不
不 - Translingual
Han character
不 (Kangxi radical 1, 一+3, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一火 (MF), four-corner 10900, composition ⿸丆⿰丨丶(GHJKT) or ⿻丆卜(V))
Usage notes
This character is not to be confused with visually similar but unrelated 𣎴 (U+233B4) or 𤓯 (U+244EF).
Derived characters
Descendants
不 - Chinese
| simp. and trad. | 不 | |
|---|---|---|
| alternative forms | 㐬 𠀚 𠙐 | |
Glyph origin
| Historical forms of the character 不 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Bronze inscriptions | Chu slip and silk script | Qin slip script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:
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| Old Chinese | |
|---|---|
| 肧 | *pʰlɯː, *pʰɯ, *pʰlɯː |
| 俖 | *pʰɯːʔ |
| 娝 | *prɯʔ |
| 痞 | *prɯʔ, *brɯʔ, *pɯʔ |
| 丕 | *pʰrɯ |
| 伾 | *pʰrɯ |
| 秠 | *pʰrɯ, *pʰrɯʔ, *pʰɯ, *pʰɯʔ |
| 駓 | *pʰrɯ |
| 怌 | *pʰrɯ |
| 豾 | *pʰrɯ |
| 髬 | *pʰrɯ |
| 魾 | *pʰrɯ, *brɯ |
| 鉟 | *pʰrɯ, *brɯ |
| 嚭 | *pʰrɯʔ |
| 邳 | *brɯ |
| 岯 | *brɯ |
| 否 | *brɯʔ, *pɯʔ |
| 抔 | *bɯ, *pʰlɯː |
| 不 | *pɯ, *pɯʔ, *pɯ' |
| 紑 | *pɯ, *pʰɯ, *pʰɯʔ |
| 鴀 | *pɯ, *pɯʔ |
| 衃 | *pʰɯ, *pʰlɯː |
| 罘 | *bɯ |
| 芣 | *bɯ |
| 杯 | *plɯː |
| 盃 | *plɯː |
| 桮 | *pɯː |
| 坯 | *pʰɯː |
| 胚 | *pʰɯː |
Pictogram (象形) : the calyx of a flower. 不 was then composed into a phono-semantic character with the pictograph for mouth (口), to form 否 (OC *brɯʔ, *pɯʔ), representing “no” (negation). This composed meaning then spread back to the original character 不, making it a synonym of 否. A new character of 柎 (OC *po) was eventually created to represent the original meaning of calyx.
Following Shuowen’s interpretation, Karlgren and Wieger interpret it as a bird flying toward the sky (一). The sky being the limit for the bird, thus the idea of negation.
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- Cantonese
- (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bat1
- (Taishan, Wiktionary): but2
- (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bat1
- Gan (Wiktionary): biit6
- Hakka
- (Sixian, PFS): put
- (Meixian, Guangdong): bud5
- Jin (Wiktionary): beh4
- Min Bei (KCR): bŭ
- Min Dong (BUC): bók
- Min Nan
- (Hokkien, POJ): put
- (Teochew, Peng'im): bug4
- Wu (Wiktionary): 4peq
- Xiang (Wiktionary): bu6
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: bù
- Zhuyin: ㄅㄨˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: bù
- Wade–Giles: pu4
- Yale: bù
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bu
- Palladius: бу (bu)
- Sinological IPA : /pu⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese)+
Note: Pronunciation changes to bú when followed by fourth-tone syllables (e.g. 不是).
