Dictionary › 不过

不过

bù guò

Old HSK 4 HSK 3.0 level 4 2-character word Traditional 不過

不过 (bù guò) means "but; however". It is an HSK 3.0 level 4 word, and was HSK 4 in the old six-level list.

What 不过 means

1. only
2. merely
3. no more than
4. but
5. however
6. anyway (to get back to a previous topic)
7. cannot be more (after adjectival)

How 不过 is used in grammar

不过 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Concessive Compound: 虽然…但是/可是, 不过 (HSK 2)
• Conjunctions: 或者、不过、但是、而且、如果、虽然、只要 (HSK 2)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 4, conjunctions (连接分句或句子); level 7-9, fixed patterns.

The characters in 不过

• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-
• 过guòto cross; to go over; to pass (time)

Example sentences

• 拗不过他。
  Niùbuguò tā.
  If he says it is Monday, it is Monday.
• 再糟糕不过了
  Zài zāogāo bùguò le
  That couldn't have gone any worse.

Words starting with 不过

• 不过如此bù guò rú cǐ(idiom) nothing more than this; that's all; no big deal; not very impressive
• 不过意bù guò yìto be sorry; to feel apologetic
• 不过尔尔bù guò ěr ěrnot more than so-so (idiom); mediocre; nothing out of the ordinary

Words containing 不过

• 只不过zhǐ bu guòonly; merely; nothing but; no more than; it's just that ...
• 说不过去shuō bu guò qùcannot be justified; inexcusable
• 拗不过niù bu guòcan't persuade; unable to make (sb) change their mind; unable to resist (sb)
• 再好不过zài hǎo bù guòcouldn't be better; ideal; wonderful
• 气不过qì bu guòso angry it's unbearable; bitter about unbearable grievances
• 信不过xìn bù guòto distrust; to be suspicious
• 数不过来shǔ bù guò láican't manage to count; too many to count
• 看不过kàn bu guòcannot stand by idly and watch; unable to put up with it any longer; see 看不过去
• 看不过去kàn bu guò qucannot stand by idly and watch; unable to put up with it any longer
• 打不过dǎ bu guòto be unable to defeat; to be no match for (sb)

Where 不过 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Logical connectives & conjunctions (HSK 4), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 4 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read bù guò correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.