SUD Documentation

negation

4 min read

Negation in Chinese

There are several ways to express negation in Mandarin Chinese depending on the context. Two ways are syntactic while the other are morphological.

Syntactical negation

1) 不 (bù)

This is the most common way to express general negation. It’s typically used before a verb or an adjective. For example, “我们 不 喝 酒。” (Wǒmen bù hējiǔ) means “We don’t drink alcohol.”.

Negation of a verb :

Negation of an adjective :

Negation of the copula 是 :

Negation of an auxiliary :

2) 没 (méi)

This is often used to negate past actions or to express the absence of something. For example, “我没去” (Wǒ méi qù) means “I didn’t go.” Note that 没 is also used in the negative form of the verb 有 (to have), as in “我没有书” (Wǒ méiyǒu shū) meaning “I don’t have a book.”

Negation of the existence VERB 有 (yǒu - to have) :

sent_id = 1

text = 我 没有 问题。

pinyin = Wǒ méiyǒu wèntí.

text_en = I don’t have any questions.

url = https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/ASGPNV3Q

1 我 我 PRON _ Person=1 3 subj _ _ 2 没 没 ADV _ _ 3 mod _ highlight=red 3 有 有 VERB _ _ 0 root _ _ 4 问 问 NOUN _ _ 3 comp:obj _ _ 5 题 题 NOUN _ _ 4 @m _ _ 6 。 。 PUNCT _ _ 3 punct _ _

Negation of the perfective AUX 有 (yǒu - perfective) :

sent_id = 284

text = 她 没有 看到 你。

pinyin = Tā méiyǒu kàndào nǐ.

text_en = She didn’t see you.

url = https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/ASGAUCXK

1 她 她 PRON _ Person=3 3 subj _ _ 2 没 没 ADV _ _ 3 mod _ highlight=red 3 有 有 AUX _ _ 0 root _ _ 4 看 看 VERB _ _ 3 comp:aux _ _ 5 到 到 VERB _ _ 4 comp:res _ _ 6 你 你 PRON _ Person=2 4 comp:obj _ _ 7 。 。 PUNCT _ _ 3 punct _ _

When negating the perfective 有, this last one can be ommitted and the 没 will directly direct the verb :

text = 你 昨天 没 回家 吗？

pinyin = Nǐ zuótiān méi huíjiā ma?

text_en = You didn’t go back home yesterday?

url = https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/ASGAUCXK

1 你 你 PRON _ Person=2 5 subj _ _ 2 昨 昨 NOUN _ _ 5 mod _ _ 3 天 天 NOUN _ _ 2 @m _ _ 4 没 没 ADV _ Polarity=Neg 5 mod _ highlight=red 5 回 回 VERB _ _ 0 root _ _ 6 家 家 NOUN _ _ 5 comp:obj _ _ 7 吗 吗 PART _ Mood=Inter 5 discourse _ _ 8 ？ ？ PUNCT _ _ 5 punct _ _

Morphological negation

  1. 非 (fēi): This prefix negates nouns, making them the opposite of what they originally mean, similar to the English “un-” or “non-”. For example, “非法” (fēifǎ) means “illegal.”

  2. 未 (wèi): This prefix is often used in formal or literary contexts to mean “not yet.” For example, “未完成” (wèi wánchéng) means “not yet completed.”

  3. 否 (fǒu): This is more formal and often used in written language, it means “no” or “not”. For example, “否定” (fǒudìng) means “to deny.”

  4. 勿 (wù): This is a classical or literary way to express a negative imperative, similar to “别” (bié). For example, “勿忘我” (Wù wàng wǒ) means “Don’t forget me.”

  5. 无 (wú): This is a more formal or literary way to express the absence of something, similar to “没有” (méiyǒu). For example, “无聊” (Wúliáo) means “boring” or literally “without chat.”

  6. 禁 (jìn): Often used in the sense of “prohibit” or “ban,” implying a strong negation. For example, “禁烟” (Jìn yān) means “No Smoking.”

  7. 决 (jué): This is used to express a strong negative determination, such as “决不” (jué bù) means “never.”

  8. 免 (miǎn): This means to exempt or to avoid, and it is often used to politely turn down something. For example, “免谢” (Miǎn xiè) means “No need to thank.”

Graph View