- (Chengdu)
- Sichuanese Pinyin: bu2
- Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: bu
- Sinological IPA : /pu²¹/
- (Dungan)
- Cyrillic and Wiktionary: бу (bu, I)
- Sinological IPA : /pou²⁴/
- (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
- (Chengdu)
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: bat1
- Yale: bāt
- Cantonese Pinyin: bat7
- Guangdong Romanization: bed1
- Sinological IPA : /pɐt̚⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
- Wiktionary: but2
- Sinological IPA : /put̚⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Gan
- (Nanchang)
- Wiktionary: biit6
- Sinological IPA : /pɨt̚⁵/
- (Nanchang)
- Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
- Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: put
- Hakka Romanization System: bud`
- Hagfa Pinyim: bud5
- Sinological IPA: /put̚²/
- (Meixian)
- Guangdong: bud5
- Sinological IPA: /put̚¹/
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
- Jin
- (Taiyuan)+
- Wiktionary: beh4
- Sinological IPA (old-style): /pəʔ²/
- (Taiyuan)+
- Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
- Kienning Colloquial Romanized: bŭ
- Sinological IPA : /pu²⁴/
- (Jian'ou)
- Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
- Bàng-uâ-cê: bók
- Sinological IPA : /pouʔ²⁴/
- (Fuzhou)
- Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: put
- Tâi-lô: put
- Phofsit Daibuun: pud
- IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /put̚⁵/
- IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /put̚³²/
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: bug4
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: puk
- Sinological IPA : /puk̚²/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
- Wu
- (Shanghainese)
- Wiktionary: 4peq
- Sinological IPA : /pəʔ⁵⁵/
- (Shanghainese)
- Xiang
- (Changsha)
- Wiktionary: bu6
- Sinological IPA : /pu²⁴/
- (Changsha)
- Middle Chinese: /pɨu/, /pɨuX/, /pɨut̚/
| Rime | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Character | 不 | 不 | 不 |
| Reading # | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 幫 (1) | 幫 (1) | 幫 (1) |
| Final (韻) | 尤 (136) | 尤 (136) | 文 (60) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Rising (X) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open | Closed |
| Division (等) | III | III | III |
| Fanqie | 甫鳩切 | 方久切 | 分勿切 |
| Reconstructions | |||
| ZhengzhangShangfang | /pɨu/ | /pɨuX/ | /pɨut̚/ |
| PanWuyun | /piu/ | /piuX/ | /piut̚/ |
| ShaoRongfen | /piəu/ | /piəuX/ | /piuət̚/ |
| EdwinPulleyblank | /puw/ | /puwX/ | /put̚/ |
| LiRong | /piu/ | /piuX/ | /piuət̚/ |
| WangLi | /pĭəu/ | /pĭəuX/ | /pĭuət̚/ |
| BernardKarlgren | /pi̯ə̯u/ | /pi̯ə̯uX/ | /pi̯uət̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | fōu | fǒu | fu |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | fau1 | fau2 | fat1 |
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*pə/
- (Zhengzhang): /*pɯ/, /*pɯʔ/, /*pɯ'/
| Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) | |
|---|---|
| Character | 不 |
| Reading # | 1/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | bù |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ pjuw › |
| Old Chinese | /*pə/ |
| English | not |
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. | |
| Zhengzhang system (2003) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Character | 不 | 不 | 不 |
| Reading # | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 |
| No. | 1025 | 1029 | 1048 |
| Phonetic component | 不 | 不 | 不 |
| Rime group | 之 | 之 | 物 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 不 | 缶 | 弗 |
| Old Chinese | /*pɯ/ | /*pɯʔ/ | /*pɯ'/ |
| Notes | 象花柎與本同源 | 中古才促化 | |
Definitions
不
- (preceding verbs and adjectives) not
- (between a verb and a complement) can not
- no (answer to a yes-no question)
- Used with 就 (jiù) to indicate the first of two alternatives.
- (colloquial) Question particle placed at the end of the sentence.
- (colloquial) Intensifying particle often used with 好 (hǎo).
- † Meaningless particle used in poems and other texts.
Synonyms
- (not):
| Variety | Location | Words edit |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Chinese | 不, 弗, 毋, 勿, 莫, 否, 未 | |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 不 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 不 |
| Taiwan | 不 | |
| Tianjin | 不 | |
| Chengde | 不 | |
| Tangshan | 不 | |
| Cangzhou | 不 | |
| Baoding | 不 | |
| Shijiazhuang | 不 | |
| Chifeng | 不 | |
| Hulunbuir (Hailar) | 不 | |
| Heihe | 不 | |
| Qiqihar | 不 | |
| Harbin | 不 | |
| Jiamusi | 不 | |
| Baicheng | 不 | |
| Changchun | 不 | |
| Tonghua | 不 | |
| Shenyang | 不 | |
| Dandong | 不 | |
| Jinzhou | 不 | |
| Dalian | 不 | |
| Yantai | 不 | |
| Yantai (Muping) | 不 | |
| Qingdao | 不 | |
| Lijin | 不 | |
| Zhucheng | 不 | |
| Jinan | 不 | |
| Luoyang | 不 | |
| Wanrong | 不 | |
| Shangqiu | 不 | |
| Yuanyang | 不 | |
| Zhengzhou | 不 | |
| Lingbao | 不 | |
| Xinyang | 不 | |
| Baihe | 不 | |
| Xi'an | 不 | |
| Baoji | 不 | |
| Yinchuan | 不 | |
| Tianshui | 不 | |
| Lanzhou | 不 | |
| Dunhuang | 不 | |
| Xining | 不 | |
| Hami | 不 | |
| Ürümqi | 不 | |
| Wuhan | 不 | |
| Yichang | 不 | |
| Xiangyang | 不 | |
| Tianmen | 不 | |
| Hong'an | 不 | |
| Chengdu | 不 | |
| Nanchong | 不 | |
| Dazhou | 不 | |
| Hanyuan | 不 | |
| Xichang | 不 | |
| Zigong | 不 | |
| Chongqing | 不 | |
| Guiyang | 不 | |
| Zunyi | 不 | |
| Bijie | 不 | |
| Zhaotong | 不 | |
| Dali | 不 | |
| Kunming | 不 | |
| Mengzi | 不 | |
| Guilin | 不 | |
| Liuzhou | 沒, 不 | |
| Changde | 不 | |
| Anqing | 不 | |
| Xuzhou | 不 | |
| Fuyang | 不 | |
| Wuhu | 不 | |
| Yangzhou | 不 | |
| Lianyungang | 不 | |
| Lianshui | 不 | |
| Nanjing | 不 | |
| Hefei | 不 | |
| Nantong | 不 | |
| Malaysia | 不 | |
| Singapore | 不 | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 唔 |
| Hong Kong | 唔 | |
| Macau | 唔 | |
