bu4
(negative prefix); not; no

strokes 4
radical
strokes after radical 3
阿不来提·阿不都热西提 阿不來提·阿不都熱西提 a1 bu4 lai2 ti2 - a1 bu4 du1 re4 xi1 ti2
Abdulahat Abdurixit (1942-), PRC engineer and politician, chairman of Xinjiang autonomous region 1994-2003, in 2003 vice-chair of 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

挨不上 挨不上 ai1 bu4 shang4
to be irrelevant; to be superfluous

哀而不伤 哀而不傷 ai1 er2 bu4 shang1
deeply felt but not mawkish (idiom)

爱不忍释 愛不忍釋 ai4 bu4 ren3 shi4
to love sth too much to part with it (idiom)

爱不释手 愛不釋手 ai4 bu4 shi4 shou3
to love sth too much to part with it (idiom); to fondle admiringly

爱理不理 愛理不理 ai4 li3 bu4 li3
to look cold and indifferent; standoffish

按兵不动 按兵不動 an4 bing1 bu4 dong4
to hold back one's troops without moving (idiom); to bide one's time

按捺不住 按捺不住 an4 na4 bu5 zhu4
to be unable to hold back

凹凸不平 凹凸不平 ao1 tu1 bu4 ping2
uneven (surface); bumpy (road)

巴不能够 巴不能夠 ba1 bu4 neng2 gou4
avid; eager for; longing for; to look forward to

巴不得 巴不得 ba1 bu5 de5
(coll.) to be eager for; to long for; to look forward to

八九不离十 八九不離十 ba1 jiu3 bu4 li2 shi2
pretty close; very near; about right

把持不定 把持不定 ba3 chi2 bu4 ding4
indecisive (idiom)

百不咋 百不咋 bai3 bu4 za5
of no consequence (idiom)

百不杂 百不雜 bai3 bu4 za5
variant of 百不咋

百读不厌 百讀不厭 bai3 du2 bu4 yan4
to be worth reading a hundred times (idiom)

百年不遇 百年不遇 bai3 nian2 bu4 yu4
only met with once every hundred years (drought, flood etc)

百思不得其解 百思不得其解 bai3 si1 bu4 de2 qi2 jie3
see 百思不解

百思不解 百思不解 bai3 si1 bu4 jie3
to remain puzzled after pondering over sth a hundred times (idiom); to remain perplexed despite much thought

百听不厌 百聽不厭 bai3 ting1 bu4 yan4
worth hearing a hundred times

百闻不如一见 百聞不如一見 bai3 wen2 bu4 ru2 yi1 jian4
seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times (idiom); seeing for oneself is better than hearing from many others; seeing is believing

百战不殆 百戰不殆 bai3 zhan4 bu4 dai4
to come unscathed through a hundred battles (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法); to win every fight

百折不回 百折不回 bai3 zhe2 bu4 hui2
see 百折不撓|百折不挠

百折不挠 百折不撓 bai3 zhe2 bu4 nao2
to keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks (idiom); to be undaunted by repeated setbacks; to be indomitable

百足之虫死而不僵 百足之蟲死而不僵 bai3 zu2 zhi1 chong2 si3 er2 bu4 jiang1
a centipede dies but never falls down; old institutions die hard

败不成军 敗不成軍 bai4 bu4 cheng2 jun1
The army is completely routed. (idiom)

扳不倒儿 扳不倒兒 ban1 bu4 dao3 er5
tumbler; roly-poly

办不到 辦不到 ban4 bu5 dao4
impossible; can't be done; no can do; unable to accomplish

半间不界 半間不界 ban4 gan1 bu4 ga4
shallow; not thorough; superficial

半明不灭 半明不滅 ban4 ming2 bu4 mie4
dull (lamplight)

半身不遂 半身不遂 ban4 shen1 bu4 sui4
paralysis of one side of the body; hemiplegia

半生不熟 半生不熟 ban4 sheng1 bu4 shou2
underripe; half-cooked; (fig.) not mastered (of a technique); clumsy; halting

半通不通 半通不通 ban4 tong1 bu4 tong1
to not fully understand (idiom)

包子有肉不在褶上 包子有肉不在褶上 bao1 zi5 you3 rou4 bu4 zai4 zhe3 shang4
a book is not judged by its cover (idiom)

保不定 保不定 bao3 bu4 ding4
more likely than not; quite possible; on the cards

保不齐 保不齊 bao3 bu5 qi2
more likely than not; quite possible; on the cards

保不住 保不住 bao3 bu5 zhu4
cannot maintain (sth); unable to keep; more likely than not; may well

宝刀不老 寶刀不老 bao3 dao1 bu4 lao3
lit. a good sword always remains sharp (idiom); fig. (of one's skills etc) to be as good as ever; the old man still has it

饱汉不知饿汉饥 飽漢不知餓漢飢 bao3 han4 bu4 zhi1 e4 han4 ji1
The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom).

饱人不知饿人饥 飽人不知餓人飢 bao3 ren2 bu4 zhi1 e4 ren2 ji1
The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom).

抱不平 抱不平 bao4 bu4 ping2
to be outraged by an injustice

抱打不平 抱打不平 bao4 da3 bu4 ping2
see 打抱不平

报喜不报忧 報喜不報憂 bao4 xi3 bu4 bao4 you1
to report only the good news, not the bad news; to hold back unpleasant news; to sweep bad news under the carpet

报应不爽 報應不爽 bao4 ying4 bu4 shuang3
appropriate retribution (idiom)

卑卑不足道 卑卑不足道 bei1 bei1 bu4 zu2 dao4
to be too petty or insignificant to mention; to not be worth mentioning (idiom)

悲不自胜 悲不自勝 bei1 bu4 zi4 sheng4
unable to control one's grief (idiom); overwrought; overcome with sorrow; heartbroken

卑不足道 卑不足道 bei1 bu4 zu2 dao4
not worth mentioning

备而不用 備而不用 bei4 er2 bu4 yong4
have sth ready just in case; keep sth for possible future use

比不上 比不上 bi3 bu4 shang4
can't compare with

比上不足比下有余 比上不足比下有餘 bi3 shang4 bu4 zu2 bi3 xia4 you3 yu2
to fall short of the best but be better than the worst; can pass muster

避不见面 避不見面 bi4 bu4 jian4 mian4
to refuse to meet sb; to avoid sb

必不可缺 必不可缺 bi4 bu4 ke3 que1
see 必不可少

必不可少 必不可少 bi4 bu4 ke3 shao3
absolutely necessary; indispensable; essential

必不可少组成 必不可少組成 bi4 bu4 ke3 shao3 zu3 cheng2
absolute necessity; sine qua non

闭口不谈 閉口不談 bi4 kou3 bu4 tan2
to refuse to say anything about (idiom); to remain tight-lipped; to avoid mentioning

闭口不言 閉口不言 bi4 kou3 bu4 yan2
to keep silent (idiom)

表里不一 表裡不一 biao3 li3 bu4 yi1
outside appearance and inner reality differ (idiom); not what it seems; saying one thing but meaning sth different

兵不血刃 兵不血刃 bing1 bu4 xue4 ren4
lit. no blood on the men's swords (idiom); fig. an effortless victory

兵不厌诈 兵不厭詐 bing1 bu4 yan4 zha4
there can never be too much deception in war; in war nothing is too deceitful; all's fair in war

冰炭不相容 冰炭不相容 bing1 tan4 bu4 xiang1 rong2
as incompatible or irreconcilable as ice and hot coals

冰炭不言,冷热自明 冰炭不言,冷熱自明 bing1 tan4 bu4 yan2 - leng3 re4 zi4 ming2
ice or coals, whether hot or cold goes without saying (idiom); fig. sincerity is not expressed in words

并不 並不 bing4 bu4
not at all; emphatically not

并不在乎 並不在乎 bing4 bu4 zai4 hu5
really does not care

并行不悖 並行不悖 bing4 xing2 bu4 bei4
to run in parallel without hindrance; not mutually exclusive; two processes can be implemented without conflict

博而不精 博而不精 bo2 er2 bu4 jing1
extensive but not refined (idiom); to know something about everything; Jack of all trades and master of none.

不是 不是 bu2 shi5
fault; blame

不安 不安 bu4 an1
unpeaceful; unstable; uneasy; disturbed; restless; worried

不安分 不安分 bu4 an1 fen5
restless; unsettled

不安好心 不安好心 bu4 an1 hao3 xin1
to have bad intentions

不安其室 不安其室 bu4 an1 qi2 shi4
to be discontented with one's home; to have adulterous relations after marriage (of women) (idiom)

不谙世故 不諳世故 bu4 an1 shi4 gu4
unworldly; unsophisticated

不白之冤 不白之冤 bu4 bai2 zhi1 yuan1
unrighted wrong; unredressed injustice

不败之地 不敗之地 bu4 bai4 zhi1 di4
invincible position

不饱和 不飽和 bu4 bao3 he2
unsaturated

不饱和脂肪酸 不飽和脂肪酸 bu4 bao3 he2 zhi1 fang2 suan1
unsaturated fatty acid

不卑不亢 不卑不亢 bu4 bei1 bu4 kang4
neither servile nor overbearing (idiom); neither obsequious nor supercilious

不备 不備 bu4 bei4
unprepared; off guard

不比 不比 bu4 bi3
unlike

不必 不必 bu4 bi4
need not; does not have to; not necessarily

不避斧钺 不避斧鉞 bu4 bi4 fu3 yue4
not trying to avoid the battle-ax (idiom); not afraid of dying in combat; not afraid of being executed

不避艰险 不避艱險 bu4 bi4 jian1 xian3
shrink or flinch from no difficulty or danger; make light of difficulties and dangers

不必要 不必要 bu4 bi4 yao4
needless; unnecessary

不便 不便 bu4 bian4
inconvenient; inappropriate; unsuitable; short of cash

不变 不變 bu4 bian4
constant; unvarying; (math.) invariant

不变化 不變化 bu4 bian4 hua4
invariably

不变价格 不變價格 bu4 bian4 jia4 ge2
fixed price; constant price

不变量 不變量 bu4 bian4 liang4
invariant quantity; invariant (math.)

不辨菽麦 不辨菽麥 bu4 bian4 shu1 mai4
lit. cannot tell beans from wheat (idiom); fig. ignorant of practical matters

不变资本 不變資本 bu4 bian4 zi1 ben3
constant capital

不标准 不標準 bu4 biao1 zhun3
nonstandard

不材 不材 bu4 cai2
untalented; I; me (humble); also written 不才

不才 不才 bu4 cai2
untalented; I; me (humble)

不测 不測 bu4 ce4
unexpected; measureless; unexpected circumstance; contingency; mishap

不曾 不曾 bu4 ceng2
hasn't yet; hasn't ever

不差 不差 bu4 cha1
to not lack

不插电 不插電 bu4 cha1 dian4
unplugged (of rock musicians performing on acoustic instruments)

不差 不差 bu4 cha4
not bad; OK

不成 不成 bu4 cheng2
won't do; unable to; (at the end of a rhetorical question) can that be?

不成材 不成材 bu4 cheng2 cai2
worthless; good-for-nothing

不成功便成仁 不成功便成仁 bu4 cheng2 gong1 bian4 cheng2 ren2
to succeed or die trying (idiom)

不成话 不成話 bu4 cheng2 hua4
see 不像話|不像话

不承认主义 不承認主義 bu4 cheng2 ren4 zhu3 yi4
policy of non-recognition

不诚实 不誠實 bu4 cheng2 shi2
dishonest

不成熟 不成熟 bu4 cheng2 shu2
unripe; immature

不成体统 不成體統 bu4 cheng2 ti3 tong3
not according with decorum (idiom); scandalous; bad form; unacceptable behavior

不成文 不成文 bu4 cheng2 wen2
unwritten (rule)

不成文法 不成文法 bu4 cheng2 wen2 fa3
unwritten law

不成样子 不成樣子 bu4 cheng2 yang4 zi5
shapeless; deformed; ruined; beyond recognition; (of a person) reduced to a shadow

不逞之徒 不逞之徒 bu4 cheng3 zhi1 tu2
desperado

不齿 不齒 bu4 chi3
to despise; to hold in contempt

不耻下问 不恥下問 bu4 chi3 xia4 wen4
not feel ashamed to ask and learn from one's subordinates

不啻 不啻 bu4 chi4
just as; no less than; like (sth momentous); as good as; tantamount to

不啻天渊 不啻天淵 bu4 chi4 tian1 yuan1
no less than from heaven to the abyss (idiom); differing widely; worlds apart; the gap couldn't be bigger

不瞅不睬 不瞅不睬 bu4 chou3 bu4 cai3
to ignore completely; to pay no attention to sb

不出所料 不出所料 bu4 chu1 suo3 liao4
as expected

不触目 不觸目 bu4 chu4 mu4
unobtrusive

不揣冒昧 不揣冒昧 bu4 chuai3 mao4 mei4
to venture to; to presume to; to take the liberty of

不辍 不輟 bu4 chuo4
incessant; relentless

不辞而别 不辭而別 bu4 ci2 er2 bie2
to leave without saying good-bye

不辞劳苦 不辭勞苦 bu4 ci2 lao2 ku3
to spare no effort

不辞辛苦 不辭辛苦 bu4 ci2 xin1 ku3
to make nothing of hardships

不凑巧 不湊巧 bu4 cou4 qiao3
unluckily

不错 不錯 bu4 cuo4
correct; right; not bad; pretty good

不搭理 不搭理 bu4 da1 li3
variant of 不答理

不答理 不答理 bu4 da1 li3
to pay no heed to

不打不成才 不打不成才 bu4 da3 bu4 cheng2 cai2
spare the rod and spoil the child (idiom)

不打不成器 不打不成器 bu4 da3 bu4 cheng2 qi4
spare the rod and spoil the child (idiom)

不打不成相识 不打不成相識 bu4 da3 bu4 cheng2 xiang1 shi2
don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship

不打不相识 不打不相識 bu4 da3 bu4 xiang1 shi2
lit. don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship; no discord, no concord

不打紧 不打緊 bu4 da3 jin3
unimportant; not serious; it doesn't matter; never mind

不打自招 不打自招 bu4 da3 zi4 zhao1
to confess without being pressed; to make a confession without duress

不大 不大 bu4 da4
not very; not too; not often

不大离 不大離 bu4 da4 li2
pretty close; just about right; not bad; same as 差不多

不大离儿 不大離兒 bu4 da4 li2 er5
erhua variant of 不大離|不大离

不怠 不怠 bu4 dai4
untiring; indefatigable

不带 不帶 bu4 dai4
not to have; without; un-

不逮捕特权 不逮捕特權 bu4 dai4 bu3 te4 quan2
the right of immunity from arrest afforded by the Taiwan ROC Constitution, for the duration of meetings, unless caught actually committing a crime, to members of the National Assembly, the Legislative Yuan, or a supervisory committee

不带电 不帶電 bu4 dai4 dian4
uncharged; electrically neutral

不待说 不待說 bu4 dai4 shuo1
needless to say; it goes without saying

不单 不單 bu4 dan1
not the only; not merely; not simply

不丹 不丹 bu4 dan1
Bhutan

不但 不但 bu4 dan4
not only (... but also...)

不当紧 不當緊 bu4 dang1 jin3
not important; of no consequence

不当事 不當事 bu4 dang1 shi4
useless; regard as useless

不当 不當 bu4 dang4
unsuitable; improper; inappropriate

不当得利 不當得利 bu4 dang4 de2 li4
unjust enrichment

不当一回事 不當一回事 bu4 dang4 yi1 hui2 shi4
not regard as a matter (of any importance)

不倒翁 不倒翁 bu4 dao3 weng1
roly-poly toy; tilting doll; tumbler

不到 不到 bu4 dao4
not to arrive; not reaching; insufficient; less than

不到长城非好汉 不到長城非好漢 bu4 dao4 chang2 cheng2 fei1 hao3 han4
lit. until you reach the Great Wall, you're not a proper person; fig. to get over difficulties before reaching the goal

不道德 不道德 bu4 dao4 de2
immoral

不到黄河心不死 不到黃河心不死 bu4 dao4 huang2 he2 xin1 bu4 si3
lit. not to stop until one reaches the Yellow River (idiom); fig. to persevere until one reaches one's goal; to keep going while some hope is left

不得 不得 bu4 de2
must not; may not; not to be allowed; cannot

不得不 不得不 bu4 de2 bu4
have no choice or option but to; cannot but; have to; can't help it; can't avoid

不得而知 不得而知 bu4 de2 er2 zhi1
unknown; unable to find out

不得劲 不得勁 bu4 de2 jin4
awkward; unhandy; be indisposed; not feel well

不得了 不得了 bu4 de2 liao3
desperately serious; disastrous; extremely; exceedingly

不得其门而入 不得其門而入 bu4 de2 qi2 men2 er2 ru4
to be unable to get in; to fail to find a proper approach to handling sth

不得人心 不得人心 bu4 de2 ren2 xin1
not to enjoy popular support; to be unpopular

不得要领 不得要領 bu4 de2 yao4 ling3
to fail to grasp the main points

不得已 不得已 bu4 de2 yi3
to act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to; to have no choice; must

不得已而为之 不得已而為之 bu4 de2 yi3 er2 wei2 zhi1
to have no other choice; to be the last resort

不登大雅之堂 不登大雅之堂 bu4 deng1 da4 ya3 zhi1 tang2
lit. not fit for elegant hall (of artwork); not presentable; coarse; unrefined

不等 不等 bu4 deng3
unequal; varied

不等边三角形 不等邊三角形 bu4 deng3 bian1 san1 jiao3 xing2
scalene triangle

不等号 不等號 bu4 deng3 hao4
inequality sign (≠, < , ≤, >, ≥)

不等价交换 不等價交換 bu4 deng3 jia4 jiao1 huan4
exchange of unequal values

不等式 不等式 bu4 deng3 shi4
inequality (math.)

