Chinese Negation: Different Usages of the Standard Negation 不 bù and 没 méi Explained
Last updated: December 1, 2025
What's the difference between "" and ""? 🥦 Think of Chinese negation as a precise switch: one flips off the future, the other erases the past. 不 is your stubborn refusal, your dislike of broccoli, your "I never will." is your factual alibi, your "I never did." Using the wrong one doesn't just sound odd—it warps time itself, turning a simple "I'm not eating" into "I've never eaten." Here is your one-stop guide on mastering this duo to learn Chinese!
What's the key difference between Chinese negation: 不 and 没
The primary distinction between 不 and rests on two critical aspects:
- subjective will versus objective fact,
- and their respective positions on the timeline.
In Chinese grammar, 不 reveals the speaker's subjective judgment, volition, and inherent characteristics, and it reigns over the present and future. This negation in Chinese is used to express opinions, refusals, or what you generally do not do. For example:
-
I don't like waking up early. -
He is not coming tomorrow.
In contrast, is the negative expression of external reality and deals with objective facts and the absence or non-completion of actions in Mandarin Chinese. It is the negation of past actions. It's used to report what hasn't happened, what doesn't exist, or what wasn't completed at a specific point in time in the Chinese language. For example:
-
I didn't watch a movie yesterday. -
There isn't anyone in the room.
How to negate in Chinese grammar using: 不 bù
As mentioned above, 不 is deployed to express internal states, personal choices, and general truths. You use 不 to deny how things are by nature or how you choose for them to be, not merely to report what hasn't happened. It firmly attaches itself directly before verbs and adjectives to communicate refusal, dislike, or customary non-action.
Usages | Sentence Examples | English Translations |
|---|---|---|
Subjective Opinions & Desires | 我不喜欢太甜的咖啡。 | I don't like overly sweet coffee. |
Refusals & Future Intent | 他不想去那个聚会。 | He does not want to go to that party. |
Negation of Adjectives (Inherent States) | 这个主意不好。 | This idea is not good. |
Habitual Actions | 她周末不工作。 | She doesn't work on weekends. |
With Modal Verbs | 我不会说日语。 | I can't speak Japanese. |
How to use the negative response/verb in Mandarin: 没 méi
Another negation word, the particle serves as the objective reporter of factual absence and non-completion. It functions as an external check against reality, primarily used to negate events in the past by stating they simply did not occur, or to declare that something does not exist in the present.
Another of its most critical roles is to deny the completion of an action, making it the direct negative counterpart to the perfective aspect particle .
Usages | Sentence Examples | English Translations |
|---|---|---|
Negation of Past Actions | 我没收到你的消息。 | I did not receive your message. |
Negation of 有 (to have) | 他没有时间。 | He does not have time. |
Negation of Completion (with implied 了) | 我没吃饭。vs. 我吃饭了。 | I haven't eaten. vs. I have eaten. |
Objective Non-Completion | 作业还没做完。 | The homework is not yet finished. |
Function as a Verb | 我没车没房。 | I don't have either a car or a house. |
How to use 不 as double negatives: 不得不, 不是不, 不能不
Beyond simple negation, 不 is a key component in several fixed double-negative structures that express nuanced, often emphatic meanings. These phrases are not literal denials but rather idioms that convey obligation, inevitability, or layered intention.
-
: This structure expresses compelled action or "having no choice but to." It conveys a sense of external obligation or necessity. Example:
It's raining, I have no choice but to cancel the plans. -
: This pattern, meaning "it's not that I don't...," is used to soften a refusal or explain a nuanced position. It acknowledges the positive intent before stating a contrary reason or fact. Example:
It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I really have no time. -
: Similar to
but often with a slightly stronger sense of legal necessity or moral obligation, meaning "cannot not" or "must." Example:
As citizens, we cannot but obey the law.
Practice the negation scenarios with videos you enjoy to learn Chinese!
Equip yourself with the standard negation sentences in Chinese via media! There is simply no other more convenient or thorough method than this for you to know the meanings, usages, and connotations. And, who says that we can't have fun when studying these Chinese words? Migaku app can help you generate subtitles and create flashcards for sentences, helping you collect the negation expressions in Chinese!
- Switch on YouTube and search for Chinese videos with the app
- Click "Watch with Migaku", and the magic wand at the lower left corner to generate Chinese subtitles
- Click on the new words or sentences in each subtitle and generate flashcards!
FAQs
(I am not a student.)
(He doesn't drink tea.)
(I don't have money.)
(She didn't go to work.)
(Don't talk!)
Media is your best tool for learning the abovementioned Chinese phrases
To truly internalize the 不 vs. divide, let media be your tutor. Listen for the stubborn 不 in a character’s refusal in a drama, and feel the difference of when it is mentioned. Your brain will start to feel the rule.
If you consume media in Chinese, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. Period.
Cue up a show, and enjoy!