| Taishan | 唔 | |
| Dongguan | 唔 | |
| Yangjiang | 無 | |
| Hepu (Lianzhou) | 冇 | |
| Hepu (Shatian) | 冇 | |
| Beihai | 冇 | |
| Beihai (Nankang) | 冇 | |
| Beihai (Yingpan) | 冇 | |
| Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) | 冇 | |
| Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) | 冇 | |
| Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) | 冇 | |
| Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 唔 | |
| Singapore (Guangfu) | 唔 | |
| Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) | 唔 | |
| Móng Cái | 冇 | |
| Gan | Nanchang | 不 |
| Lichuan | 不 | |
| Pingxiang | 毋 | |
| Jianning | 唔 | |
| Hakka | Meixian | 唔 |
| Xingning | 唔 | |
| Huidong (Daling) | 唔 | |
| Shaoguan (Qujiang) | 唔 | |
| Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) | 唔 | |
| Changting | 唔 | |
| Shanghang | 唔 | |
| Wuping | 唔 | |
| Wuping (Pingyu) | 唔 | |
| Liancheng | 唔 | |
| Ninghua | 唔, 不 | |
| Qingliu | 唔 | |
| Yudu | 唔 | |
| Ruijin | 唔 | |
| Shicheng | 唔 | |
| Shangyou (Shexi) | 唔 | |
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 毋 | |
| Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 毋 | |
| Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 毋 | |
| Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 毋 | |
| Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 毋 | |
| Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 毋 | |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 不 |
| Shexian | 不 | |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 不 |
| Yangyuan | 不 | |
| Datong | 不 | |
| Xinzhou | 不 | |
| Lishi | 不 | |
| Linfen | 不 | |
| Changzhi | 不 | |
| Linhe | 不 | |
| Jining | 不 | |
| Hohhot | 不 | |
| Erenhot | 不 | |
| Pingshan | 不 | |
| Zhangjiakou | 不 | |
| Handan | 不 | |
| Linzhou | 不 | |
| Suide | 不 | |
| Min Bei | Jian'ou | 伓, 𣍐 |
| Songxi | 唔, 𣍐 | |
| Zhenghe | 唔, 𣍐 | |
| Pucheng (Shibei) | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Min Dong | Fuzhou | 伓, 𣍐 |
| Changle | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Lianjiang | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Fuqing | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Pingtan | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Yongtai | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Minqing | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Gutian | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Pingnan | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Luoyuan | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Fu'an | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Ningde | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Xiapu | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Zherong | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Shouning | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Zhouning | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Fuding | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Matsu | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Min Nan | Xiamen | 毋, 𣍐, 無 |
| Xiamen (Tong'an) | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Quanzhou | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Jinjiang | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Nan'an | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Shishi | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Hui'an | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Anxi | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Yongchun | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Dehua | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Zhangzhou | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Zhangzhou (Longhai) | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Zhangzhou (Changtai) | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Hua'an | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Nanjing | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Pinghe | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Zhangpu | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Yunxiao | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Zhao'an | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Dongshan | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Taipei | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Kaohsiung | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Tainan | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Kinmen | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Penang (Hokkien) | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Singapore (Hokkien) | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Manila (Hokkien) | 毋, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Datian | 毋, 𣍐 | |
| Chaozhou | 唔, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Shantou | 唔, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Jieyang | 唔 | |
| Haifeng | 唔 | |
| Singapore (Teochew) | 唔, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Batam (Teochew) | 唔, 𣍐, 無 | |
| Pontianak (Teochew) | 唔 | |
| Leizhou | 伓 | |
| Wenchang | 無 | |
| Haikou | 無 | |
| Singapore (Hainanese) | 無 | |
| Puxian Min | Putian | 伓, 𣍐 |
| Xianyou | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Min Zhong | Yong'an | 伓, 𣍐 |
| Shaxian | 伓, 𣍐 | |
| Shaojiang Min | Shaowu | 冒, 唔 |
| Guangze | 唔 | |
| Jiangle | 唔 | |
| Mingxi | 唔 | |
| Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 冇 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 勿 |
| Shanghai (Chongming) | 弗, 勿 | |
| Suzhou | 弗 | |
| Danyang | 弗 | |
| Hangzhou | 不 | |
| Ningbo | 勿, 嘸沒 rare | |
| Wenzhou | 不 | |
| Jinhua | 弗 | |
| Xiang | Changsha | 不 |
| Loudi | 不 | |
| Shuangfeng | 不 | |
Usage notes
- (Mandarin)
- The tone changes from fourth to second tone when followed by a fourth-tone syllable.