不敌 不敵 bu4 di2
no match for; cannot beat

不抵抗主义 不抵抗主義 bu4 di3 kang4 zhu3 yi4
policy of nonresistance

不第 不第 bu4 di4
to fail the civil service examination (in imperial China)

不迭 不迭 bu4 die2
cannot cope; find it too much; incessantly

不定 不定 bu4 ding4
indefinite; indeterminate; (botany) adventitious

不定词 不定詞 bu4 ding4 ci2
infinitive

不定方程 不定方程 bu4 ding4 fang1 cheng2
(math.) indeterminate equation

不定冠词 不定冠詞 bu4 ding4 guan4 ci2
indefinite article (e.g. English a, an)

不定积分 不定積分 bu4 ding4 ji1 fen1
indefinite integral (math.)

不定期 不定期 bu4 ding4 qi1
non-scheduled; irregularly

不定式 不定式 bu4 ding4 shi4
infinitive (grammar)

不定形 不定形 bu4 ding4 xing2
indeterminate form

不定元 不定元 bu4 ding4 yuan2
indeterminate element (math.), often denoted by x

不懂装懂 不懂裝懂 bu4 dong3 zhuang1 dong3
to pretend to understand when you don't

不动 不動 bu4 dong4
motionless

不动产 不動產 bu4 dong4 chan3
real estate; immovable property; immovables

不动点 不動點 bu4 dong4 dian3
fixed point (of a map) (math.)

不动点定理 不動點定理 bu4 dong4 dian3 ding4 li3
fixed point theorem (math.)

不冻港 不凍港 bu4 dong4 gang3
ice-free port; open port

不冻港口 不凍港口 bu4 dong4 gang3 kou3
ice-free port (refers to Vladivostok)

不动声色 不動聲色 bu4 dong4 sheng1 se4
not a word or movement (idiom); remaining calm and collected; not batting an eyelid

不动摇 不動搖 bu4 dong4 yao2
unmoved

不独 不獨 bu4 du2
not only

不端 不端 bu4 duan1
improper; dishonorable

不断 不斷 bu4 duan4
unceasing; uninterrupted; continuous; constant

不对 不對 bu4 dui4
incorrect; wrong; amiss; abnormal; queer

不对碴儿 不對碴兒 bu4 dui4 cha2 er5
not proper; not fit for the occasion

不对称 不對稱 bu4 dui4 chen4
unsymmetrical; asymmetric

不对劲 不對勁 bu4 dui4 jin4
not in good condition; wrong; fishy

不对劲儿 不對勁兒 bu4 dui4 jin4 er5
erhua variant of 不對勁|不对劲

不对盘 不對盤 bu4 dui4 pan2
(of a person) objectionable; (of two people) to find each other disagreeable

不对头 不對頭 bu4 dui4 tou2
fishy; not right; amiss

不二法门 不二法門 bu4 er4 fa3 men2
the one and only way; the only proper course to take

不二价 不二價 bu4 er4 jia4
one price for all; fixed price

不乏 不乏 bu4 fa2
there is no lack of

不法 不法 bu4 fa3
lawless; illegal; unlawful

不法分子 不法分子 bu4 fa3 fen4 zi3
law-breakers; offenders

不凡 不凡 bu4 fan2
out of the ordinary; out of the common run

不方便 不方便 bu4 fang1 bian4
inconvenience; inconvenient

不妨 不妨 bu4 fang2
there is no harm in; might as well

不菲 不菲 bu4 fei3
considerable (cost etc); bountiful (crop etc); high (social status etc)

不费吹灰之力 不費吹灰之力 bu4 fei4 chui1 hui1 zhi1 li4
as easy as blowing off dust; effortless; with ease

不费事 不費事 bu4 fei4 shi4
not troublesome

不分 不分 bu4 fen1
not divided; irrespective; not distinguishing between

不分彼此 不分彼此 bu4 fen1 bi3 ci3
to make no distinction between what's one's own and what's another's (idiom); to share everything; to be on very intimate terms

不分伯仲 不分伯仲 bu4 fen1 bo2 zhong4
lit. unable to distinguish eldest brother from second brother (idiom); they are all equally excellent; nothing to choose between them

不分高下 不分高下 bu4 fen1 gao1 xia4
equally matched; not much to distinguish who is stronger

不分青红皂白 不分青紅皂白 bu4 fen1 qing1 hong2 zao4 bai2
not distinguishing red-green or black-white (idiom); not to distinguish between right and wrong

不分情由 不分情由 bu4 fen1 qing2 you2
indiscriminate

不分上下 不分上下 bu4 fen1 shang4 xia4
not to know one's place

不分胜败 不分勝敗 bu4 fen1 sheng4 bai4
to not be able to distinguish who's winning

不分胜负 不分勝負 bu4 fen1 sheng4 fu4
unable to determine victory or defeat (idiom); evenly matched; to come out even; to tie; to draw

不分轩轾 不分軒輊 bu4 fen1 xuan1 zhi4
well-matched; equally matched

不分皂白 不分皂白 bu4 fen1 zao4 bai2
not distinguishing black or white (idiom); not to distinguish between right and wrong

不分昼夜 不分晝夜 bu4 fen1 zhou4 ye4
day and night; round-the-clock

不忿 不忿 bu4 fen4
unsatisfied; unconvinced; indignant

不愤不启 不憤不啟 bu4 fen4 bu4 qi3
a student shall not be enlightened until he has tried hard by himself (idiom)

不符 不符 bu4 fu2
inconsistent; not in agreement with; not agree or tally with; not conform to

不服 不服 bu4 fu2
not to accept sth; to want to have sth overruled or changed; to refuse to obey or comply; to refuse to accept as final; to remain unconvinced by; not to give in to

不服水土 不服水土 bu4 fu2 shui3 tu3
(of a stranger) not accustomed to the climate of a new place; not acclimatized

不孚众望 不孚眾望 bu4 fu2 zhong4 wang4
not living up to expectations (idiom); failing to inspire confidence among people; unpopular

不服罪 不服罪 bu4 fu2 zui4
to deny a crime; to plead not guilty

不复 不復 bu4 fu4
no longer; no more

不负众望 不負眾望 bu4 fu4 zhong4 wang4
to live up to expectations (idiom)

不该 不該 bu4 gai1
should not; to owe nothing

不甘 不甘 bu4 gan1
unreconciled to; not resigned to; unwilling

不干不净 不乾不淨 bu4 gan1 bu4 jing4
unclean; filthy; foul-mouthed

不干不净,吃了没病 不乾不淨,吃了沒病 bu4 gan1 bu4 jing4 - chi1 le5 mei2 bing4
a little dirt never killed anybody (proverb); a couple of germs won't do you any harm

不甘寂寞 不甘寂寞 bu4 gan1 ji4 mo4
unwilling to remain lonely or idle; unwilling to be left out

不干涉 不干涉 bu4 gan1 she4
noninterference; nonintervention

不甘示弱 不甘示弱 bu4 gan1 shi4 ruo4
not to be outdone

不甘心 不甘心 bu4 gan1 xin1
not reconciled to; not resigned to

不甘于 不甘於 bu4 gan1 yu2
unwilling to accept; not content with (a subservient role, a mediocre result etc)

不敢当 不敢當 bu4 gan3 dang1
lit. I dare not (accept the honor); fig. I don't deserve your praise; you flatter me

不敢高攀 不敢高攀 bu4 gan3 gao1 pan1
lit. not dare to pull oneself up high (humble term); I cannot presume on your attention

不敢恭维 不敢恭維 bu4 gan3 gong1 wei5
to be underwhelmed; to be less than impressed

不敢苟同 不敢苟同 bu4 gan3 gou3 tong2
to beg to differ (idiom)

不敢越雷池一步 不敢越雷池一步 bu4 gan3 yue4 lei2 chi2 yi1 bu4
dare not go one step beyond the prescribed limit

不敢自专 不敢自專 bu4 gan3 zi4 zhuan1
not daring to act for oneself (idiom)

不给力 不給力 bu4 gei3 li4
lame (unimpressive); a huge letdown; not to try at all

不恭 不恭 bu4 gong1
disrespectful

不公 不公 bu4 gong1
unjust; unfair

不公正 不公正 bu4 gong1 zheng4
injustice

不攻自破 不攻自破 bu4 gong1 zi4 po4
(of a rumor etc) to collapse (in the light of facts etc); to be discredited

不共戴天 不共戴天 bu4 gong4 dai4 tian1
(of enemies) cannot live under the same sky; absolutely irreconcilable

不苟 不苟 bu4 gou3
not lax; not casual; careful; conscientious

不够 不夠 bu4 gou4
not enough; insufficient; inadequate

不顾 不顧 bu4 gu4
in spite of; regardless of

不顾前后 不顧前後 bu4 gu4 qian2 hou4
regardless of what's before or after (idiom); rushing blindly into sth

不顾一切 不顧一切 bu4 gu4 yi1 qie4
reckless; regardless of everything

不关痛痒 不關痛癢 bu4 guan1 tong4 yang3
unimportant; of no consequence

不管 不管 bu4 guan3
not to be concerned; regardless of; no matter

不管三七二十一 不管三七二十一 bu4 guan3 san1 qi1 er4 shi2 yi1
regardless of the consequences; recklessly relying on a hopelessly optimistic forecast

不管怎样 不管怎樣 bu4 guan3 zen3 yang4
in any case; no matter what

不光 不光 bu4 guang1
not the only one; not only

不光彩 不光彩 bu4 guang1 cai3
disgraceful; dishonorable

不规范 不規範 bu4 gui1 fan4
not standard; abnormal; irregular

不规则 不規則 bu4 gui1 ze2
irregular

不规则三角形 不規則三角形 bu4 gui1 ze2 san1 jiao3 xing2
scalene triangle (math.)

不规则四边形 不規則四邊形 bu4 gui1 ze2 si4 bian1 xing2
irregular quadrilateral; trapezium

不轨 不軌 bu4 gui3
errant

不过 不過 bu4 guo4
only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival)

不过尔尔 不過爾爾 bu4 guo4 er3 er3
not more than so-so (idiom); mediocre; nothing out of the ordinary

不过意 不過意 bu4 guo4 yi4
to be sorry; to feel apologetic

不寒而栗 不寒而慄 bu4 han2 er2 li4
shiver all over though not cold; tremble with fear; shudder

不含糊 不含糊 bu4 han2 hu5
unambiguous; unequivocal; explicit; prudent; cautious; not negligent; unafraid; unhesitating; really good; extraordinary

不好 不好 bu4 hao3
no good

不好惹 不好惹 bu4 hao3 re3
not to be trifled with; not to be pushed around; stand no nonsense

不好受 不好受 bu4 hao3 shou4
unpleasant; hard to take

不好说 不好說 bu4 hao3 shuo1
hard to say; unpleasant to say; can't be sure

不好意思 不好意思 bu4 hao3 yi4 si5
to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing; to be sorry (for inconveniencing sb)

不和 不和 bu4 he2
not to get along well; to be on bad terms; to be at odds; discord

不合 不合 bu4 he2
to not conform to; to be unsuited to; to be out of keeping with; should not; ought out

不合法 不合法 bu4 he2 fa3
illegal

不合理 不合理 bu4 he2 li3
unreasonable

不合时宜 不合時宜 bu4 he2 shi2 yi2
untimely; premature; inopportune; ill-timed; out of fashion; behind the times

不合体统 不合體統 bu4 he2 ti3 tong3
not according with decorum; scandalous; bad form; unacceptable behavior

不合作 不合作 bu4 he2 zuo4
noncooperation

不很 不很 bu4 hen3
not very

不划算 不划算 bu4 hua2 suan4
it isn't worth it; not cost-effective; not profitable; too expensive

不怀好意 不懷好意 bu4 huai2 hao3 yi4
to harbor evil designs; to harbor malicious intentions

不欢而散 不歡而散 bu4 huan1 er2 san4
to part on bad terms; (of a meeting etc) to break up in discord

不患寡而患不均 不患寡而患不均 bu4 huan4 gua3 er2 huan4 bu4 jun1
do not worry about scarcity, but rather about uneven distribution (idiom, from Analects)

不慌不忙 不慌不忙 bu4 huang1 bu4 mang2
calm and unhurried (idiom); composed; to take matters calmly

不遑 不遑 bu4 huang2
to have no time to (do sth)

不遑多让 不遑多讓 bu4 huang2 duo1 rang4
lit. to have no time for civilities (idiom); fig. not to be outdone; not to yield to one's opponents

不讳 不諱 bu4 hui4
without concealing anything; to pass away; to die

不会 不會 bu4 hui4
improbable; unlikely; will not (act, happen etc); not able; not having learned to do sth; (coll.) (Tw) don't mention it; not at all

不惑 不惑 bu4 huo4
without doubt; with full self-confidence; forty years of age

不羁 不羈 bu4 ji1
unruly; uninhibited

不吉 不吉 bu4 ji2
unlucky; inauspicious; ominous

不及 不及 bu4 ji2
to fall short of; not as good as; too late

不即不离 不即不離 bu4 ji2 bu4 li2
to be neither too familiar nor too distant; to keep sb at arm's length

不疾不徐 不疾不徐 bu4 ji2 bu4 xu2
neither too fast nor too slow (idiom)

不及格 不及格 bu4 ji2 ge2
to fail; to flunk

不吉利 不吉利 bu4 ji2 li4
ominous

不及物动词 不及物動詞 bu4 ji2 wu4 dong4 ci2
intransitive verb

不急之务 不急之務 bu4 ji2 zhi1 wu4
a matter of no great urgency

不计 不計 bu4 ji4
to disregard; to take no account of

不济 不濟 bu4 ji4
not good; of no use

不记名 不記名 bu4 ji4 ming2
see 無記名|无记名

不记名投票 不記名投票 bu4 ji4 ming2 tou2 piao4
secret ballot

不计其数 不計其數 bu4 ji4 qi2 shu4
lit. their number cannot be counted (idiom); fig. countless; innumerable

不佳 不佳 bu4 jia1
not good

不加 不加 bu4 jia1
without; not; un-

不加拘束 不加拘束 bu4 jia1 ju1 shu4
unrestricted

不加理睬 不加理睬 bu4 jia1 li3 cai3
without giving due consideration; to ignore; to overlook

不加牛奶 不加牛奶 bu4 jia1 niu2 nai3
without milk; black (of tea, coffee etc)

不加区别 不加區別 bu4 jia1 qu1 bie2
indiscriminate

不加思索 不加思索 bu4 jia1 si1 suo3
see 不假思索

不加修饰 不加修飾 bu4 jia1 xiu1 shi4
undecorated; unvarnished; no frills

不加选择 不加選擇 bu4 jia1 xuan3 ze2
indiscriminate

不加掩饰 不加掩飾 bu4 jia1 yan3 shi4
undisguised

不假思索 不假思索 bu4 jia3 si1 suo3
to act without taking time to think (idiom); to react instantly; to fire from the hip

不兼容性 不兼容性 bu4 jian1 rong2 xing4
incompatibility

不简单 不簡單 bu4 jian3 dan1
not simple; rather complicated; remarkable; marvelous

不减当年 不減當年 bu4 jian3 dang1 nian2
(of one's skills, appearance etc) not to have deteriorated a bit; to be as (good, vigorous etc) as ever

不俭则匮 不儉則匱 bu4 jian3 ze2 kui4
wastage makes one destitute (idiom)

不见 不見 bu4 jian4
not to see; not to meet; to have disappeared; to be missing

不见不散 不見不散 bu4 jian4 bu4 san4
(lit.) Even if we don't see each other, don't give up and leave (idiom); Be sure to wait!; See you there!

不见得 不見得 bu4 jian4 de5
not necessarily; not likely

不见棺材不落泪 不見棺材不落淚 bu4 jian4 guan1 cai5 bu4 luo4 lei4
lit. not to shed a tear until one sees the coffin (idiom); fig. refuse to be convinced until one is faced with grim reality

不见经传 不見經傳 bu4 jian4 jing1 zhuan4
not found in the classics (idiom); unknown; unfounded; not authoritative

不见天日 不見天日 bu4 jian4 tian1 ri4
all black, no daylight (idiom); a world without justice

不见兔子不撒鹰 不見兔子不撒鷹 bu4 jian4 tu4 zi5 bu4 sa1 ying1
you don't release the hawk until you've seen the hare (idiom); one doesn't act without some incentive

不见一点踪影 不見一點蹤影 bu4 jian4 yi1 dian3 zong1 ying3
no trace to be seen

不结果 不結果 bu4 jie2 guo3
fruitless

不结盟 不結盟 bu4 jie2 meng2
nonalignment

不结盟运动 不結盟運動 bu4 jie2 meng2 yun4 dong4
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

不解 不解 bu4 jie3
to not understand; to be puzzled by; indissoluble

不解风情 不解風情 bu4 jie3 feng1 qing2
unromantic; insensitive

不禁 不禁 bu4 jin1
can't help (doing sth); can't refrain from

不仅 不僅 bu4 jin3
not only (this one); not just (...) but also

不仅如此 不僅如此 bu4 jin3 ru2 ci3
not only that, but ...

不尽 不盡 bu4 jin4
not completely; endlessly

不尽根 不盡根 bu4 jin4 gen1
surd (math.)

