Dictionary › 不然

不然

bù rán

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 level 5 2-character word

不然 (bù rán) means "otherwise; if not". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 不然 means

1. not so
2. no
3. or else
4. otherwise
5. if not
6. How about ...?

The characters in 不然

• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-
• 然ráncorrect; right; so

Example sentences

• 不然呢！
  What else!

Words containing 不然

• 要不然yào bù ránotherwise; or else; or
• 再不然zài bu ránotherwise; alternatively; or else
• 莫不然mò bù ránequally true for (all the rest); the same thing applies (for everyone)

Where 不然 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Necessity, Obligation & Avoidance (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read bù rán correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.