- (not):
- The past-perfect form of 不 is 沒／没 (méi) or 未 (wèi), not *不了
- 我不當兵。／我不当兵。 ― Wǒ bù dāngbīng. ― I am not becoming a soldier.
- 我沒當兵。／我没当兵。 ― Wǒ méi dāngbīng. ― I did not become a soldier.
- 我未當兵。／我未当兵。 ― Wǒ wèi dāngbīng. ― I have not yet become a soldier.
- 我不當兵了。／我不当兵了。 ― Wǒ bù dāngbīng le. ― I am no longer a soldier.
- Note that the 4th sentence does not mean "I have not become a soldier". Syntactically, 不 is a verb prefix that forms a stative verb with the verb to be negated. Therefore it can not be modified by the perfective aspect marker 了 (le), which modifies only dynamic verbs. When 了 appears in a 不 sentence, it usually functions as a marker of "currently relevant state" instead.
- 不 can not be used before the verb 有 (yǒu, “to have”). Use 沒／没 (méi) instead.
- 不 can not be used before compounds beginning with 有, or another 不. Depending on the context, other negative particles must be used instead which formally contain a predicate or auxiliary, e.g., 不是 (bùshì), 並非／并非 (bìngfēi), imperfective 沒有／没有 (méiyǒu), epistemic 不會／不会 (bùhuì).
- The verb can be elided, as in the following:
- An equivalent construction is not valid in Cantonese.
- The past-perfect form of 不 is 沒／没 (méi) or 未 (wèi), not *不了
- (can not):
- "not" and "can not" are distinguished only by word order.
- Since 不 must be placed before a complement, if there is no complement in the sentence, a placeholder 了 (liǎo) can be used for this purpose.
- (no): Although 不 can be used like English no to answer a yes/no question, it is more natural to answer it by changing the question to a negative statement.
- When read in Northern Wu languages, such as Shanghainese or Suzhounese, the syllable is pronounced the same as 勿, despite the existing expected pronunciation
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- Cantonese (Jyutping): fau2
- Min Nan (Teochew, Peng'im): houn2
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: fǒu
- Zhuyin: ㄈㄡˇ
- Tongyong Pinyin: fǒu
- Wade–Giles: fou3
- Yale: fǒu
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bu
- Palladius: фоу (fou)
- Sinological IPA : /foʊ̯²¹⁴/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: fau2
- Yale: fáu
- Cantonese Pinyin: fau2
- Guangdong Romanization: feo2
- Sinological IPA : /fɐu̯³⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Min Nan
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: houn2
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hóuⁿ
- Sinological IPA : /hõũ⁵²/
- (Teochew)
- Middle Chinese: /pɨuX/
| Rime | |
|---|---|
| Character | 不 |
| Reading # | 2/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 幫 (1) |
| Final (韻) | 尤 (136) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 方久切 |
| Reconstructions | |
| ZhengzhangShangfang | /pɨuX/ |
| PanWuyun | /piuX/ |
| ShaoRongfen | /piəuX/ |
| EdwinPulleyblank | /puwX/ |
| LiRong | /piuX/ |
| WangLi | /pĭəuX/ |
| BernardKarlgren | /pi̯ə̯uX/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | fǒu |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | fau2 |
Definitions
不
- † Alternative form of 否 (fǒu, “negation and question particle”).