不近人情 不近人情 bu4 jin4 ren2 qing2
not amenable to reason; unreasonable

不经一事 不經一事 bu4 jing1 yi1 shi4
You can't gain knowledge without practical experience (idiom); wisdom only comes with experience

不经一事,不长一智 不經一事,不長一智 bu4 jing1 yi1 shi4 - bu4 zhang3 yi1 zhi4
You can't gain knowledge without practical experience (idiom); wisdom only comes with experience

不经意 不經意 bu4 jing1 yi4
not paying attention; carelessly; by accident

不经意间 不經意間 bu4 jing1 yi4 jian1
without paying attention; without noticing; unconsciously; inadvertently

不经之谈 不經之談 bu4 jing1 zhi1 tan2
absurd statement; cock-and-bull story

不景气 不景氣 bu4 jing3 qi4
slack; in a slump

不敬 不敬 bu4 jing4
disrespect; irreverent; rude; insufficiently respectful (to a superior)

不胫而走 不脛而走 bu4 jing4 er2 zou3
to get round fast; to spread like wildfire

不久 不久 bu4 jiu3
not long (after); before too long; soon; soon after

不久前 不久前 bu4 jiu3 qian2
not long ago

不咎既往 不咎既往 bu4 jiu4 ji4 wang3
not censure sb for his past misdeeds; overlook sb's past mistakes; let bygones be bygones

不拘 不拘 bu4 ju1
not stick to; not confine oneself to; whatever

不拘小节 不拘小節 bu4 ju1 xiao3 jie2
to not bother about trifles (idiom)

不拘一格 不拘一格 bu4 ju1 yi1 ge2
not stick to one pattern

不局限 不局限 bu4 ju2 xian4
not confined

不倦 不倦 bu4 juan4
tireless; untiring; indefatigable

不觉 不覺 bu4 jue2
unconsciously

不绝 不絕 bu4 jue2
unending; uninterrupted

不绝如缕 不絕如縷 bu4 jue2 ru2 lv3
hanging by a thread; very precarious; almost extinct; (of sound) linger on faintly

不绝于耳 不絕於耳 bu4 jue2 yu2 er3
(of sound) to never stop; to fall incessantly on the ear; to linger on

不绝于途 不絕於途 bu4 jue2 yu2 tu2
to come and go in an incessant stream

不均 不均 bu4 jun1
uneven; distributed unevenly

不开窍 不開竅 bu4 kai1 qiao4
unable to understand; can't get the point

不堪 不堪 bu4 kan1
cannot bear; cannot stand; utterly; extremely

不堪忍受 不堪忍受 bu4 kan1 ren3 shou4
unbearable

不堪入目 不堪入目 bu4 kan1 ru4 mu4
unbearable to look at; an eyesore

不堪设想 不堪設想 bu4 kan1 she4 xiang3
too horrible to contemplate; unthinkable; inconceivable

不堪一击 不堪一擊 bu4 kan1 yi1 ji1
to be unable to withstand a single blow; to collapse at the first blow

不刊之论 不刊之論 bu4 kan1 zhi1 lun4
indisputable statement; unalterable truth

不亢不卑 不亢不卑 bu4 kang4 bu4 bei1
neither haughty nor humble; neither overbearing nor servile; neither supercilious nor obsequious

不可 不可 bu4 ke3
cannot; should not; must not

不可避 不可避 bu4 ke3 bi4
unavoidable

不可避免 不可避免 bu4 ke3 bi4 mian3
unavoidably

不可撤销信用证 不可撤銷信用證 bu4 ke3 che4 xiao1 xin4 yong4 zheng4
irrevocable letter of credit

不可导 不可導 bu4 ke3 dao3
not differentiable (function in calculus)

不可端倪 不可端倪 bu4 ke3 duan1 ni2
impossible to get even an outline (idiom); unfathomable; not a clue

不可多得 不可多得 bu4 ke3 duo1 de2
hard to come by; rare

不可分割 不可分割 bu4 ke3 fen1 ge1
inalienable; unalienable; inseparable; indivisible

不可分离 不可分離 bu4 ke3 fen1 li2
inseparable

不可告人 不可告人 bu4 ke3 gao4 ren2
hidden; kept secret; not to be divulged

不可估量 不可估量 bu4 ke3 gu1 liang4
inestimable; incalculable; beyond measure

不可或缺 不可或缺 bu4 ke3 huo4 que1
necessary; must have

不可解 不可解 bu4 ke3 jie3
insoluble (i.e. impossible to solve)

不可救药 不可救藥 bu4 ke3 jiu4 yao4
incurable; incorrigible; beyond cure; hopeless

不可开交 不可開交 bu4 ke3 kai1 jiao1
to be awfully (busy etc)

不可抗拒 不可抗拒 bu4 ke3 kang4 ju4
act of God; force majeure (law); irresistible (idiom)

不可抗力 不可抗力 bu4 ke3 kang4 li4
unpredictable eventuality; unpreventable; unavoidable; impossible to overcome; nothing can be done about it; act of God; force majeure

不可靠 不可靠 bu4 ke3 kao4
unreliable

不可理喻 不可理喻 bu4 ke3 li3 yu4
to be impervious to reason (idiom); unreasonable

不可枚举 不可枚舉 bu4 ke3 mei2 ju3
innumerable (idiom)

不可名状 不可名狀 bu4 ke3 ming2 zhuang4
indescribable; beyond description

不可磨灭 不可磨滅 bu4 ke3 mo2 mie4
indelible

不可能 不可能 bu4 ke3 neng2
impossible; cannot; not able

不可逆 不可逆 bu4 ke3 ni4
irreversible

不可逆转 不可逆轉 bu4 ke3 ni4 zhuan3
irreversible

不可侵犯 不可侵犯 bu4 ke3 qin1 fan4
inviolable; inviolability

不可侵犯权 不可侵犯權 bu4 ke3 qin1 fan4 quan2
inviolability

不可缺少 不可缺少 bu4 ke3 que1 shao3
indispensable

不可胜数 不可勝數 bu4 ke3 sheng4 shu3
countless; innumerable

不可胜言 不可勝言 bu4 ke3 sheng4 yan2
inexpressible (idiom); beyond description

不可收拾 不可收拾 bu4 ke3 shou1 shi2
irremediable; unmanageable; out of hand; hopeless

不可数 不可數 bu4 ke3 shu3
uncountable

不可数名词 不可數名詞 bu4 ke3 shu3 ming2 ci2
uncountable noun (in grammar of European languages)

不可数集 不可數集 bu4 ke3 shuo4 ji2
uncountable set (math.)

不可思议 不可思議 bu4 ke3 si1 yi4
inconceivable (idiom); unimaginable; unfathomable

不可通约 不可通約 bu4 ke3 tong1 yue1
having no common measure; incommensurable; incommensurate

不可同日而语 不可同日而語 bu4 ke3 tong2 ri4 er2 yu3
lit. mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath; incomparable

不可挽回 不可挽回 bu4 ke3 wan3 hui2
irreversible

不可言喻 不可言喻 bu4 ke3 yan2 yu4
inexpressible (idiom)

不可一世 不可一世 bu4 ke3 yi1 shi4
to consider oneself unexcelled in the world; to be insufferably arrogant

不可以 不可以 bu4 ke3 yi3
may not

不可逾越 不可逾越 bu4 ke3 yu2 yue4
impassable; insurmountable; insuperable

不可再生资源 不可再生資源 bu4 ke3 zai4 sheng1 zi1 yuan2
nonrenewable resource

不可知论 不可知論 bu4 ke3 zhi1 lun4
agnosticism, the philosophical doctrine that some questions about the universe are in principle unanswerable

不可置信 不可置信 bu4 ke3 zhi4 xin4
unbelievable; incredible

不可终日 不可終日 bu4 ke3 zhong1 ri4
to be unable to carry on even for a single day; to be in a desperate situation

不克 不克 bu4 ke4
cannot; to not be able (to); to be unable to

不客气 不客氣 bu4 ke4 qi5
you're welcome; don't mention it; impolite; rude; blunt

不空成就佛 不空成就佛 bu4 kong1 cheng2 jiu4 fo2
Amoghasiddhi Buddha

不快 不快 bu4 kuai4
unhappy; in low spirits; (of a knife) not sharp

不愧 不愧 bu4 kui4
to be worthy of; to deserve to be called; to prove oneself to be

不匮 不匱 bu4 kui4
endlessly; without ceasing

不愧不怍 不愧不怍 bu4 kui4 bu4 zuo4
no shame, no subterfuge (idiom); just and honorable; upright and above board

不愧下学 不愧下學 bu4 kui4 xia4 xue2
not ashamed to learn from subordinates (idiom)

不扩散核武器条约 不擴散核武器條約 bu4 kuo4 san4 he2 wu3 qi4 tiao2 yue1
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

不拉叽 不拉嘰 bu4 la1 ji1
(nasty, stupid etc) as can be

不拉几 不拉幾 bu4 la1 ji1
(dialect) extremely

不来梅 不來梅 bu4 lai2 mei2
Bremen (city)

不莱梅 不萊梅 bu4 lai2 mei2
Bremen (city in Germany)

不来梅港 不來梅港 bu4 lai2 mei2 gang3
Bremerhaven, German port

不赖 不賴 bu4 lai4
(coll.) not bad; good; fine

不稂不莠 不稂不莠 bu4 lang2 bu4 you3
useless; worthless; good-for-nothing

不劳而获 不勞而獲 bu4 lao2 er2 huo4
to reap without sowing (idiom)

不劳无获 不勞無獲 bu4 lao2 wu2 huo4
no pain, no gain (idiom)

不离不弃 不離不棄 bu4 li2 bu4 qi4
to never leave each other

不离儿 不離兒 bu4 li2 er5
not bad; pretty good; pretty close

不理 不理 bu4 li3
to refuse to acknowledge; to pay no attention to; to take no notice of; to ignore

不理不睬 不理不睬 bu4 li3 bu4 cai3
to completely ignore (idiom); to pay no attention to; not to be in the least concerned about

不力 不力 bu4 li4
not to do one's best; not to exert oneself

不利 不利 bu4 li4
unfavorable; disadvantageous; harmful; detrimental

不连续 不連續 bu4 lian2 xu4
discontinuous; discrete

不连续面 不連續面 bu4 lian2 xu4 mian4
surface of discontinuity

不良 不良 bu4 liang2
bad; harmful; unhealthy

不良倾向 不良傾向 bu4 liang2 qing1 xiang4
harmful trend

不了 不了 bu4 liao3
unable to; without end

不了了之 不了了之 bu4 liao3 liao3 zhi1
to settle a matter by leaving it unsettled; to end up with nothing definite

不料 不料 bu4 liao4
unexpectedly; to one's surprise

不列颠 不列顛 bu4 lie4 dian1
Britain; British; Great Britain

不列颠保卫战 不列顛保衛戰 bu4 lie4 dian1 bao3 wei4 zhan4
see 不列顛戰役|不列颠战役)

不列颠哥伦比亚 不列顛哥倫比亞 bu4 lie4 dian1 ge1 lun2 bi3 ya4
British Columbia, Pacific province of Canada

不列颠哥伦比亚省 不列顛哥倫比亞省 bu4 lie4 dian1 ge1 lun2 bi3 ya4 sheng3
British Columbia, Pacific province of Canada

不列颠战役 不列顛戰役 bu4 lie4 dian1 zhan4 yi4
Battle of Britain (Jul-Oct 1940)

不列颠诸岛 不列顛諸島 bu4 lie4 dian1 zhu1 dao3
British Isles

不吝 不吝 bu4 lin4
not to stint; to be generous (with praise etc); to be prepared to (pay a fee, give of one's time etc)

不吝珠玉 不吝珠玉 bu4 lin4 zhu1 yu4
lit. do not begrudge gems of wisdom (idiom, humble expr.); fig. Please give me your frank opinion.; Your criticism will be most valuable.

不灵 不靈 bu4 ling2
not work; be ineffective

不令人鼓舞 不令人鼓舞 bu4 ling4 ren2 gu3 wu3
discouraging; disheartening

不露声色 不露聲色 bu4 lu4 sheng1 se4
not show one's feeling or intentions

不伦 不倫 bu4 lun2
(of a relationship) improper (adulterous, incestuous, teacher-student etc); unseemly

不伦不类 不倫不類 bu4 lun2 bu4 lei4
out of place; inappropriate; incongruous

不论 不論 bu4 lun4
whatever; no matter what (who, how etc); regardless of; not to discuss

不落痕迹 不落痕跡 bu4 luo4 hen2 ji4
to leave no trace; seamless; professional

不落窠臼 不落窠臼 bu4 luo4 ke1 jiu4
not follow the beaten track; have an original style

不落俗套 不落俗套 bu4 luo4 su2 tao4
to conform to no conventional pattern; unconventional; offbeat

不满 不滿 bu4 man3
resentful; discontented; dissatisfied

不满意 不滿意 bu4 man3 yi4
dissatisfied

不忙 不忙 bu4 mang2
there's no hurry; take one's time

不毛 不毛 bu4 mao2
barren

不毛之地 不毛之地 bu4 mao2 zhi1 di4
barren land; desert

不眠不休 不眠不休 bu4 mian2 bu4 xiu1
without stopping to sleep or have a rest (idiom)

不免 不免 bu4 mian3
inevitably

不免一死 不免一死 bu4 mian3 yi1 si3
cannot avoid being killed; cannot escape death; to be mortal

不妙 不妙 bu4 miao4
(of a turn of events) not too encouraging; far from good; anything but reassuring

不明 不明 bu4 ming2
not clear; unknown; to fail to understand

不明不白 不明不白 bu4 ming2 bu4 bai2
obscure; dubious; shady

不明飞行物 不明飛行物 bu4 ming2 fei1 xing2 wu4
unidentified flying object (UFO)

不明就里 不明就裡 bu4 ming2 jiu4 li3
not to understand the situation; unaware of the ins and outs

不明觉厉 不明覺厲 bu4 ming2 jue2 li4
although I don't understand it, it seems pretty awesome (Internet slang)

不明确 不明確 bu4 ming2 que4
indefinite; unclear

不明事理 不明事理 bu4 ming2 shi4 li3
not understanding things (idiom); devoid of sense

不名数 不名數 bu4 ming2 shu4
abstract number

不名一文 不名一文 bu4 ming2 yi1 wen2
without a penny to one's name; penniless; stony-broke

不名誉 不名譽 bu4 ming2 yu4
disreputable; disgraceful

不摸头 不摸頭 bu4 mo1 tou2
not acquainted with the situation; not up on things

不谋而合 不謀而合 bu4 mou2 er2 he2
to agree without prior consultation; to happen to hold the same view

不睦 不睦 bu4 mu4
to not get along well; to be at odds

不耐烦 不耐煩 bu4 nai4 fan2
impatience; impatient

不能 不能 bu4 neng2
cannot; must not; should not

不能不 不能不 bu4 neng2 bu4
have to; cannot but

不能抵抗 不能抵抗 bu4 neng2 di3 kang4
irresistible

不能自已 不能自已 bu4 neng2 zi4 yi3
unable to control oneself; to be beside oneself

不念旧恶 不念舊惡 bu4 nian4 jiu4 e4
do not recall old grievances (idiom, from Analects); forgive and forget

不佞 不佞 bu4 ning4
without eloquence; untalented; I, me (humble)

不怕 不怕 bu4 pa4
fearless; not worried (by setbacks or difficulties); even if; even though

不怕不识货,就怕货比货 不怕不識貨,就怕貨比貨 bu4 pa4 bu4 shi2 huo4 - jiu4 pa4 huo4 bi3 huo4
lit. don't worry about not knowing goods, but about comparing them (proverb); fig. goods' (or person's) true value can only be determined through comparison

不怕不识货,只怕货比货 不怕不識貨,只怕貨比貨 bu4 pa4 bu4 shi2 huo4 - zhi3 pa4 huo4 bi3 huo4
lit. don't worry about not knowing goods, but about comparing them (proverb); fig. goods' (or person's) true value can only be determined through comparison

不怕官,只怕管 不怕官,只怕管 bu4 pa4 guan1 - zhi3 pa4 guan3
lit. it is not an official to be feared, but a person in direct control over sb (proverb); fig. to be obliged to comply with people in authority

不怕慢,就怕站 不怕慢,就怕站 bu4 pa4 man4 - jiu4 pa4 zhan4
it's better to make slow progress than no progress at all (proverb)

不怕神一样的对手,就怕猪一样的队友 不怕神一樣的對手,就怕豬一樣的隊友 bu4 pa4 shen2 yi1 yang4 de5 dui4 shou3 - jiu4 pa4 zhu1 yi1 yang4 de5 dui4 you3
a boneheaded teammate can do you more harm than the most formidable opponent (idiom)

不怕一万,就怕万一 不怕一萬,就怕萬一 bu4 pa4 yi1 wan4 - jiu4 pa4 wan4 yi1
better to be safe than sorry (proverb); to be prepared just in case

不偏不倚 不偏不倚 bu4 pian1 bu4 yi3
even-handed; impartial; unbiased; exact; just

不偏极 不偏極 bu4 pian1 ji2
unpolarized (light)

不偏斜 不偏斜 bu4 pian1 xie2
not leaning to one side; impartial; even-handed

不平 不平 bu4 ping2
uneven; injustice; unfairness; wrong; grievance; indignant; dissatisfied

不平常 不平常 bu4 ping2 chang2
remarkable; remarkably; unusual

不平等 不平等 bu4 ping2 deng3
inequality; unfairness

不平等条约 不平等條約 bu4 ping2 deng3 tiao2 yue1
unequal treaty

不平凡 不平凡 bu4 ping2 fan2
marvelous; marvelously

不平衡 不平衡 bu4 ping2 heng2
disequilibrium

不平则鸣 不平則鳴 bu4 ping2 ze2 ming2
where there is injustice, there will be an outcry; man will cry out against injustice

不破不立 不破不立 bu4 po4 bu4 li4
without destruction there can be no construction

不期 不期 bu4 qi1
unexpectedly; to one's surprise

不期而遇 不期而遇 bu4 qi1 er2 yu4
meet by chance; have a chance encounter

不期然而然 不期然而然 bu4 qi1 ran2 er2 ran2
happen unexpectedly; turn out contrary to one's expectations

不起眼 不起眼 bu4 qi3 yan3
unremarkable; nothing out of the ordinary

不起眼儿 不起眼兒 bu4 qi3 yan3 er5
erhua variant of 不起眼

不巧 不巧 bu4 qiao3
too bad; unfortunately; as luck would have it

不切合实际 不切合實際 bu4 qie4 he2 shi2 ji4
impractical; not conforming to reality

不切实际 不切實際 bu4 qie4 shi2 ji4
unrealistic; impractical

不清 不清 bu4 qing1
unclear

不清楚 不清楚 bu4 qing1 chu5
unclear; not understood; currently unknown

不轻饶 不輕饒 bu4 qing1 rao2
not to forgive easily; not to let off; (You, He) won't get away with it!

