Chinese word

没

Pronunciation

Pinyinméi

Meaning

  • adverbnot

Example

我没钱。wǒ méi qián

I have no money.

Illustration for 没 (not)

More examples

他昨天没打电话。tā zuó tiān méi dǎ diàn huà

He didn't call yesterday.

Core concept

Takes a person, thing, or action out of the situation being described.

Common phrases

  • 没做méi zuò

    didn't do

  • 没带méi dài

    didn't bring

  • 没说méi shuō

    didn't say

Similar words

没有méi yǒu: Expresses that something does not exist or is not available.
不bù: Negates a present state, a future action, or a usual action.

Definition in Chinese

常作否定副词，表示没有或未发生，通常置于动词前或与“有”连用表示不存在或未曾有过的情况。例：我没钱。cháng zuò fǒu dìng fù cí biǎo shì méi yǒu huò wèi fā shēng tōng cháng zhì yú dòng cí qián huò yǔ yǒu lián yòng biǎo shì bù cún zài huò wèi céng yǒu guò de qíng kuàng lì wǒ méi qián

Word origin

没 (méi, "not") first described sinking away or vanishing and later extended to things that are not present and actions that have not occurred.

Usage tips

  • English often shows past time through the verb form, while Chinese can leave the verb unchanged and place 没 (méi, "not") before it to mark an action that did not happen.

Other meanings

  • didn'tauxiliary verb
  • not be thereverb

Related words

Word lists with this word