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: fōu
- Zhuyin: ㄈㄡ
- Tongyong Pinyin: fou
- Wade–Giles: fou1
- Yale: fōu
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bu
- Palladius: фоу (fou)
- Sinological IPA : /foʊ̯⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Middle Chinese: /pɨu/
| Rime | |
|---|---|
| Character | 不 |
| Reading # | 1/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 幫 (1) |
| Final (韻) | 尤 (136) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 甫鳩切 |
| Reconstructions | |
| ZhengzhangShangfang | /pɨu/ |
| PanWuyun | /piu/ |
| ShaoRongfen | /piəu/ |
| EdwinPulleyblank | /puw/ |
| LiRong | /piu/ |
| WangLi | /pĭəu/ |
| BernardKarlgren | /pi̯ə̯u/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | fōu |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | fau1 |
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*pə/
- (Zhengzhang): /*pɯ/
| Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) | |
|---|---|
| Character | 不 |
| Reading # | 1/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | bù |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ pjuw › |
| Old Chinese | /*pə/ |
| English | not |
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. | |
| Zhengzhang system (2003) | |
|---|---|
| Character | 不 |
| Reading # | 1/3 |
| No. | 1025 |
| Phonetic component | 不 |
| Rime group | 之 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 不 |
| Old Chinese | /*pɯ/ |
Definitions
不
- a surname
Pronunciation
Definitions
不
Pronunciation
- Min Nan
- (Hokkien, POJ): m̄
- (Teochew, Peng'im): m6 / m7
- Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: m̄
- Tâi-lô: m̄
- Phofsit Daibuun: m
- IPA (Xiamen): /m̩²²/
- IPA (Quanzhou): /m̩⁴¹/
- IPA (Zhangzhou): /m̩²²/
- IPA (Taipei): /m̩³³/
- IPA (Kaohsiung): /m̩³³/
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: m6 / m7
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: m̆ / m̄
- Sinological IPA : /m³⁵/, /m¹¹/
- (Hokkien)
Definitions
不
- (Min Nan) Alternative form of 毋.
Compounds
|
|
|
不 - Japanese
Kanji
不
(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)
Readings
Compounds
- 不安 (fuan)
- 不一 (fuitsu), 不(ふ)乙(いつ) (fuitsu)
- 不運 (fuun)
- 不(ふ)壊(え) (fue, “indestructibility”)
- 不易 (fueki)
- 不可 (fuka)
- 不可解 (fukakai, “incomprehensible”)
- 不快 (fukai)
- 不許 (fukyo, “impermissible”)
- 不(ふ)具(ぐ) (fugu, “disability”)
- 不倶戴天 (fugutaiten)
- 不言実行 (fugenjikkō)
- 不孝 (fukō)
- 不幸 (fukō)
- 不治 (fuji)
- 不死身 (fujimi, “invulnerable”)
- 不(ふ)悉(しつ) (fushitsu)
- 不肖 (fushō)
- 不祥 (fushō)
- 不詳 (fushō)
- 不祥事 (fushōji)
- 不浄 (fujō, “unclean”)
- 不定 (fujō)
- 不(ぶ)精(しょう) (bushō)
- 不尽 (fujin)
- 不(ふ)宣(せん) (fusen)
- 不戦 (fusen)
- 不全 (fuzen)
- 不善 (fuzen)
- 不測 (fusoku)
- 不足 (fusoku)
- 不貞 (futei)
- 不逞 (futei)
- 不敵 (futeki)
- 不当 (futō)
- 不凍液 (futōeki, “antifreeze”)
- 不備 (fubi)
- 不敏 (fubin)
- 不憫 (fubin), 不愍 (fubin), 不便 (fubin)
- 不服 (fufuku)
- 不文律 (fubunritsu)
- 不平 (fuhei)
- 不変 (fuhen)
- 不満 (fuman)
- 不毛 (fumō)
- 不問 (fumon)
- 不埒 (furachi)
- 不慮 (furyo, “unforeseen, unexpected”)
- 不倫 (furin)
- 不老 (furō, “unaging, eternal youth”)
- 不惑 (fuwaku)
- 不束 (futsutsuka)
- 不思議 (fushigi)
- 不知火 (shiranui)
- 不如帰(ホトトギス) (hototogisu)
- 不見転(みずてん) (mizuten)
Pronunciation
- IPA: [ɸɯ̟ᵝ]
- IPA: [bɯ̟ᵝ]
Prefix
不 or 不 • (fu- or bu-)