不情愿 不情願 bu4 qing2 yuan4
unwilling

不情之请 不情之請 bu4 qing2 zhi1 qing3
my presumptuous request (humble expr.); if I may be so bold to ask a favor

不请自来 不請自來 bu4 qing3 zi4 lai2
to turn up without being invited; unsolicited

不穷 不窮 bu4 qiong2
endless; boundless; inexhaustible

不求人 不求人 bu4 qiu2 ren2
backscratcher (made from bamboo etc)

不求甚解 不求甚解 bu4 qiu2 shen4 jie3
lit. not requiring a detailed understanding (idiom); only looking for an overview; not bothered with the details; superficial; content with shallow understanding

不求收获 不求收獲 bu4 qiu2 shou1 huo4
not expecting any reward; not asking for favors

不求有功,但求无过 不求有功,但求無過 bu4 qiu2 you3 gong1 - dan4 qiu2 wu2 guo4
lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom); fig. to take a risk-averse approach

不屈 不屈 bu4 qu1
unyielding; unbending

不屈不挠 不屈不撓 bu4 qu1 bu4 nao2
unyielding; indomitable

不区分大小写 不區分大小寫 bu4 qu1 fen1 da4 xiao3 xie3
case insensitive; not distinguishing capitals from lower case letters

不去理 不去理 bu4 qu4 li3
not to pay attention to; to leave sth as it is; to ignore

不确定性原理 不確定性原理 bu4 que4 ding4 xing4 yuan2 li3
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle (1927)

不确实 不確實 bu4 que4 shi2
untrue

不然 不然 bu4 ran2
not so; no; or else; otherwise; if not; How about ...?

不让须眉 不讓鬚眉 bu4 rang4 xu1 mei2
(idiom) to compare favorably with men in terms of ability, bravery etc; to be a match for men; lit. not conceding to men (beard and eyebrows)

不仁 不仁 bu4 ren2
not benevolent; heartless; numb

不人道 不人道 bu4 ren2 dao4
inhuman

不忍 不忍 bu4 ren3
cannot bear to; disturbed

不日 不日 bu4 ri4
within the next few days; in a few days time

不容 不容 bu4 rong2
must not; cannot; to not allow; cannot tolerate

不溶 不溶 bu4 rong2
insoluble

不容置辩 不容置辯 bu4 rong2 zhi4 bian4
peremptory; not to be denied; not brooking argument

不容置疑 不容置疑 bu4 rong2 zhi4 yi2
unquestionable

不如 不如 bu4 ru2
not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to

不如人意 不如人意 bu4 ru2 ren2 yi4
leaving much to be desired; unsatisfactory; undesirable

不入虎穴,焉得虎子 不入虎穴,焉得虎子 bu4 ru4 hu3 xue2 - yan1 de2 hu3 zi3
How do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair? (idiom); Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

不入时宜 不入時宜 bu4 ru4 shi2 yi2
untimely; premature; inopportune; ill-timed; out of fashion; behind the times

不若 不若 bu4 ruo4
not as good as; not equal to; inferior

不三不四 不三不四 bu4 san1 bu4 si4
dubious; shady; neither one thing nor the other; neither fish nor fowl; nondescript

不善 不善 bu4 shan4
bad; ill; not good at; not to be pooh-poohed; quite impressive

不伤脾胃 不傷脾胃 bu4 shang1 pi2 wei4
lit. doesn't hurt the spleen or the stomach; fig. something that is not critical

不少 不少 bu4 shao3
many; a lot; not few

不舍 不捨 bu4 she3
reluctant to part with (sth or sb); unwilling to let go of

不慎 不慎 bu4 shen4
incautious; inattentive

不声不响 不聲不響 bu4 sheng1 bu4 xiang3
wordless and silent (idiom); without speaking; taciturn

不胜 不勝 bu4 sheng4
cannot bear or stand; be unequal to; very; extremely

不胜枚举 不勝枚舉 bu4 sheng4 mei2 ju3
too numerous to mention individually or one by one

不胜其烦 不勝其煩 bu4 sheng4 qi2 fan2
to be pestered beyond endurance

不胜其苦 不勝其苦 bu4 sheng4 qi2 ku3
unable to bear the pain (idiom)

不胜其扰 不勝其擾 bu4 sheng4 qi2 rao3
unable to put up with (sth) any longer

不失时机 不失時機 bu4 shi1 shi2 ji1
to seize the opportune moment; to lose no time

不失为 不失為 bu4 shi1 wei2
can still be considered (to be...); may after all be accepted as

不时 不時 bu4 shi2
from time to time; now and then; occasionally; frequently

不识大体 不識大體 bu4 shi2 da4 ti3
to fail to see the larger issue (idiom); to fail to grasp the big picture

不识高低 不識高低 bu4 shi2 gao1 di1
can't recognize tall or short (idiom); doesn't know what's what

不识好歹 不識好歹 bu4 shi2 hao3 dai3
unable to tell good from bad (idiom); undiscriminating

不食人间烟火 不食人間煙火 bu4 shi2 ren2 jian1 yan1 huo3
lit. not eating the food of common mortals; fig. placing oneself above the common populace

不识时变 不識時變 bu4 shi2 shi2 bian4
to show no understanding of the times (idiom); cannot adapt to current circumstances; not amenable to reason

不识时务 不識時務 bu4 shi2 shi2 wu4
to show no understanding of the times (idiom); cannot adapt to current circumstances; not amenable to reason

不识抬举 不識抬舉 bu4 shi2 tai2 ju3
fail to appreciate sb's kindness; not know how to appreciate favors

不识泰山 不識泰山 bu4 shi2 tai4 shan1
can't recognize Mt Taishan (idiom); fig. not to recognize a famous person

不识一丁 不識一丁 bu4 shi2 yi1 ding1
total illiterate; unable to read the simplest characters

不时之需 不時之需 bu4 shi2 zhi1 xu1
a possible period of want or need

不识字 不識字 bu4 shi2 zi4
illiterate

不适 不適 bu4 shi4
unwell; indisposed; out of sorts

不是 不是 bu4 shi4
no; is not; not

不是吃素的 不是吃素的 bu4 shi4 chi1 su4 de5
not to be trifled with; to be reckoned with

不适当 不適當 bu4 shi4 dang4
inadequate; unfit

不是东西 不是東西 bu4 shi4 dong1 xi5
(derog.) to be a good-for-nothing; worthless nobody; no-good

不是话 不是話 bu4 shi4 hua4
see 不像話|不像话

不识庐山真面目 不識廬山真面目 bu4 shi4 lu2 shan1 zhen1 mian4 mu4
lit. not to know the true face of Lushan Mountain; fig. can't see the forest for the trees

不是吗 不是嗎 bu4 shi4 ma5
isn't that so?

不事生产 不事生產 bu4 shi4 sheng1 chan3
not to do anything productive; to idle away one's time

不是味儿 不是味兒 bu4 shi4 wei4 er5
not the right flavor; not quite right; a bit off; fishy; queer; amiss; feel bad; be upset

不是一家人不进一家门 不是一家人不進一家門 bu4 shi4 yi1 jia1 ren2 bu4 jin4 yi1 jia1 men2
people who don't belong together, don't get to live together (idiom); marriages are predestined; people marry because they share common traits

不是冤家不聚头 不是冤家不聚頭 bu4 shi4 yuan1 jia1 bu4 ju4 tou2
destiny will make enemies meet (idiom); (often said about lovers who have a disagreement)

不事张扬 不事張揚 bu4 shi4 zhang1 yang2
quietly; without ostentation

不是滋味 不是滋味 bu4 shi4 zi1 wei4
to be upset; to feel disgusted

不首先使用 不首先使用 bu4 shou3 xian1 shi3 yong4
no first use (policy for nuclear weapons); NFU

不受欢迎 不受歡迎 bu4 shou4 huan1 ying2
unwelcome

不舒服 不舒服 bu4 shu1 fu5
unwell; feeling ill; to feel uncomfortable; uneasy

不舒适 不舒適 bu4 shu1 shi4
uncomfortable

不衰 不衰 bu4 shuai1
unfailing; never weakening; enduring; unstoppable

不爽 不爽 bu4 shuang3
not well; out of sorts; in a bad mood; without discrepancy; accurate

不顺 不順 bu4 shun4
unfavorable; adverse

不说自明 不說自明 bu4 shuo1 zi4 ming2
self-explanatory; self-evident (idiom)

不死心 不死心 bu4 si3 xin1
unwilling to give up; unresigned

不送 不送 bu4 song4
don't bother to see me out

不送气 不送氣 bu4 song4 qi4
unaspirated

不俗 不俗 bu4 su2
impressive; out of the ordinary

不速 不速 bu4 su4
uninvited (guest); unexpected (appearance); unwanted presence

不速而至 不速而至 bu4 su4 er2 zhi4
to arrive without invitation; unexpected guest; unwanted presence

不速之客 不速之客 bu4 su4 zhi1 ke4
uninvited or unexpected guest

不随大流 不隨大流 bu4 sui2 da4 liu2
not following the crowd; to go against the tide

不随意 不隨意 bu4 sui2 yi4
unconscious; involuntary

不随意肌 不隨意肌 bu4 sui2 yi4 ji1
involuntary muscle

不遂 不遂 bu4 sui4
to fail; to fail to materialize; not to get one's way

不碎玻璃 不碎玻璃 bu4 sui4 bo1 li5
shatterproof or safety glass

不太好 不太好 bu4 tai4 hao3
not so good; not too well

不特 不特 bu4 te4
not only

不题 不題 bu4 ti2
we will not elaborate on that (used as pluralis auctoris)

不提也罢 不提也罷 bu4 ti2 ye3 ba4
best not to mention it; drop it; never mind; let's not talk about it

不体面 不體面 bu4 ti3 mian4
to not appear to be decent or respectful; shameful

不调和 不調和 bu4 tiao2 he2
discord

不听命 不聽命 bu4 ting1 ming4
to disobey

不停 不停 bu4 ting2
incessant

不通 不通 bu4 tong1
to be obstructed; to be blocked up; to be impassable; to make no sense; to be illogical

不同 不同 bu4 tong2
different; distinct; not the same; not alike

不同凡响 不同凡響 bu4 tong2 fan2 xiang3
lit. not a common chord (idiom); outstanding; brilliant; out of the common run

不痛不痒 不痛不癢 bu4 tong4 bu4 yang3
lit. doesn't hurt, doesn't tickle (idiom); sth is wrong, but not quite sure what; fig. not getting to any matter of substance; scratching the surface; superficial; perfunctory

不透明 不透明 bu4 tou4 ming2
opaque

不透气 不透氣 bu4 tou4 qi4
airtight

不透水 不透水 bu4 tou4 shui3
waterproof; watertight; impermeable

不吐不快 不吐不快 bu4 tu3 bu4 kuai4
to have to pour out what's on one's mind (idiom)

不吐气 不吐氣 bu4 tu3 qi4
unaspirated

不妥 不妥 bu4 tuo3
not proper; inappropriate

不妥协 不妥協 bu4 tuo3 xie2
uncompromising

不外 不外 bu4 wai4
not beyond the scope of; nothing more than

不外乎 不外乎 bu4 wai4 hu1
nothing else but

不外露 不外露 bu4 wai4 lu4
not exposed; concealed from view

不完美 不完美 bu4 wan2 mei3
defective; imperfect

不完全归纳推理 不完全歸納推理 bu4 wan2 quan2 gui1 na4 tui1 li3
inference by incomplete induction

不完全叶 不完全葉 bu4 wan2 quan2 ye4
incomplete leaf

不完全中立 不完全中立 bu4 wan2 quan2 zhong1 li4
imperfect neutrality

不完善 不完善 bu4 wan2 shan4
imperfect

不枉 不枉 bu4 wang3
not in vain

不惟 不惟 bu4 wei2
not only

不为酒困 不為酒困 bu4 wei2 jiu3 kun4
not a slave to the bottle; able to enjoy alcohol in moderation; able to hold one's drink

不违农时 不違農時 bu4 wei2 nong2 shi2
not miss the farming season; do farm work in the right season

不为人知 不為人知 bu4 wei2 ren2 zhi1
not known to anyone; secret; unknown

不为所动 不為所動 bu4 wei2 suo3 dong4
to remain unmoved

不为已甚 不為已甚 bu4 wei2 yi3 shen4
refrain from going to extremes in meting out punishment; not be too hard on subject

不韪 不韙 bu4 wei3
fault; error

不谓 不謂 bu4 wei4
cannot be deemed; unexpectedly

不畏 不畏 bu4 wei4
unafraid; to defy

不畏强暴 不畏強暴 bu4 wei4 qiang2 bao4
not to submit to force (idiom); to defy threats and violence

不畏强权 不畏強權 bu4 wei4 qiang2 quan2
not to submit to force (idiom); to defy threats and violence

不为左右袒 不為左右袒 bu4 wei4 zuo3 you4 tan3
to remain neutral in a quarrel (idiom)

不闻不问 不聞不問 bu4 wen2 bu4 wen4
not to hear, not to question (idiom); to show no interest in sth; uncritical; not in the least concerned

不稳 不穩 bu4 wen3
unstable; unsteady

不稳定 不穩定 bu4 wen3 ding4
unstable

不稳定气流 不穩定氣流 bu4 wen3 ding4 qi4 liu2
turbulent

不稳平衡 不穩平衡 bu4 wen3 ping2 heng2
unstable equilibrium

不稳性 不穩性 bu4 wen3 xing4
instability

不问 不問 bu4 wen4
to pay no attention to; to disregard; to ignore; to let go unpunished; to let off

不问好歹 不問好歹 bu4 wen4 hao3 dai3
no matter what may happen (idiom)

不问就听不到假话 不問就聽不到假話 bu4 wen4 jiu4 ting1 bu4 dao4 jia3 hua4
Don't ask and you won't be told any lies. (idiom)

不问青红皂白 不問青紅皂白 bu4 wen4 qing1 hong2 zao4 bai2
not distinguishing red-green or black-white (idiom); not to distinguish between right and wrong

不无 不無 bu4 wu2
not without

不无小补 不無小補 bu4 wu2 xiao3 bu3
not be without some advantage; be of some help

不务正业 不務正業 bu4 wu4 zheng4 ye4
not to engage in honest work; to ignore one's proper occupation; not to attend to one's proper duties

不惜 不惜 bu4 xi1
not stint; not spare; not hesitate (to do sth); not scruple (to do sth)

不息 不息 bu4 xi1
continually; without a break; ceaselessly

不惜血本 不惜血本 bu4 xi1 xue4 ben3
to spare no effort; to devote all one's energies

不惜一战 不惜一戰 bu4 xi1 yi1 zhan4
to be ready to go to war

不暇 不暇 bu4 xia2
to have no time (for sth); to be too busy (to do sth)

不下 不下 bu4 xia4
to be not less than (a certain quantity, amount etc)

不下于 不下于 bu4 xia4 yu2
as many as; no less than; not inferior to; as good as; on a par with

不显山不露水 不顯山不露水 bu4 xian3 shan1 bu4 lu4 shui3
lit. to not show the mountain and to not reveal the water (idiom); fig. to hide the key facts

不相符 不相符 bu4 xiang1 fu2
not in harmony

不相干 不相干 bu4 xiang1 gan1
to be irrelevant; to have nothing to do with

不相容 不相容 bu4 xiang1 rong2
incompatible

不相容原理 不相容原理 bu4 xiang1 rong2 yuan2 li3
(Pauli) exclusion principle (physics)

不相上下 不相上下 bu4 xiang1 shang4 xia4
equally matched; about the same

不祥 不祥 bu4 xiang2
ominous; inauspicious

不详 不詳 bu4 xiang2
not in detail; not quite clear

不祥之兆 不祥之兆 bu4 xiang2 zhi1 zhao4
bad omen

不想 不想 bu4 xiang3
unexpectedly

不像话 不像話 bu4 xiang4 hua4
unreasonable; shocking; outrageous

不象话 不象話 bu4 xiang4 hua4
unreasonable; shocking; outrageous; also written 不像話|不像话

不像样 不像樣 bu4 xiang4 yang4
in no shape to be seen; unpresentable; beyond recognition

不消 不消 bu4 xiao1
to not need; needless (to say)

不肖 不肖 bu4 xiao4
(literary) unlike one's parents; degenerate; unworthy

不孝 不孝 bu4 xiao4
unfilial

不孝有三,无后为大 不孝有三,無後為大 bu4 xiao4 you3 san1 - wu2 hou4 wei2 da4
There are three ways to be unfilial; having no sons is the worst. (citation from Mencius 孟子)

不协调 不協調 bu4 xie2 tiao2
uncoordinated; disharmony

不屑 不屑 bu4 xie4
to disdain to do sth; to think sth not worth doing; to feel it beneath one's dignity

不懈 不懈 bu4 xie4
untiring; unremitting; indefatigable

不谢 不謝 bu4 xie4
don't mention it; not at all

不懈怠 不懈怠 bu4 xie4 dai4
untiring; without slacking

不屑一顾 不屑一顧 bu4 xie4 yi1 gu4
to disdain as beneath contempt (idiom)

不新鲜 不新鮮 bu4 xin1 xian1
stale

不信任案 不信任案 bu4 xin4 ren4 an4
no-confidence motion

不信任动议 不信任動議 bu4 xin4 ren4 dong4 yi4
motion of no confidence (against the government, in parliamentary debates)

不信任投票 不信任投票 bu4 xin4 ren4 tou2 piao4
vote of no-confidence

不信用 不信用 bu4 xin4 yong4
distrust

不兴 不興 bu4 xing1
out of fashion; outmoded; impermissible; can't

不行 不行 bu4 xing2
won't do; be out of the question; be no good; not work; not be capable

不行了 不行了 bu4 xing2 le5
(coll.) on the point of death; dying

不省人事 不省人事 bu4 xing3 ren2 shi4
to lose consciousness; unconscious; in a coma

不幸 不幸 bu4 xing4
misfortune; adversity; unfortunate; sad; unfortunately

不幸受害 不幸受害 bu4 xing4 shou4 hai4
the unfortunate injured (party); a victim

不幸言中 不幸言中 bu4 xing4 yan2 zhong4
to turn out just as one predicted or feared

不幸之事 不幸之事 bu4 xing4 zhi1 shi4
mishap

不幸之幸 不幸之幸 bu4 xing4 zhi1 xing4
a fortune in misfortune; a positive in the negative

