Negation with 不 and 没

Chinese grammar · HSK 1 · 否定副词 · By Carson 木林森

不 (bù) negates: - Adjectives: 不好、不大、不小 - Habitual/ongoing verbs: 不去、不吃、不学 - Future intentions: 我不去。(I won't go.)

不 bù no; not so 没 méi (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not 不与没 bù yǔ méi

没(有) (méi yǒu) negates:
- Completed actions: 我没吃饭。(I haven't eaten.)
- Possession/existence: 我没有书。(I have no book.)

Key Rule: Never use 不 with 有. Always use 没有.

| Situation | Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| No book (possession) | 没有书 | ~~不有书~~ |
| Didn't eat | 没吃 | 不吃 (changes meaning to 'won't eat') |

Worked examples

Chinese	Pinyin	English	What it shows
他不去学校。	Tā bù qù xué xiào.	He doesn't go to school. / He won't go to school.	不 + verb 去: negates a habitual or future action.
我不好，我很不好。	Wǒ bù hǎo, wǒ hěn bù hǎo.	I'm not well, I'm really not well.	不 + adjective 好: negates a state. 很 can intensify 不好.
她没有吃饭。	Tā méi yǒu chī fàn.	She didn't eat. / She hasn't eaten.	没有 + verb: negates a completed or recent action.
这里没有水。	Zhè lǐ méi yǒu shuǐ.	There is no water here.	没有 negates existence. Location + 没有 + thing.

Produce this pattern without stopping to think about it. GraphChinese drills Negation with 不 and 没 across 12 exercises and schedules the review that keeps it.

What this opens up

These patterns list Negation with 不 and 没 among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.

Negation with 不 and 没 is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.

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