Chinese word

不是

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù shì

Meaning

  • verbnot be

Example

我不是学生。wǒ bú shì xué shēng

I am not a student.

Illustration for 不是 (not be)

More examples

他不是坏人。tā bú shì huài rén

He is not a bad person.

Core concept

Cancels an asserted identity or judgment and leaves room for a different account of what is true.

Common phrases

  • 不是...而是...bú shì ér shì

    not ___ but ___

  • 这不是我的zhè bú shì wǒ de

    this is not mine

  • 不是问题bú shì wèn tí

    not a problem

Similar words

没有méi yǒu: Denies that something happened or took place.
并不是bìng bú shì: Corrects an apparent understanding by showing that the real situation is not as it seems.
不能bù néng: Expresses that someone is unable to do something or that circumstances make it impossible.

Definition in Chinese

用来否认前述的事实、身份或判断，表示与对方说法相反或不成立，常与“而是”“就是”等连用以引出替代说明或范围限定。yòng lái fǒu rèn qián shù de shì shí shēn fèn huò pàn duàn biǎo shì yǔ duì fāng shuō fǎ xiāng fǎn huò bù chéng lì cháng yǔ ér shì jiù shì děng lián yòng yǐ yǐn chū tì dài shuō míng huò fàn wéi xiàn dìng

Word origin

不 (bù, "not") + 是 (shì, "be") forms a direct way to deny an identity, judgment, or stated fact.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English not, 不是 (bùshì, "not be") is not the usual negative for an action or a past event, where 没有 (méiyǒu, "not have; not") is commonly used.

Other meanings

  • be wrongverb
  • nointerjection

Opposites

Word lists with this word