不休 不休 bu4 xiu1
endlessly; ceaselessly

不修边幅 不修邊幅 bu4 xiu1 bian1 fu2
not care about one's appearance (idiom); slovenly in dress and manner

不朽 不朽 bu4 xiu3
immortal; immortality

不锈钢 不銹鋼 bu4 xiu4 gang1
stainless steel

不锈钢 不鏽鋼 bu4 xiu4 gang1
stainless steel

不锈铁 不鏽鐵 bu4 xiu4 tie3
stainless iron

不虚此行 不虛此行 bu4 xu1 ci3 xing2
the trip has not been made in vain; the trip has been well worthwhile; it's been a worthwhile trip

不许 不許 bu4 xu3
not to allow; must not; can't

不恤 不恤 bu4 xu4
not to worry; not to show concern

不恤人言 不恤人言 bu4 xu4 ren2 yan2
not to worry about the gossip (idiom); to do the right thing regardless of what others say

不宣而战 不宣而戰 bu4 xuan1 er2 zhan4
open hostilities without declaring war; start an undeclared war

不学无术 不學無術 bu4 xue2 wu2 shu4
without learning or skills (idiom); ignorant and incompetent

不逊 不遜 bu4 xun4
rude; impertinent

不雅 不雅 bu4 ya3
graceless; vulgar; indecent

不雅观 不雅觀 bu4 ya3 guan1
offensive to the eye; unbecoming; unsightly; ungainly

不亚 不亞 bu4 ya4
no less than; not inferior to

不亚于 不亞於 bu4 ya4 yu2
no less than; not inferior to

不言不语 不言不語 bu4 yan2 bu4 yu3
to not say a word (idiom); to keep silent

不言而喻 不言而喻 bu4 yan2 er2 yu4
it goes without saying; it is self-evident

不言自明 不言自明 bu4 yan2 zi4 ming2
self-evident; needing no explanation (idiom)

不厌 不厭 bu4 yan4
not to tire of; not to object to

不厌其烦 不厭其煩 bu4 yan4 qi2 fan2
not to mind taking all the trouble (idiom); to take great pains; to be very patient

不要 不要 bu4 yao4
don't!; must not

不要紧 不要緊 bu4 yao4 jin3
unimportant; not serious; it doesn't matter; never mind; it looks all right, but

不要脸 不要臉 bu4 yao4 lian3
to have no sense of shame; shameless

不要在一棵树上吊死 不要在一棵樹上吊死 bu4 yao4 zai4 yi1 ke1 shu4 shang4 diao4 si3
don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom); there's more than one way to skin a cat

不依 不依 bu4 yi1
not to comply; not to go along with; not to let off easily; not to let sb get away with it

不一 不一 bu4 yi1
to vary; to differ

不依不饶 不依不饒 bu4 yi1 bu4 rao2
not to overlook, nor spare (idiom); unwilling to forgive; to treat severely without listening to excuses

不一定 不一定 bu4 yi1 ding4
not necessarily; maybe

不一而足 不一而足 bu4 yi1 er2 zu2
by no means an isolated case; numerous

不一会 不一會 bu4 yi1 hui4
soon

不一样 不一樣 bu4 yi1 yang4
different; distinctive; unlike

不一致字 不一致字 bu4 yi1 zhi4 zi4
inconsistent phonogram(s)

不移 不移 bu4 yi2
steadfast; inalienable

不宜 不宜 bu4 yi2
not suitable; inadvisable; inappropriate

不遗余力 不遺餘力 bu4 yi2 yu2 li4
to spare no pains or effort (idiom); to do one's utmost

不已 不已 bu4 yi3
endlessly; incessantly

不以词害志 不以詞害誌 bu4 yi3 ci2 hai4 zhi4
don't let rhetoric spoil the message (idiom); don't get carried away with flowery speech to the detriment of what you want to say

不以辞害志 不以辭害志 bu4 yi3 ci2 hai4 zhi4
don't let rhetoric spoil the message (idiom); don't get carried away with flowery speech to the detriment of what you want to say

不以规矩,不能成方圆 不以規矩,不能成方圓 bu4 yi3 gui1 ju5 - bu4 neng2 cheng2 fang1 yuan2
without rules, nothing can be done (idiom, from Mencius); one must follow some rules

不以人废言 不以人廢言 bu4 yi3 ren2 fei4 yan2
not to reject a word because of the speaker (idiom, from Analects); to judge on the merits of the case rather than preference between advisers

不以为然 不以為然 bu4 yi3 wei2 ran2
not to accept as correct (idiom); to object; to disapprove; to take exception to

不以为意 不以為意 bu4 yi3 wei2 yi4
not to mind; unconcerned

不以物喜,不以己悲 不以物喜,不以己悲 bu4 yi3 wu4 xi3 - bu4 yi3 ji3 bei1
not to become attached to material things, not to pity oneself

不易 不易 bu4 yi4
not easy to do sth; difficult; unchanging

不义 不義 bu4 yi4
injustice

不意 不意 bu4 yi4
unexpectedly; unawareness; unpreparedness

不翼而飞 不翼而飛 bu4 yi4 er2 fei1
to disappear without trace; to vanish all of a sudden; to spread fast; to spread like wildfire

不亦乐乎 不亦樂乎 bu4 yi4 le4 hu1
lit. isn't that a joy? (quote from Confucius); fig. (jocularly) extremely; awfully

不义之财 不義之財 bu4 yi4 zhi1 cai2
ill-gotten wealth or gains

不易之论 不易之論 bu4 yi4 zhi1 lun4
perfectly sound proposition; unalterable truth; irrefutable argument

不应期 不應期 bu4 ying4 qi1
refractory period (physiology)

不用 不用 bu4 yong4
need not

不用客气 不用客氣 bu4 yong4 ke4 qi5
you're welcome; don't mention it; no need to stand on ceremony

不用谢 不用謝 bu4 yong4 xie4
You're welcome; Don't mention it

不用找 不用找 bu4 yong4 zhao3
"keep the change" (restaurant expression)

不由 不由 bu4 you2
can't help (doing sth)

不由得 不由得 bu4 you2 de5
can't help; cannot but

不由分说 不由分說 bu4 you2 fen1 shuo1
to allow no explanation

不由自主 不由自主 bu4 you2 zi4 zhu3
can't help; involuntarily (idiom)

不虞 不虞 bu4 yu2
unexpected; eventuality; contingency; not worry about

不予 不予 bu4 yu2
to withhold; to refuse

不渝 不渝 bu4 yu2
constant; unchanging; abiding; faithful

不愉快 不愉快 bu4 yu2 kuai4
disagreeable; unpleasant

不语 不語 bu4 yu3
(literary) not to speak

不予理会 不予理會 bu4 yu3 li3 hui4
to ignore; to brush off; to dismiss; to pay no attention to

不予评论 不予評論 bu4 yu3 ping2 lun4
No comment!

不育 不育 bu4 yu4
to be infertile; to have no offspring

不育性 不育性 bu4 yu4 xing4
sterility

不育症 不育症 bu4 yu4 zheng4
sterility; barrenness

不圆通 不圓通 bu4 yuan2 tong1
inflexible; unaccommodating

不远千里 不遠千里 bu4 yuan3 qian1 li3
make light of traveling a thousand li; go to the trouble of traveling a long distance

不愿 不願 bu4 yuan4
unwilling; unwillingness

不约而同 不約而同 bu4 yue1 er2 tong2
to agree by chance (idiom); taking the same action without prior consultation

不悦 不悅 bu4 yue4
displeased; annoyed

不越雷池 不越雷池 bu4 yue4 lei2 chi2
not overstepping the prescribed limits; to remain within bounds

不孕 不孕 bu4 yun4
infertility

不孕症 不孕症 bu4 yun4 zheng4
female infertility

不咋地 不咋地 bu4 za3 de5
(dialect) not that great; not up to much; nothing special

不咋的 不咋的 bu4 za3 de5
(dialect) not that great; not up to much; nothing special

不再 不再 bu4 zai4
no more; no longer

不在 不在 bu4 zai4
not to be present; to be out; (euphemism) to pass away; to be deceased

不在乎 不在乎 bu4 zai4 hu5
not to care

不在话下 不在話下 bu4 zai4 hua4 xia4
to be nothing difficult; to be a cinch

不在了 不在了 bu4 zai4 le5
to be dead; to have passed away

不在其位不谋其政 不在其位不謀其政 bu4 zai4 qi2 wei4 bu4 mou4 qi2 zheng4
don't meddle in affairs that are not part of your position (Confucius)

不在意 不在意 bu4 zai4 yi4
to pay no attention to; not to mind

不在状态 不在狀態 bu4 zai4 zhuang4 tai4
to be out of form; not to be oneself

不赞成 不贊成 bu4 zan4 cheng2
disapproval; to disapprove

不赞一词 不贊一詞 bu4 zan4 yi1 ci2
to keep silent; to make no comment

不择手段 不擇手段 bu4 ze2 shou3 duan4
by fair means or foul; by hook or by crook; unscrupulously

不怎么 不怎麼 bu4 zen3 me5
not very; not particularly

不怎么样 不怎麼樣 bu4 zen3 me5 yang4
not up to much; very indifferent; nothing great about it; nothing good to be said about it

不粘锅 不粘鍋 bu4 zhan1 guo1
non-stick pan

不沾锅 不沾鍋 bu4 zhan1 guo1
non-stick pan (Tw)

不战不和 不戰不和 bu4 zhan4 bu4 he2
neither war nor peace

不长进 不長進 bu4 zhang3 jin4
not improving; backward; below par

不长眼睛 不長眼睛 bu4 zhang3 yan3 jing5
see 沒長眼睛|没长眼睛

不着 不著 bu4 zhao2
no need; need not

不折不扣 不折不扣 bu4 zhe2 bu4 kou4
a hundred percent; to the letter; out-and-out

不振 不振 bu4 zhen4
lacking in vitality; depressed (market, spirits etc)

不争 不爭 bu4 zheng1
widely known; incontestable; undeniable; to not strive for; to not contend for

不蒸馒头争口气 不蒸饅頭爭口氣 bu4 zheng1 man2 tou5 zheng1 kou3 qi4
not to be crushed (idiom); to be determined to have one's revenge

不争气 不爭氣 bu4 zheng1 qi4
to be disappointing; to fail to live up to expectations

不正常 不正常 bu4 zheng4 chang2
abnormal

不正常状况 不正常狀況 bu4 zheng4 chang2 zhuang4 kuang4
abnormal state

不正当 不正當 bu4 zheng4 dang4
dishonest; unfair; improper

不正当关系 不正當關係 bu4 zheng4 dang4 guan1 xi4
improper relation; adulterous relation

不正当竞争 不正當競爭 bu4 zheng4 dang4 jing4 zheng1
unfair competition; illicit competition

不正确 不正確 bu4 zheng4 que4
incorrect; erroneous

不正之风 不正之風 bu4 zheng4 zhi1 feng1
unhealthy tendency

不支 不支 bu4 zhi1
to be unable to endure

不知 不知 bu4 zhi1
not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc)

不知不觉 不知不覺 bu4 zhi1 bu4 jue2
unconsciously; unwittingly

不知丁董 不知丁董 bu4 zhi1 ding1 dong3
forgetting the fate of Ding and Dong (idiom); unheeding the lessons of the past

不知凡几 不知凡幾 bu4 zhi1 fan2 ji3
one can't tell how many; numerous similar cases

不知好歹 不知好歹 bu4 zhi1 hao3 dai3
unable to differentiate good from bad (idiom); not to know what's good for one; unable to recognize others' good intentions

不知何故 不知何故 bu4 zhi1 he2 gu4
somehow

不知进退 不知進退 bu4 zhi1 jin4 tui4
not knowing when to come or leave (idiom); with no sense of propriety

不知就里 不知就裡 bu4 zhi1 jiu4 li3
unaware of the inner workings; naive; unwitting

不知利害 不知利害 bu4 zhi1 li4 hai4
see 不知好歹

不知疲倦 不知疲倦 bu4 zhi1 pi2 juan4
untiring; not recognizing tiredness

不知轻重 不知輕重 bu4 zhi1 qing1 zhong4
lit. not knowing what's important (idiom); no appreciation of the gravity of things; naive; doesn't know who's who; no sense of priorities

不知去向 不知去向 bu4 zhi1 qu4 xiang4
whereabouts unknown; gone missing

不知死活 不知死活 bu4 zhi1 si3 huo2
to act recklessly (idiom)

不知所措 不知所措 bu4 zhi1 suo3 cuo4
not knowing what to do (idiom); at one's wits' end; embarrassed and at a complete loss

不知所以 不知所以 bu4 zhi1 suo3 yi3
to not know the reason; to not know what to do

不知所云 不知所云 bu4 zhi1 suo3 yun2
to not know what sb is driving at; to be unintelligible

不知所之 不知所之 bu4 zhi1 suo3 zhi1
whereabouts unknown

不知天高地厚 不知天高地厚 bu4 zhi1 tian1 gao1 di4 hou4
not to know the immensity of heaven and earth; an exaggerated opinion of one's own abilities

不知痛痒 不知痛癢 bu4 zhi1 tong4 yang3
numb; unfeeling; indifferent; inconsequential

不知羞耻 不知羞恥 bu4 zhi1 xiu1 chi3
to have no sense of shame; brazen

不知者不罪 不知者不罪 bu4 zhi1 zhe3 bu4 zui4
One who does not know is not guilty; If one does not know any better, one cannot be held responsible

不值 不值 bu4 zhi2
not worth

不值得 不值得 bu4 zhi2 de5
unworthy

不值钱 不值錢 bu4 zhi2 qian2
of little value

不值一文 不值一文 bu4 zhi2 yi1 wen2
worthless (idiom); no use whatsoever

不止 不止 bu4 zhi3
incessantly; without end; more than; not limited to

不只 不只 bu4 zhi3
not only; not merely

不止一次 不止一次 bu4 zhi3 yi1 ci4
many times; on more than one occasion

不智 不智 bu4 zhi4
unwise

不致 不致 bu4 zhi4
not in such a way as to; not likely to

不治 不治 bu4 zhi4
to die of illness or injury despite having received medical help

不治而愈 不治而癒 bu4 zhi4 er2 yu4
to recover spontaneously (from an illness); to get better without medical treatment

不置可否 不置可否 bu4 zhi4 ke3 fou3
decline to comment; not express an opinion; be noncommittal; hedge

不至于 不至於 bu4 zhi4 yu2
unlikely to go so far as to; not as bad as

不治之症 不治之症 bu4 zhi4 zhi1 zheng4
incurable disease

不终天年 不終天年 bu4 zhong1 tian1 nian2
to die before one's allotted lifespan has run its course (idiom)

不中意 不中意 bu4 zhong4 yi4
not to one's liking

不中用 不中用 bu4 zhong4 yong4
unfit for anything; no good; useless; (of a sick person) beyond hope

不周 不周 bu4 zhou1
not satisfactory; thoughtless; inconsiderate

不周山 不周山 bu4 zhou1 shan1
Buzhou Mountain, a mountain from Chinese legend

不周延 不周延 bu4 zhou1 yan2
undistributed

不主故常 不主故常 bu4 zhu3 gu4 chang2
not to stick to the old conventions

不住 不住 bu4 zhu4
repeatedly; continuously; constantly; unable to (resist, conceal etc)

不注意 不注意 bu4 zhu4 yi4
thoughtless; not pay attention to

不撞南墙不回头 不撞南牆不回頭 bu4 zhuang4 nan2 qiang2 bu4 hui2 tou2
to stubbornly insist on one's own ideas (idiom)

不准 不准 bu4 zhun3
not to allow; to forbid; to prohibit

不准确 不準確 bu4 zhun3 que4
imprecise

不准许 不准許 bu4 zhun3 xu3
forbidden; not allowed

不着边际 不著邊際 bu4 zhuo2 bian1 ji4
not to the point; wide of the mark; neither here nor there; irrelevant

不着痕迹 不著痕跡 bu4 zhuo2 hen2 ji4
to leave no trace; seamlessly; unobtrusively

不着陆飞行 不著陸飛行 bu4 zhuo2 lu4 fei1 xing2
nonstop flight

不赀 不貲 bu4 zi1
immeasurable; incalculable

不自觉 不自覺 bu4 zi4 jue2
unaware; unconscious of sth

不自量 不自量 bu4 zi4 liang4
not take a proper measure of oneself; to overrate one's own abilities

不自量力 不自量力 bu4 zi4 liang4 li4
to overestimate one's capabilities

不自然 不自然 bu4 zi4 ran2
unnatural; artificial

不自由,毋宁死 不自由,毋寧死 bu4 zi4 you2 - wu2 ning4 si3
give me liberty or give me death

不自在 不自在 bu4 zi4 zai5
uneasiness; feel uncomfortable

不足 不足 bu4 zu2
insufficient; lacking; deficiency; not enough; inadequate; not worth; cannot; should not

不足齿数 不足齒數 bu4 zu2 chi3 shu4
not worth mentioning; not worth considering

不足道 不足道 bu4 zu2 dao4
inconsiderable; of no consequence; not worth mentioning

不足挂齿 不足掛齒 bu4 zu2 gua4 chi3
not worth mentioning (idiom)

不足为道 不足為道 bu4 zu2 wei2 dao4
to be not worth mentioning

不足为怪 不足為怪 bu4 zu2 wei2 guai4
not at all surprising (idiom)

不足为虑 不足為慮 bu4 zu2 wei2 lv4
to give no cause for anxiety; nothing to worry about

不足为奇 不足為奇 bu4 zu2 wei2 qi2
not at all surprising (idiom)

不足为外人道 不足為外人道 bu4 zu2 wei2 wai4 ren2 dao4
no use to tell others; let's keep this between ourselves (idiom)

不足为训 不足為訓 bu4 zu2 wei2 xun4
not to be taken as an example; not an example to be followed; not to be taken as authoritative

不足月 不足月 bu4 zu2 yue4
premature (birth, child)

不醉不归 不醉不歸 bu4 zui4 bu4 gui1
to not go home until drunk (idiom); let's make a night of it!

