能给你打电话。
(Wǒ míngtiān hěn máng, bù néng gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.)
I’ll be busy tomorrow; I won’t be able to phone you.
不 (bù) in the first example negates a present state of affairs: “He is not tall.” In the second example, it negates a future action: “I won’t be able to phone you.”
How to use 不 (bù) to negate habitual actions
不 (bù) can negate something done as a habit, such as “not calling my mother every day” or “not doing exercise,” etc.
他不喜欢冬天。
(Tā bù xǐhuan dōngtiān.)
He doesn’t like winter.
我不开车上班，我骑自行车。
(Wǒ bù kāichē shàngbān, wǒ qí zìxíngchē.)
I don’t drive to work, I ride a bike.
How to use 不 (bù) in a question
When 不 (bù) is used to ask questions, we follow this pattern:
A (verb/adjective) + 不 (bù) + A (verb/adjective)
你今天去不去上课？
(Nǐ jīntiān qùbuqù shàngkè?)
Will you go to school today?
你是小红的姐姐，对不对？
(Nǐ shì Xiǎo Hóng de jiějie, duìbuduì?)
You are Xiao Hong’s sister, right?
This is the famous “A-not-A” structure in Mandarin,” often called "positive-negative question.” The first example above follows the pattern of “verb + 不 + verb,” in a positive-negative, 去 (positive) + 不去 (negative), question form. The second example follows the pattern of “对 adjective + 不 + 对 adjective,” and the positive-negative (yes-no) question is placed at the end of the sentence, which is similar to how “right?” is used in English. “对不对” can often be placed at the end of a sentence to ask a “right?” question.
Important
When requesting “don’t do…,” you can use 不要 (bù yào, don’t) and 别 (bié, don’t). For example,
他在睡觉, 不要/别大声说话。
(Tā zài shuìjiào, bù yào/bié dàshēng shuōhuà.)
He is asleep; don’t talk loudly.
The negation form of 是 (shì, to be) and 应该 (yīnggāi, should) are 不是 (bù shì, not to be) and 不应该 (bù yīnggāi, should not): we don’t say 没是 (méi shì) and 没应该 (méi yīnggāi). For example:
他不是学生。
(Tā bù shì xuésheng.)
He is not a student.
你不应该去。
(Nǐ bù yīnggāi qù.)
You shouldn’t go.
The negation form of 得 (děi, need, have to) is 不用 (bù yòng, don’t need), rather than 不得 (bù děi, don’t need). For example:
O我今天不用写作业。
(Wǒ jīntiān bù yòng xiě zuòyè.)
I don’t need to do my homework today.
X我今天不得写作业。
(Wǒ jīntiān bù děi xiě zuòyè.)
I don’t need to do my homework today.
How to use 没 (méi, “did not”) in Mandarin Chinese?
Generally speaking, 没 (méi) is used in negations when talking about the past. 没有 (méiyǒu), when used with words other than 有 (yǒu, to have), is used similarly as 没 (méi); they are mostly interchangeable. The pattern to follow is the same as with 不 (bù):
没 (méi) placed before verb/adjective
Let’s see that in more detail.
How to use 没 (méi) to negate something in the past
You can use 没 (méi) to negate events in the past. Take a look:
我昨天没/没有去看朋友。
(Wǒ zuótiān méi/méiyǒu qù kàn péngyou.)
I didn’t go to visit my friend yesterday.
How to use 没 (méi) to negate the completion of a change
没 (méi) indicates that something “has not changed from past to present.” Let’s compare the following two sentences:
今天不冷。
(Jīntiān bù lěng.)
Today is not cold.
天还没变冷呢。
(Tiān hái méi biàn lěng ne.)
It has not been getting cold.
In the first sentence 不 (bù) simply negates the current state of affairs. In the second sentence, 没 (méi) negates the completion of any change.
How to use 没 (méi) + 有 (yǒu, “to have”)
Although "don't have" refers to the present, only 没 (méi) can negate 有 (yǒu, to have) to mean “don’t have.” 不 (bù) cannot, so we don’t say X不有 (bù yǒu).
他很忙，没有时间。
(ā hěn máng, méi yǒu shíjiān.)
He is very busy and has no time to spare.
Important
When 没 (méi) negates 有 (yǒu, to have), it can be for cases in the past, present, and future. For example:
过去他没有钱。
(Guòqù tā méi yǒu qián.)
He used to have no money.
(lit.) In the past he didn’t have money.
他没有我高。
(Tā méi yǒu wǒ gāo.)
He is not as tall as me.
(lit.) He does not have the same height as me.
明天没有中文课。
(Míngtiān méi yǒu Zhōngwén kè.)
There will be no Chinese class tomorrow.
(lit.) Tomorrow we won’t have Chinese class.
How to use 没 (méi) in comparisons
没 (méi) can form a comparison, meaning “not as…as…” For example:
这里的冬天没(有)那里的冬天冷。
(Zhèlǐ de dōngtiān méi (yǒu) nàlǐ de dōngtiān lěng.)
Winter here is not as cold as winter there.
(lit.) Here it does not have as cold a winter as there.
To sum up
不 (bù) and 没 (méi) are both negative words, but they are usually not interchangeable. While they mean the same thing, they are used differently.
The easiest way to remember is: 没 (méi) negates past events and 有 (yǒu, to have); and 不 (bù) negates everything else. But here is a more detailed table:
When should you use 不 (bù)?
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When do you use 没 (méi)?
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Now, it’s time for you to put your knowledge to the test. We’ve created some activities on the Mandarin negations 不 (bù) and 没 (méi) for you so that you can put them into practice!
Downloadable Resources
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