HSK · Level 69
75 words
Chinese word
不见得
Pronunciation
Pinyinbù jiàn de
Meaning
- adverbnot necessarily
Example
这个答案不见得是对的。zhè ge dá àn bú jiàn de shì duì de
This answer is not necessarily correct.
More examples
这种方法不见得有用。zhè zhǒng fāng fǎ bú jiàn de yǒu yòng
This method is not necessarily useful.
Core concept
A conclusion held at arm's length, with another result still possible.
Common phrases
不见得是对的bú jiàn de shì duì de
not necessarily be correct
不见得会成功bú jiàn de huì chéng gōng
not necessarily succeed
不见得有用bú jiàn de yǒu yòng
not necessarily be useful
Similar words
不一定bù yí dìng: States that an outcome cannot be guaranteed and may vary.
未必wèi bì: Questions whether an expected result really follows from the situation.
不至于bú zhì yú: Indicates that circumstances probably will not become that serious.
Definition in Chinese
用于表示对某个判断、预测或说法持怀疑或保留态度，表示该结论不一定成立，多用于口语。yòng yú biǎo shì duì mǒu gè pàn duàn yù cè huò shuō fǎ chí huái yí huò bǎo liú tài dù biǎo shì gāi jié lùn bù yí dìng chéng lì duō yòng yú kóu yǔ
Word origin
不见得 (bùjiànde, "not necessarily") combines 不 (bù, "not") with 见得 (jiànde, "seem likely"), so an apparent conclusion is not accepted as certain.
Usage tips
- For native English speakers, the initial negative can sound stronger than it is: the word usually questions certainty rather than declaring the judgment false.
Opposites
- 必定bì dìngcertainlyadverb
- 肯定kěn dìngdefinitelyadverb