不做亏心事,不怕鬼敲门 不做虧心事,不怕鬼敲門 bu4 zuo4 kui1 xin1 shi4 - bu4 pa4 gui3 qiao1 men2
He who never wrongs others does not fear the knock in the night.; Rest with a clear conscience.

不做声 不做聲 bu4 zuo4 sheng1
keep silent; not say a word

不作死就不会死 不作死就不會死 bu4 zuo4 si3 jiu4 bu4 hui4 si3
serves you right for doing sth so stupid (Internet slang)

不作为 不作為 bu4 zuo4 wei2
nonfeasance; omission (law)

猜不透 猜不透 cai1 bu5 tou4
to be unable to guess or make out

才不 才不 cai2 bu4
by no means; definitely not; as if!; yeah right!

惨不忍睹 慘不忍睹 can3 bu4 ren3 du3
spectacle too horrible to endure (idiom); tragic sight; appalling scenes of devastation

惨不忍闻 慘不忍聞 can3 bu4 ren3 wen2
too horrible to endure (idiom); tragic spectacle; appalling scenes of devastation

惨遭不幸 慘遭不幸 can3 zao1 bu4 xing4
to meet with disaster; to die tragically

苍蝇不叮无缝蛋 蒼蠅不叮無縫蛋 cang1 ying5 bu4 ding1 wu2 feng4 dan4
lit. flies do not attack an intact egg (idiom); fig. no smoke without a fire

曹不兴 曹不興 cao2 bu4 xing1
Cao Buxing or Ts'ao Pu-hsing (active c. 210-250), famous semi-legendary painter, one of the Four Great Painters of the Six dynasties 六朝四大家

参差不齐 參差不齊 cen1 ci1 bu4 qi2
unevenly matched (idiom); scraggly; jagged

层出不穷 層出不窮 ceng2 chu1 bu4 qiong2
more and more emerge; innumerable succession; breeding like flies (idiom)

曾经沧海难为水,除却巫山不是云 曾經滄海難為水,除卻巫山不是雲 ceng2 jing1 cang1 hai3 nan2 wei2 shui3 - chu2 que4 wu1 shan1 bu4 shi4 yun2
there are no rivers to one who has crossed the ocean, and no clouds to one who has passed Mount Wu (idiom); one who has seen the world doesn't stop at small things

插不上手 插不上手 cha1 bu5 shang4 shou3
to be unable to intervene

茶饭不思 茶飯不思 cha2 fan4 bu4 si1
no thought for tea or rice (idiom); melancholic and suffering; to have no appetite

差不离 差不離 cha4 bu4 li2
not much different; similar; ordinary; nearly

差不离儿 差不離兒 cha4 bu4 li2 er5
erhua variant of 差不離|差不离

差不多 差不多 cha4 bu5 duo1
almost; nearly; more or less; about the same; good enough; not bad

差不多的 差不多的 cha4 bu5 duo1 de5
the great majority

缠夹不清 纏夾不清 chan2 jia1 bu4 qing1
to muddle things together (idiom); to bother sb with annoying muddle-headed talk

缠绵不已 纏綿不已 chan2 mian2 bu4 yi3
to cling without letting go; to pester without end; to cling lovingly to each other

颤抖不已 顫抖不已 chan4 dou3 bu4 yi3
to shake like a leaf (idiom)

长流水,不断线 長流水,不斷線 chang2 liu2 shui3 - bu4 duan4 xian4
continuous and patient effort (idiom)

长生不老 長生不老 chang2 sheng1 bu4 lao3
immortality

长生不死 長生不死 chang2 sheng1 bu4 si3
immortality

长痛不如短痛 長痛不如短痛 chang2 tong4 bu4 ru2 duan3 tong4
better to just get the pain over with, rather than prolong the agony

彻夜不眠 徹夜不眠 che4 ye4 bu4 mian2
to be sleepless all night

沉不住气 沉不住氣 chen2 bu4 zhu4 qi4
to lose one's cool; to get impatient; unable to remain calm

成骨不全症 成骨不全症 cheng2 gu3 bu4 quan2 zheng4
osteogenesis imperfecta (OI); brittle bone disease

乘人不备 乘人不備 cheng2 ren2 bu4 bei4
to take advantage of sb in an unguarded moment (idiom); to take sb by surprise

成事不足,败事有余 成事不足,敗事有餘 cheng2 shi4 bu4 zu2 - bai4 shi4 you3 yu2
unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything (idiom); unable to do anything right; never make, but always mar

吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸 吃不到葡萄說葡萄酸 chi1 bu4 dao4 pu2 tao5 shuo1 pu2 tao5 suan1
sour grapes (set expr. based on Aesop); lit. to say grapes are sour when you can't eat them

吃不准 吃不準 chi1 bu4 zhun3
to be unsure about a matter; to be uncertain; to be unable to make sense of sth

吃不服 吃不服 chi1 bu5 fu2
not be accustomed to eating sth; not be used to certain food

吃不开 吃不開 chi1 bu5 kai1
be unpopular; won't work

吃不来 吃不來 chi1 bu5 lai2
to be unaccustomed to certain food; to not be keen on certain food

吃不了兜着走 吃不了兜著走 chi1 bu5 liao3 dou1 zhe5 zou3
lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom); fig. you'll have to take the consequences

吃不上 吃不上 chi1 bu5 shang4
unable to get anything to eat; to miss a meal

吃不下 吃不下 chi1 bu5 xia4
not feel like eating; be unable to eat any more

吃不消 吃不消 chi1 bu5 xiao1
to be unable to tolerate or endure; to find sth difficult to manage

吃不住 吃不住 chi1 bu5 zhu4
to be unable to bear or support

吃力不讨好 吃力不討好 chi1 li4 bu4 tao3 hao3
arduous and thankless task (idiom); strenuous and unrewarding

吃粮不管事 吃糧不管事 chi1 liang2 bu4 guan3 shi4
to eat without working (idiom); to take one's pay and not care about the rest

吃人不吐骨头 吃人不吐骨頭 chi1 ren2 bu4 tu3 gu3 tou2
ruthless; vicious and greedy

吃软不吃硬 吃軟不吃硬 chi1 ruan3 bu4 chi1 ying4
lit. eats soft food, but refuses hard food (idiom); amenable to coaxing but not coercion

吃水不忘掘井人 吃水不忘掘井人 chi1 shui3 bu4 wang4 jue2 jing3 ren2
Drinking the water of a well, one should never forget who dug it. (idiom)

吃水不忘挖井人 吃水不忘挖井人 chi1 shui3 bu4 wang4 wa1 jing3 ren2
see 吃水不忘掘井人

持不同政见 持不同政見 chi2 bu4 tong2 zheng4 jian4
(politically) dissenting; dissident

持不同政见者 持不同政見者 chi2 bu4 tong2 zheng4 jian4 zhe3
(political) dissident

踟蹰不前 踟躕不前 chi2 chu2 bu5 qian2
hesitant to take action

充耳不闻 充耳不聞 chong1 er3 bu4 wen2
to block one's ears and not listen (idiom); to turn a deaf ear

踌躇不决 躊躇不決 chou2 chu2 bu4 jue2
to hesitate; indecisive

愁眉不展 愁眉不展 chou2 mei2 bu4 zhan3
with a worried frown

臭不可闻 臭不可聞 chou4 bu4 ke3 wen2
unbearable stink; fig. notorious

出其不意 出其不意 chu1 qi2 bu4 yi4
to do sth when least expected (idiom); to catch sb off guard

出其不意,攻其不备 出其不意,攻其不備 chu1 qi2 bu4 yi4 - gong1 qi2 bu4 bei4
to catch an enemy off guard with a surprise attack (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法)

初生之犊不怕虎 初生之犢不怕虎 chu1 sheng1 zhi1 du2 bu4 pa4 hu3
see 初生之犢不畏虎|初生之犊不畏虎

初生之犊不畏虎 初生之犢不畏虎 chu1 sheng1 zhi1 du2 bu4 wei4 hu3
lit. a new-born calf has no fear of the tiger (idiom); fig. the fearlessness of youth

出言不逊 出言不遜 chu1 yan2 bu4 xun4
to speak rudely

出淤泥而不染 出淤泥而不染 chu1 yu1 ni2 er2 bu4 ran3
lit. to grow out of the mud unsullied (idiom); fig. to be principled and incorruptible

除不尽 除不盡 chu2 bu4 jin4
indivisible (math)

处变不惊 處變不驚 chu3 bian4 bu4 jing1
to remain calm in the face of events (idiom)

川流不息 川流不息 chuan1 liu2 bu4 xi1
the stream flows without stopping (idiom); unending flow

喘不过 喘不過 chuan3 bu5 guo4
to be unable to breathe easily

喘不过气来 喘不過氣來 chuan3 bu5 guo4 qi4 lai2
to be unable to breathe

戳不住 戳不住 chuo1 bu5 zhu4
not up to it; cannot stand the test

词不达意 詞不達意 ci2 bu4 da2 yi4
words do not convey the meaning; poorly expressed; senseless; inarticulate

此路不通 此路不通 ci3 lu4 bu4 tong1
this road is blocked; fig. This method does not work.; Doing this is no good.

刺刺不休 刺刺不休 ci4 ci4 bu4 xiu1
to talk incessantly; to chatter on and on

从不 從不 cong2 bu4
never

从来不 從來不 cong2 lai2 bu4
never

从容不迫 從容不迫 cong2 rong2 bu4 po4
calm; unruffled

粗鲁不文 粗魯不文 cu1 lu3 bu4 wen2
crude and ill-educated (idiom)

猝不及防 猝不及防 cu4 bu4 ji2 fang2
to be caught off guard; without warning

寸步不离 寸步不離 cun4 bu4 bu4 li2
to follow sb closely (idiom); to keep close to

寸草不生 寸草不生 cun4 cao3 bu4 sheng1
lit. not even a blade of grass grows (idiom); fig. barren

错落不齐 錯落不齊 cuo4 luo4 bu4 qi2
disorderly and uneven (idiom); irregular and disorderly

措手不及 措手不及 cuo4 shou3 bu4 ji2
no time to deal with it (idiom); caught unprepared

达不到 達不到 da2 bu4 dao4
cannot achieve; cannot reach

打抱不平 打抱不平 da3 bao4 bu4 ping2
to come to the aid of sb suffering an injustice; to fight for justice; also written 抱打不平

打不过 打不過 da3 bu5 guo4
unable to defeat; to be no match for sb

打不通 打不通 da3 bu5 tong1
cannot get through (on phone)

打蛇不死 打蛇不死 da3 she2 bu4 si3
beat the snake to death or it will cause endless calamity (idiom); nip the problem in the bud

打蛇不死,后患无穷 打蛇不死,後患無窮 da3 she2 bu4 si3 - hou4 huan4 wu2 qiong2
beat the snake to death or it will cause endless calamity (idiom); nip the problem in the bud

大不里士 大不里士 da4 bu4 li3 shi4
Tabriz city in northwest Iran, capital of Iranian East Azerbaijan

大不了 大不了 da4 bu4 liao3
at worst; if worst comes to worst; serious; alarming

大不列颠 大不列顛 da4 bu4 lie4 dian1
Great Britain

大不韪 大不韙 da4 bu4 wei3
great error; heinous crime

大不相同 大不相同 da4 bu4 xiang1 tong2
not at all the same; substantially different

大不列蹀 大不列蹀 da4 bu5 lie5 die5
to be too casual or informal

大惑不解 大惑不解 da4 huo4 bu4 jie3
to be at a loss (idiom)

大可不必 大可不必 da4 ke3 bu4 bi4
need not; unnecessary

大难不死 大難不死 da4 nan4 bu4 si3
to just escape from calamity

大难不死,必有后福 大難不死,必有後福 da4 nan4 bu4 si3 - bi4 you3 hou4 fu2
one is bound for good fortune after surviving a great disaster (proverb)

大逆不道 大逆不道 da4 ni4 bu4 dao4
disgraceful (of behavior that is unfilial, rebellious or otherwise in grave breach of the norms of society)

大人不记小人过 大人不記小人過 da4 ren2 bu4 ji4 xiao3 ren2 guo4
a person of great moral stature does not remember the offenses committed by one of low moral stature

大言不惭 大言不慚 da4 yan2 bu4 can2
to boast shamelessly; to talk big

当仁不让 當仁不讓 dang1 ren2 bu4 rang4
to be unwilling to pass on one's responsibilities to others

刀枪不入 刀槍不入 dao1 qiang1 bu4 ru4
lit. impervious to sword or spear (idiom); fig. invulnerable; untouchable; thick-skinned; impervious to criticism

道不拾遗 道不拾遺 dao4 bu4 shi2 yi2
lit. no one picks up lost articles in the street (idiom); fig. honesty prevails throughout society

道不同不相为谋 道不同不相為謀 dao4 bu4 tong2 bu4 xiang1 wei2 mou2
lit. persons who walk different paths cannot make plans together; to go separate ways (idiom)

到不行 到不行 dao4 bu4 xing2
extremely; incredibly

得不偿失 得不償失 de2 bu4 chang2 shi1
the gains do not make up for the losses (idiom)

得不到 得不到 de2 bu4 dao4
cannot get; cannot obtain

等不及 等不及 deng3 bu4 ji2
can't wait

等周不等式 等周不等式 deng3 zhou1 bu4 deng3 shi4
the isoperimetric inequality

滴酒不沾 滴酒不沾 di1 jiu3 bu4 zhan1
never to touch a drop of alcohol

滴水不羼 滴水不羼 di1 shui3 bu4 chan4
not diluted by one drop; hundred percent

滴水不漏 滴水不漏 di1 shui3 bu4 lou4
lit. not one drop of water can leak out; watertight; rigorous (argument)

颠扑不破 顛撲不破 dian1 pu1 bu4 po4
solid; irrefutable; incontrovertible; indisputable; unbreakable

点水不漏 點水不漏 dian3 shui3 bu4 lou4
not one drop of water leaks (idiom); fig. thoughtful and completely rigorous; watertight

喋喋不休 喋喋不休 die2 die2 bu4 xiu1
to chatter or jabber on and on

冬不拉 冬不拉 dong1 bu4 la1
Dombra or Tambura, Kazakh plucked lute

动不动 動不動 dong4 bu5 dong4
apt to happen (usually of sth undesirable); frequently; happening easily (e.g. accident or illness)

动弹不得 動彈不得 dong4 tan5 bu5 de2
to be unable to move a single step

独木不成林 獨木不成林 du2 mu4 bu4 cheng2 lin2
a lone tree does not make a forest (idiom); one cannot accomplish much on one's own

杜门不出 杜門不出 du4 men2 bu4 chu1
to shut the door and remain inside; fig. to cut off contact

对不对 對不對 dui4 bu4 dui4
right or wrong?; Is it right?; OK, yes? (colloquial)

对不上 對不上 dui4 bu4 shang4
to disagree; I can't agree with that.

对不起 對不起 dui4 bu5 qi3
unworthy; to let down; I'm sorry; excuse me; pardon me; if you please; sorry? (please repeat)

对不住 對不住 dui4 bu5 zhu4
to let sb down; to be unfair; I'm sorry; pardon me (formal)

对事不对人 對事不對人 dui4 shi4 bu4 dui4 ren2
it's nothing personal (idiom)

多行不义必自毙 多行不義必自斃 duo1 xing2 bu4 yi4 bi4 zi4 bi4
persisting in evil brings about self-destruction (idiom)

多一事不如少一事 多一事不如少一事 duo1 yi1 shi4 bu4 ru2 shao3 yi1 shi4
it is better to avoid unnecessary trouble (idiom); the less complications the better

多元不饱和脂肪酸 多元不飽和脂肪酸 duo1 yuan2 bu4 bao3 he2 zhi1 fang2 suan1
polyunsaturated fatty acid

躲不起 躲不起 duo3 bu5 qi3
can't avoid; can't hide from; unavoidable

儿不嫌母丑,狗不嫌家贫 兒不嫌母醜,狗不嫌家貧 er2 bu4 xian2 mu3 chou3 - gou3 bu4 xian2 jia1 pin2
a son won't abandon his mother for being ugly, just as a dog won't abandon its owner for being poor (proverb)

而不需 而不需 er2 bu4 xu1
without needing (to so sth)

耳闻不如目见 耳聞不如目見 er3 wen2 bu4 ru2 mu4 jian4
seeing sth for oneself is better than hearing about it from others

二话不说 二話不說 er4 hua4 bu4 shuo1
not saying anything further (idiom); not raising any objection; without demur

法网灰灰,疏而不漏 法網灰灰,疏而不漏 fa3 wang3 hui1 hui1 - shu1 er2 bu4 lou4
The net of justice is wide, but no-one escapes.

翻脸不认人 翻臉不認人 fan1 lian3 bu4 ren4 ren2
to fall out with sb and become hostile

犯不上 犯不上 fan4 bu5 shang4
see 犯不著|犯不着

犯不着 犯不著 fan4 bu5 zhao2
not worthwhile

防不胜防 防不勝防 fang2 bu4 sheng4 fang2
you can't guard against it (idiom); impossible to defend effectively; not much one can do about it; It can't be prevented.

放不下 放不下 fang4 bu5 xia4
not to have room to put sth; to be unable to let go

放不下心 放不下心 fang4 bu5 xia4 xin1
cannot stop worrying

放诞不羁 放誕不羈 fang4 dan4 bu4 ji1
wanton and unrestrained (idiom); dissolute

放诞不拘 放誕不拘 fang4 dan4 bu4 ju1
wanton and unrestrained (idiom); dissolute

放荡不羁 放蕩不羈 fang4 dang4 bu4 ji1
wanton and unrestrained (idiom); dissolute

放浪不羁 放浪不羈 fang4 lang4 bu4 ji1
wanton and unrestrained (idiom); dissolute

非死不可 非死不可 fei1 si3 bu4 ke3
Facebook (Internet slang, pun reading "you must die")

肥水不流外人田 肥水不流外人田 fei2 shui3 bu4 liu2 wai4 ren2 tian2
lit. don't let one's own fertile water flow into others' field; fig. keep the goodies within the family (proverb)

费力不讨好 費力不討好 fei4 li4 bu4 tao3 hao3
arduous and thankless task (idiom); strenuous and unrewarding

分文不取 分文不取 fen1 wen2 bu4 qu3
to give for free

奋不顾身 奮不顧身 fen4 bu4 gu4 shen1
to dash on bravely with no thought of personal safety (idiom); undaunted by dangers; regardless of perils

忿忿不平 忿忿不平 fen4 fen4 bu4 ping2
variant of 憤憤不平|愤愤不平

愤愤不平 憤憤不平 fen4 fen4 bu4 ping2
to feel indignant; to feel aggrieved

风波不断 風波不斷 feng1 bo1 bu4 duan4
constantly in turmoil; crisis after crisis

风马牛不相及 風馬牛不相及 feng1 ma3 niu2 bu4 xiang1 ji2
to be completely unrelated to one another (idiom); irrelevant

扶不起的阿斗 扶不起的阿斗 fu2 bu4 qi3 de5 a1 dou3
weak and inept person; hopeless case

富不过三代 富不過三代 fu4 bu4 guo4 san1 dai4
wealth never survives three generations (idiom)

负担不起 負擔不起 fu4 dan1 bu5 qi3
cannot afford; cannot bear the burden

富贵不能淫 富貴不能淫 fu4 gui4 bu4 neng2 yin2
not corrupted by wealth and honors

概而不论 概而不論 gai4 er2 bu4 lun4
fuzzy about the details

敢不从命 敢不從命 gan3 bu4 cong2 ming4
to not dare to disobey an order (idiom)

赶不及 趕不及 gan3 bu4 ji2
not enough time (to do sth); too late (to do sth)

赶不上 趕不上 gan3 bu4 shang4
can't keep up with; can't catch up with; cannot overtake

感激不尽 感激不盡 gan3 ji1 bu4 jin4
can't thank sb enough (idiom)

敢怒而不敢言 敢怒而不敢言 gan3 nu4 er2 bu4 gan3 yan2
angry, but not daring to speak out (idiom); obliged to remain silent about one's resentment; unable to voice objections

赶前不赶后 趕前不趕後 gan3 qian2 bu4 gan3 hou4
it's better to hurry at the start than to rush later (idiom)

刚正不阿 剛正不阿 gang1 zheng4 bu4 e1
upright and plainspoken

高不成低不就 高不成低不就 gao1 bu4 cheng2 di1 bu4 jiu4
can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高不凑低不就 高不湊低不就 gao1 bu4 cou4 di1 bu4 jiu4
can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高不可攀 高不可攀 gao1 bu4 ke3 pan1
too high to reach (idiom); eminent and unapproachable

高处不胜寒 高處不勝寒 gao1 chu4 bu4 sheng4 han2
it's lonely at the top (idiom)

高低不就 高低不就 gao1 di1 bu4 jiu4
can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高攀不上 高攀不上 gao1 pan1 bu4 shang4
to be unworthy to associate with (sb of higher social status)

搞不懂 搞不懂 gao3 bu5 dong3
unable to make sense of (sth)

搞不好 搞不好 gao3 bu5 hao3
(coll.) maybe; perhaps

格格不入 格格不入 ge2 ge2 bu4 ru4
(idiom) inharmonious; incompatible

各不相同 各不相同 ge4 bu4 xiang1 tong2
to have nothing in common with each other (idiom)

跟不上 跟不上 gen1 bu5 shang4
not able to keep up with

亘古不变 亙古不變 gen4 gu3 bu4 bian4
unchanging since times immemorial (idiom); unalterable; unvarying; monotonous

功不可没 功不可沒 gong1 bu4 ke3 mo4
one's contributions cannot go unnoticed (idiom)

供不应求 供不應求 gong1 bu4 ying4 qiu2
supply does not meet demand

功成不居 功成不居 gong1 cheng2 bu4 ju1
not to claim personal credit for achievement (idiom)

功高不赏 功高不賞 gong1 gao1 bu4 shang3
high merit that one can never repay (idiom); invaluable achievements

恭敬不如从命 恭敬不如從命 gong1 jing4 bu4 ru2 cong2 ming4
deference is no substitute for obedience (idiom); (said to accept sb's request, invitation etc)

攻其不备 攻其不備 gong1 qi2 bu4 bei4
see 出其不意,攻其不備|出其不意,攻其不备

攻无不克,战无不胜 攻無不克,戰無不勝 gong1 wu2 bu4 ke4 - zhan4 wu2 bu4 sheng4
to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom); all-conquering; ever victorious; nothing they can't do

共轭不尽根 共軛不盡根 gong4 e4 bu4 jin4 gen1
conjugate surd (math.)

供认不讳 供認不諱 gong4 ren4 bu4 hui4
to make a full confession; to plead guilty

狗改不了吃屎 狗改不了吃屎 gou3 gai3 bu4 liao3 chi1 shi3
lit. a dog can't stop himself from eating shit (idiom); fig. bad habits are hard to change

狗屁不通 狗屁不通 gou3 pi4 bu4 tong1
incoherent (writing or speech); nonsensical; a load of crap

狗咬吕洞宾,不识好人心 狗咬呂洞賓,不識好人心 gou3 yao3 lv3 dong4 bin1 - bu4 shi2 hao3 ren2 xin1
a dog biting Lü Dongbin (idiom); to ill reward a person's kindness

狗嘴里吐不出象牙 狗嘴裏吐不出象牙 gou3 zui3 li5 tu3 bu4 chu1 xiang4 ya2
no ivory comes from the mouth of a dog (idiom); no good words are to be expected from a scoundrel

够不着 夠不著 gou4 bu5 zhao2
to be unable to reach

孤证不立 孤證不立 gu1 zheng4 bu4 li4
unacceptable as uncorroborated evidence (in law or in textual criticism)

顾不得 顧不得 gu4 bu5 de5
unable to change sth; unable to deal with

顾不上 顧不上 gu4 bu5 shang4
cannot attend to or manage

故旧不弃 故舊不棄 gu4 jiu4 bu4 qi4
do not neglect old friends

瓜田不纳履,李下不整冠 瓜田不納履,李下不整冠 gua1 tian2 bu4 na4 lv3 - li3 xia4 bu4 zheng3 guan1
lit. don't tie your shoelaces in a melon patch, and don't adjust your hat under a plum tree (idiom); fig. don't do anything that might arouse suspicion; innocent acts may be misconstrued

寡不敌众 寡不敵眾 gua3 bu4 di2 zhong4
the few are no match for the many; heavily outnumbered; facing impossible odds (idiom)

怪不得 怪不得 guai4 bu5 de5
no wonder!; so that's why!

怪诞不经 怪誕不經 guai4 dan4 bu4 jing1
uncanny; unbelievable; ridiculous; outrageous

管不着 管不著 guan3 bu5 zhao2
to have no right or ability to interfere in sth; it's none of your business!

光说不练 光說不練 guang1 shuo1 bu4 lian4
all talk and no action (idiom); to preach what one does not practice; same as 光說不做|光说不做

光说不做 光說不做 guang1 shuo1 bu4 zuo4
all talk and no action (idiom); to preach what one does not practice

果不其然 果不其然 guo3 bu4 qi2 ran2
just as expected; told you so

裹足不前 裹足不前 guo3 zu2 bu4 qian2
to stand still without advancing (idiom); to hesitate and hold back

过不去 過不去 guo4 bu5 qu4
to make life difficult for; to embarrass; unable to make it through

过不下 過不下 guo4 bu5 xia4
to be unable to continue living (in a certain manner); to be unable to make a living

过目不忘 過目不忘 guo4 mu4 bu4 wang4
to have a highly retentive memory; to have sth imprinted in one's memory

过时不候 過時不候 guo4 shi2 bu4 hou4
being late is not acceptable (idiom)

过意不去 過意不去 guo4 yi4 bu4 qu4
to feel very apologetic

过犹不及 過猶不及 guo4 you2 bu4 ji2
too far is as bad as not enough (idiom, from the Analects)

还不如 還不如 hai2 bu4 ru2
to be better off ...; might as well ...

海水不可斗量 海水不可斗量 hai3 shui3 bu4 ke3 dou3 liang2
see 人不可貌相,海水不可斗量

害人不浅 害人不淺 hai4 ren2 bu4 qian3
to cause a lot of trouble; to inflict much suffering

害人之心不可有,防人之心不可无 害人之心不可有,防人之心不可無 hai4 ren2 zhi1 xin1 bu4 ke3 you3 - fang2 ren2 zhi1 xin1 bu4 ke3 wu2
refrain from hurting others, yet guard against those trying to hurt you (proverb)

含糊不清 含糊不清 han2 hu2 bu4 qing1
unclear; indistinct; ambiguous

悍然不顾 悍然不顧 han4 ran2 bu4 gu4
outrageous and unconventional (idiom); flying in the face of (authority, convention, public opinion etc)

汉贼不两立 漢賊不兩立 han4 zei2 bu4 liang3 li4
lit. Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉 and Cao Wei 曹魏 cannot coexist (idiom); fig. two enemies cannot live under the same sky; (former KMT slogan against CPC) "gentlemen and thieves cannot coexist"

毫不 毫不 hao2 bu4
hardly; not in the least; not at all

毫不费力 毫不費力 hao2 bu4 fei4 li4
effortless; not expending the slightest effort

毫不怀疑 毫不懷疑 hao2 bu4 huai2 yi2
without the slightest doubt

毫不客气 毫不客氣 hao2 bu4 ke4 qi5
no trace of politeness; unrestrained (criticism)

毫不留情 毫不留情 hao2 bu4 liu2 qing2
to show no quarter; ruthless; relentless

毫不逊色 毫不遜色 hao2 bu4 xun4 se4
not inferior in any respect

毫不犹豫 毫不猶豫 hao2 bu4 you2 yu4
without the slightest hesitation

毫不介意 毫不介意 hao2 bu5 jie4 yi4
to not mind (at all, a bit); to not care in the slightest

毫发不爽 毫髮不爽 hao2 fa4 bu4 shuang3
not to deviate one hair's breadth (idiom); to be extremely accurate

毫厘不爽 毫釐不爽 hao2 li2 bu4 shuang3
not to deviate an iota (idiom); to be extremely accurate

好不 好不 hao3 bu4
not at all ...; how very ...

好不容易 好不容易 hao3 bu4 rong2 yi4
with great difficulty; very difficult

好不好 好不好 hao3 bu5 hao3
(coll.) all right?; OK?

好饭不怕晚 好飯不怕晚 hao3 fan4 bu4 pa4 wan3
the meal is remembered long after the wait is forgotten; the good things in life are worth waiting for

好故事百听不厌 好故事百聽不厭 hao3 gu4 shi5 bai3 ting1 bu4 yan4
The story is so good it's worth hearing a hundred times.; One never tires of hearing good new.

好汉不吃眼前亏 好漢不吃眼前虧 hao3 han4 bu4 chi1 yan3 qian2 kui1
a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him (idiom)

好汉不提当年勇 好漢不提當年勇 hao3 han4 bu4 ti2 dang1 nian2 yong3
a real man doesn't boast about his past achievements (idiom)

好记性不如烂笔头 好記性不如爛筆頭 hao3 ji4 xing4 bu4 ru2 lan4 bi3 tou2
the palest ink is better than the best memory (idiom)

好借好还,再借不难 好借好還,再借不難 hao3 jie4 hao3 huan2 - zai4 jie4 bu4 nan2
see 有借有還,再借不難|有借有还,再借不难

好景不长 好景不長 hao3 jing3 bu4 chang2
a good thing doesn't last forever (idiom)

好久不见 好久不見 hao3 jiu3 bu5 jian4
long time no see

好马不吃回头草 好馬不吃回頭草 hao3 ma3 bu4 chi1 hui2 tou2 cao3
lit. a good horse doesn't come back to the same pasture (idiom); fig. one should not go back to one's past experiences (of love, job etc)

好男不跟女斗 好男不跟女鬥 hao3 nan2 bu4 gen1 nv3 dou4
a real man doesn't fight with womenfolk (idiom)

好事不出门,恶事传千里 好事不出門,惡事傳千里 hao3 shi4 bu4 chu1 men2 - e4 shi4 chuan2 qian1 li3
lit. good deeds do not go beyond the door, evil deeds spread a thousand miles; a good deed goes unnoticed, but scandal spreads fast (idiom)

好死不如赖活着 好死不如賴活著 hao3 si3 bu4 ru2 lai4 huo2 zhe5
better a bad life than a good death (idiom)

何不 何不 he2 bu4
why not?; why not do (sth)?

核不扩散 核不擴散 he2 bu4 kuo4 san4
nuclear nonproliferation

合不来 合不來 he2 bu4 lai2
unable to get along together; incompatible

合不拢嘴 合不攏嘴 he2 bu4 long3 zui3
unable to conceal one's happiness, amazement, shock etc; grinning from ear to ear; mouth agape; gobsmacked

何不食肉糜 何不食肉糜 he2 bu4 shi2 rou4 mi2
lit. "Why don't they eat meat?" (said by Emperor Hui of Jin 晉惠帝|晋惠帝 when told that his people didn't have enough rice to eat); fig. (of people from higher class etc) to be oblivious to other people's plight

何乐而不为 何樂而不為 he2 le4 er2 bu4 wei2
What can you have against it? (idiom); We should do this.; Go for it!

河水不犯井水 河水不犯井水 he2 shui3 bu4 fan4 jing3 shui3
lit. river water does not interfere with well water (idiom); Do not interfere with one another.; Mind your own business.

黑白不分 黑白不分 hei1 bai2 bu4 fen1
can't tell black from white (idiom); unable to distinguish wrong from right

黑不溜秋 黑不溜秋 hei1 bu4 liu1 qiu1
dark and swarthy

恨不得 恨不得 hen4 bu5 de5
wishing one could do sth; to hate to be unable; itching to do sth

恨不能 恨不能 hen4 bu5 neng2
see 恨不得

恨铁不成钢 恨鐵不成鋼 hen4 tie3 bu4 cheng2 gang1
lit. to hate iron for not becoming steel; to feel resentful towards sb for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement (idiom)

红不让 紅不讓 hong2 bu4 rang4
home run (loanword); a big hit (hugely popular) (Tw)

后悔不迭 後悔不迭 hou4 hui3 bu4 die2
too late for regrets

虎毒不食子 虎毒不食子 hu3 du2 bu4 shi2 zi3
a tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs (idiom); even wild beasts look after their young

互不侵犯 互不侵犯 hu4 bu4 qin1 fan4
non-aggression

互不相欠 互不相欠 hu4 bu4 xiang1 qian4
see 兩不相欠|两不相欠

互不相让 互不相讓 hu4 bu4 xiang1 rang4
neither giving way to the other

虎不拉 虎不拉 hu4 bu5 la3
(dialect) shrike; Taiwan pr.

怙恶不悛 怙惡不悛 hu4 e4 bu4 quan1
to keep doing evil without a sense of repentance (idiom)

户枢不蠹 戶樞不蠹 hu4 shu1 bu4 du4
lit. a door hinge never becomes worm-eaten; constant activity prevents decay (idiom)

花不棱登 花不稜登 hua1 bu4 leng2 deng1
gaudy; repulsively colored

划不来 划不來 hua2 bu5 lai2
not worth it

华而不实 華而不實 hua2 er2 bu4 shi2
flower but no fruit (idiom); handsome exterior but hollow inside; flashy

话不投机半句多 話不投機半句多 hua4 bu4 tou2 ji1 ban4 ju4 duo1
when words get sour, adding words is useless (idiom)

话多不甜 話多不甜 hua4 duo1 bu4 tian2
too much talk is a nuisance (idiom)

划一不二 劃一不二 hua4 yi1 bu4 er4
fixed; unalterable

怀才不遇 懷才不遇 huai2 cai2 bu4 yu4
to have talent but no opportunity (idiom); to be an unrecognized talent

缓不济急 緩不濟急 huan3 bu4 ji4 ji2
lit. slow no aid to urgent (idiom); slow measures will not address a critical situation; too slow to meet a pressing need

换汤不换药 換湯不換藥 huan4 tang1 bu4 huan4 yao4
different broth but the same old medicine (idiom); a change in name only; a change in form but not in substance

荒诞不经 荒誕不經 huang1 dan4 bu4 jing1
absurd; preposterous; ridiculous

荒怪不经 荒怪不經 huang1 guai4 bu4 jing1
absurd; unthinkable

黄不溜秋 黃不溜秋 huang2 bu4 liu1 qiu1
yellowish; dirty yellow

皇帝不急急死太监 皇帝不急急死太監 huang2 di4 bu4 ji2 ji2 si3 tai4 jian4
lit. the emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are worried to death (idiom); fig. the observers are more anxious than the person involved

惶恐不安 惶恐不安 huang2 kong3 bu4 an1
anxious; panicky

皇天不负苦心人 皇天不負苦心人 huang2 tian1 bu4 fu4 ku3 xin1 ren2
Heaven will not disappoint the person who tries (idiom). If you try hard, you're bound to succeed eventually.

黄土不露天 黃土不露天 huang2 tu3 bu4 lu4 tian1
a slogan used in reference to a project to improve greenery in some parts of Northern China

灰不喇唧 灰不喇唧 hui1 bu4 la3 ji1
dull gray; gray and loathsome

灰不溜丢 灰不溜丟 hui1 bu5 liu1 diu1
gloomy and dull (idiom); boring and gray; unpleasantly murky

灰不溜秋 灰不溜秋 hui1 bu5 liu1 qiu1
see 灰不溜丢

挥之不去 揮之不去 hui1 zhi1 bu4 qu4
impossible to get rid of

悔不当初 悔不當初 hui3 bu4 dang1 chu1
to regret one's past deeds (idiom)

会不会 會不會 hui4 bu4 hui4
(posing a question: whether sb, something) can or cannot?; is able to or not

惠而不费 惠而不費 hui4 er2 bu4 fei4
a kind act that costs nothing

蟪蛄不知春秋 蟪蛄不知春秋 hui4 gu1 bu4 zhi1 chun1 qiu1
lit. short-lived cicada does not know the seasons; fig. to see only a small piece of the big picture

诲人不倦 誨人不倦 hui4 ren2 bu4 juan4
instructing with tireless zeal (idiom, from Analects)

昏迷不醒 昏迷不醒 hun1 mi2 bu4 xing3
to remain unconscious

魂不附体 魂不附體 hun2 bu4 fu4 ti3
lit. body and soul separated (idiom); fig. scared out of one's wits; beside oneself

魂不守舍 魂不守舍 hun2 bu4 shou3 she4
to be preoccupied (idiom); to be inattentive; to be frightened out of one's mind

浑然不觉 渾然不覺 hun2 ran2 bu4 jue2
totally unaware

浑然不知 渾然不知 hun2 ran2 bu4 zhi1
to be totally oblivious (to sth); to have no idea about sth

活不下去 活不下去 huo2 bu4 xia4 qu5
impossible to make a living

活得不耐烦 活得不耐煩 huo2 de5 bu4 nai4 fan2
to be tired of living; (coll.) to be asking for trouble

货比三家不吃亏 貨比三家不吃虧 huo4 bi3 san1 jia1 bu4 chi1 kui1
shop around first and you won't get ripped off (idiom)

祸不单行 禍不單行 huo4 bu4 dan1 xing2
misfortune does not come singly (idiom); it never rains but it pours

祸不旋踵 禍不旋踵 huo4 bu4 xuan2 zhong3
trouble is never far away (idiom)

货问三家不吃亏 貨問三家不吃虧 huo4 wen4 san1 jia1 bu4 chi1 kui1
see 貨比三家不吃虧|货比三家不吃亏

机不可失 機不可失 ji1 bu4 ke3 shi1
No time to lose! (idiom)

机不可失,失不再来 機不可失,失不再來 ji1 bu4 ke3 shi1 - shi1 bu4 zai4 lai2
opportunity knocks but once (idiom)

机不可失,时不再来 機不可失,時不再來 ji1 bu4 ke3 shi1 - shi2 bu4 zai4 lai2
Opportunity knocks but once. (idiom)

机不离手 機不離手 ji1 bu4 li2 shou3
to be unable to do without one's cell phone

积不相能 積不相能 ji1 bu4 xiang1 neng2
always at loggerheads (idiom); never able to agree with sb; unable to get on with sb

饥不择食 飢不擇食 ji1 bu4 ze2 shi2
when hungry, you can't pick what you eat (idiom); beggars can't be choosers; When matters are urgent, don't spend time choosing alternatives.

几乎不 幾乎不 ji1 hu1 bu4
hardly; seems not

鸡犬不宁 雞犬不寧 ji1 quan3 bu4 ning2
lit. not even the chickens and dogs are left undisturbed (idiom); fig. great commotion; pandemonium

急不可待 急不可待 ji2 bu4 ke3 dai4
impatient; eager to; anxious to

急不可耐 急不可耐 ji2 bu4 ke3 nai4
unable to wait

己所不欲,勿施于人 己所不欲,勿施於人 ji3 suo3 bu4 yu4 - wu4 shi1 yu2 ren2
What you don't want done to you, don't do to others. (idiom, from the Confucian analects); Do as you would be done by.; Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.

记不住 記不住 ji4 bu5 zhu4
can't remember

既往不咎 既往不咎 ji4 wang3 bu4 jiu4
to forget and not bear recriminations (idiom); to let bygones be bygones; There is no point in crying over spilt milk.

家丑不可外传 家醜不可外傳 jia1 chou3 bu4 ke3 wai4 chuan2
lit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom); fig. don't wash your dirty linen in public

家丑不可外传,流言切莫轻信 家醜不可外傳,流言切莫輕信 jia1 chou3 bu4 ke3 wai4 chuan2 - liu2 yan2 qie4 mo4 qing1 xin4
Don't spread abroad the shame of the family, don't believe rumors lightly. (idiom); Don't wash your dirty linen in public, don't listen to others' gossip.

家丑不可外扬 家醜不可外揚 jia1 chou3 bu4 ke3 wai4 yang2
lit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom); fig. don't wash your dirty linen in public

家累千金,坐不垂堂 家累千金,坐不垂堂 jia1 lei3 qian1 jin1 - zuo4 bu4 chui2 tang2
rich person does not sit under the eaves (idiom); prudent not to place oneself in danger

架不住 架不住 jia4 bu5 zhu4
(coll.) unable to withstand; cannot bear; can't stand it; no match for

坚不可摧 堅不可摧 jian1 bu4 ke3 cui1
invulnerable, indestructible, impregnable

间不容发 間不容髮 jian1 bu4 rong2 fa4
(to escape danger etc) by a hair's breadth (idiom); in a critical state; on the brink of crisis; very close (to happening); Taiwan pr.

坚持不懈 堅持不懈 jian1 chi2 bu4 xie4
to persevere unremittingly (idiom); to keep going until the end

坚持不渝 堅持不渝 jian1 chi2 bu4 yu2
to stick to sth without change (idiom); to persevere

坚定不移 堅定不移 jian1 ding4 bu4 yi2
unswerving; unflinching

缄口不言 緘口不言 jian1 kou3 bu4 yan2
lips sealed and not saying anything (idiom); fig. to omit mention (of a non-person or embarrassing topic); to censor

坚强不屈 堅強不屈 jian1 qiang2 bu4 qu1
staunch and unyielding (idiom); steadfast

坚忍不拔 堅忍不拔 jian1 ren3 bu4 ba2
fortitude

坚韧不拔 堅韌不拔 jian1 ren4 bu4 ba2
firm and indomitable (idiom); tenacious and unyielding

坚贞不屈 堅貞不屈 jian1 zhen1 bu4 qu1
faithful and unchanging (idiom); steadfast

坚贞不渝 堅貞不渝 jian1 zhen1 bu4 yu2
unyielding integrity (idiom); unwavering

俭则不缺 儉則不缺 jian3 ze2 bu4 que1
frugality prevents destitution (idiom)

见不得 見不得 jian4 bu5 de2
not fit to be seen by; should not be exposed to; can't bear to see

见不得人 見不得人 jian4 bu5 de2 ren2
shameful

见怪不怪 見怪不怪 jian4 guai4 bu4 guai4
to keep one's calm in the face of the unexpected; not to wonder at strange sights

讲不通 講不通 jiang3 bu4 tong1
it does not make sense

焦虑不安 焦慮不安 jiao1 lv4 bu4 an1
worried too much

脚不点地 腳不點地 jiao3 bu4 dian3 di4
see 腳不沾地|脚不沾地

脚不沾地 腳不沾地 jiao3 bu4 zhan1 di4
feet not touching the ground (idiom); to run like the wind

缴枪不杀 繳槍不殺 jiao3 qiang1 bu4 sha1
“surrender and your life will be spared”

脚正不怕鞋歪 腳正不怕鞋歪 jiao3 zheng4 bu4 pa4 xie2 wai1
lit. a straight foot has no fear of a crooked shoe; an upright man is not afraid of gossip (idiom)

叫苦不迭 叫苦不迭 jiao4 ku3 bu5 die2
to complain without stopping (idiom); to bitch endlessly; incessant grievances

接触不良 接觸不良 jie1 chu4 bu4 liang2
loose or defective contact (elec.)

接连不断 接連不斷 jie1 lian2 bu4 duan4
in unbroken succession (idiom)

桀骜不逊 桀驁不遜 jie2 ao4 bu4 xun4
arrogant and obstinate (idiom); unyielding

截然不同 截然不同 jie2 ran2 bu4 tong2
entirely different; different as black and white

禁不起 禁不起 jin1 bu5 qi3
to be unable to stand

禁不住 禁不住 jin1 bu5 zhu4
can't help it; can't bear it

矜功不立 矜功不立 jin1 gong1 bu4 li4
boasts a lot, but nothing comes of it (idiom)

金钱不能买来幸福 金錢不能買來幸福 jin1 qian2 bu4 neng2 mai3 lai2 xing4 fu2
money can't buy happiness

金窝银窝不如自己的狗窝 金窩銀窩不如自己的狗窩 jin1 wo1 yin2 wo1 bu4 ru2 zi4 ji3 de5 gou3 wo1
there's no place like home (idiom)

进退不得 進退不得 jin4 tui4 bu4 de2
can't advance or retreat (idiom); no room for maneuver; stalled; in a dilemma; stuck in a difficult position

经不起推究 經不起推究 jing1 bu4 qi3 tui1 jiu1
does not bear examination

经不起 經不起 jing1 bu5 qi3
can't stand it; to be unable to bear; to be unable to resist

经不住 經不住 jing1 bu5 zhu4
to be unable to bear

经久不衰 經久不衰 jing1 jiu3 bu4 shuai1
unfailing; never-ending

惊叹不已 驚嘆不已 jing1 tan4 bu4 yi3
to exclaim in astonishment

井水不犯河水 井水不犯河水 jing3 shui3 bu4 fan4 he2 shui3
everyone minds their own business

敬酒不吃吃罚酒 敬酒不吃吃罰酒 jing4 jiu3 bu4 chi1 chi1 fa2 jiu3
to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit; fig. to hesitate to do sth until forced to do even more

敬谢不敏 敬謝不敏 jing4 xie4 bu4 min3
please excuse me for not complying; to politely decline

静坐不动 靜坐不動 jing4 zuo4 bu4 dong4
to sit still and do nothing; to sit tight

静坐不能 靜坐不能 jing4 zuo4 bu4 neng2
akathisia (condition of restlessness, a side-effect of neuroleptic antipsychotic drug); unable to sit still; hyperactivity; restlessness

迥然不同 迥然不同 jiong3 ran2 bu4 tong2
widely different; utterly different

纠缠不清 糾纏不清 jiu1 chan2 bu4 qing1
hopelessly muddled; impossible to unravel

酒不醉人人自醉,色不迷人人自迷 酒不醉人人自醉,色不迷人人自迷 jiu3 bu4 zui4 ren2 ren2 zi4 zui4 - se4 bu4 mi2 ren2 ren2 zi4 mi2
wine doesn't make men drunk: men get themselves intoxicated. Lust does not overpower men: men surrender themselves to lust

久攻不下 久攻不下 jiu3 gong1 bu4 xia4
to attack for a long time without success

久假不归 久假不歸 jiu3 jia3 bu4 gui1
to fail to return a borrowed item

酒酸不售 酒酸不售 jiu3 suan1 bu4 shou4
"The wine´s gone bad and it cannot be sold"

酒香不怕巷子深 酒香不怕巷子深 jiu3 xiang1 bu4 pa4 xiang4 zi5 shen1
fragrant wine fears no dark alley (idiom); quality goods need no advertising

旧的不去,新的不来 舊的不去,新的不來 jiu4 de5 bu4 qu4 - xin1 de5 bu4 lai2
lit. If the old doesn't go, the new will not come.; You can't make progress by clinging to old notions.

救急不救穷 救急不救窮 jiu4 ji2 bu4 jiu4 qiong2
help the starving but not the poor (idiom)

居高不下 居高不下 ju1 gao1 bu4 xia4
(of prices, rates etc) to remain high

居心不良 居心不良 ju1 xin1 bu4 liang2
to harbor evil intentions (idiom)

局促不安 局促不安 ju2 cu4 bu4 an1
ill at ease; uncomfortable

举不胜举 舉不勝舉 ju3 bu4 sheng4 ju3
too numerous to list (idiom); innumerable

举棋不定 舉棋不定 ju3 qi2 bu4 ding4
to hesitate over what move to make (idiom); to waver; to shilly-shally

拒不接受 拒不接受 ju4 bu4 jie1 shou4
refusing to accept

绝不 絕不 jue2 bu4
in no way; not in the least; absolutely not

决不 決不 jue2 bu4
not at all; simply (can) not

决而不行 決而不行 jue2 er2 bu4 xing2
making decisions without implementing them

绝口不提 絕口不提 jue2 kou3 bu4 ti2
lips sealed and not saying anything (idiom); fig. to omit mention (of a non-person or embarrassing topic); to censor

君子不计小人过 君子不計小人過 jun1 zi3 bu4 ji4 xiao3 ren2 guo4
see 大人不記小人過|大人不记小人过

君子动口不动手 君子動口不動手 jun1 zi3 dong4 kou3 bu4 dong4 shou3
a gentleman uses his mouth and not his fist

君子报仇,十年不晚 君子報仇,十年不晚 jun1 zi5 bao4 chou2 - shi2 nian2 bu4 wan3
lit. for a nobleman to take revenge, ten years is not too long (idiom); fig. revenge is a dish best served cold

开弓不放箭 開弓不放箭 kai1 gong1 bu4 fang4 jian4
lit. to draw the bow without shooting the arrow (idiom); fig. to bluff; to be all talk and no action; false bravado

坎坷不平 坎坷不平 kan3 ke3 bu4 ping2
potholed and bumpy road (idiom); fig. full of disappointment and dashed hopes

砍头不过风吹帽 砍頭不過風吹帽 kan3 tou2 bu4 guo4 feng1 chui1 mao4
to regard decapitation as no more important than the wind blowing off your hat (idiom)

看不顺眼 看不順眼 kan4 bu4 shun4 yan3
unpleasant to the eye; objectionable

看不习惯 看不習慣 kan4 bu4 xi2 guan4
unfamiliar

看不出 看不出 kan4 bu5 chu1
can't see; can't make out; unable to tell

看不懂 看不懂 kan4 bu5 dong3
unable to make sense of what one is looking at

看不惯 看不慣 kan4 bu5 guan4
cannot bear to see; to hate; to dislike; to disapprove

看不过 看不過 kan4 bu5 guo4
cannot stand by idly and watch; unable to put up with it any longer; see 看不過去|看不过去

看不过去 看不過去 kan4 bu5 guo4 qu5
cannot stand by idly and watch; unable to put up with it any longer

看不见 看不見 kan4 bu5 jian4
unseen; to be invisible

看不起 看不起 kan4 bu5 qi3
to look down upon; to despise

看不清 看不清 kan4 bu5 qing1
not able to see clearly

看不中 看不中 kan4 bu5 zhong1
not impressed by

看着不管 看著不管 kan4 zhe5 bu4 guan3
to stand by and pay no heed; to ignore

靠不住 靠不住 kao4 bu5 zhu4
unreliable

渴不可耐 渴不可耐 ke3 bu4 ke3 nai4
to be so thirsty as to no longer be able to tolerate it

可不 可不 ke3 bu5
see 可不是

可不是 可不是 ke3 bu5 shi4
that's just the way it is; exactly!

可望而不可即 可望而不可即 ke3 wang4 er2 bu4 ke3 ji2
in sight but unattainable (idiom); inaccessible; also written 可望而不可及

可望而不可及 可望而不可及 ke3 wang4 er2 bu4 ke3 ji2
in sight but unattainable (idiom); inaccessible

可一而不可再 可一而不可再 ke3 yi1 er2 bu4 ke3 zai4
may be done once and once only; just this once

可以意会,不可言传 可以意會,不可言傳 ke3 yi3 yi4 hui4 - bu4 ke3 yan2 chuan2
can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); mysterious and subtle

可遇不可求 可遇不可求 ke3 yu4 bu4 ke3 qiu2
can be discovered but not sought (idiom); one can only come across such things serendipitously

刻不容缓 刻不容緩 ke4 bu4 rong2 huan3
to brook no delay; to demand immediate action

口不应心 口不應心 kou3 bu4 ying4 xin1
to say one thing but mean another; to dissimulate

口不择言 口不擇言 kou3 bu4 ze2 yan2
to speak incoherently; to ramble; to talk irresponsibly

口齿不清 口齒不清 kou3 chi3 bu4 qing1
to lisp; unclear articulation; inarticulate

哭笑不得 哭笑不得 ku1 xiao4 bu4 de2
lit. not to know whether to laugh or cry (idiom); both funny and extremely embarrassing; between laughter and tears

苦不唧 苦不唧 ku3 bu5 ji1
slightly bitter

苦不唧儿 苦不唧兒 ku3 bu5 ji1 er5
erhua variant of 苦不唧

溃不成军 潰不成軍 kui4 bu4 cheng2 jun1
utterly defeated

愧不敢当 愧不敢當 kui4 bu4 gan3 dang1
lit. I'm ashamed and dare not (accept the honor); fig. I do not deserve your praise.; You flatter me too much.

困惑不解 困惑不解 kun4 huo4 bu4 jie3
to feel perplexed

蜡烛不点不亮 蠟燭不點不亮 la4 zhu2 bu4 dian3 bu4 liang4
some people have to be pushed for them to take action

来不得 來不得 lai2 bu5 de2
cannot allow (to be present); cannot admit

来不及 來不及 lai2 bu5 ji2
there's not enough time (to do sth); it's too late (to do sth)

来得早不如来得巧 來得早不如來得巧 lai2 de5 zao3 bu4 ru2 lai2 de5 qiao3
arriving early can't beat coming at the right time; perfect timing

来而不往非礼也 來而不往非禮也 lai2 er2 bu4 wang3 fei1 li3 ye3
not to reciprocate is against etiquette (classical); to respond in kind

来历不明 來歷不明 lai2 li4 bu4 ming2
of unknown origin

来路不明 來路不明 lai2 lu4 bu4 ming2
unidentified origin; no-one knows where it comes from; of dubious background

来者不拒 來者不拒 lai2 zhe3 bu4 ju4
to refuse nobody (idiom); all comers welcome

来者不善,善者不来 來者不善,善者不來 lai2 zhe3 bu4 shan4 - shan4 zhe3 bu4 lai2
He who comes is surely ill-intentioned, no-one well-meaning will come (idiom).; Be careful not to trust foreigners.; Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!

烂泥扶不上墙 爛泥扶不上牆 lan4 ni2 fu2 bu4 shang4 qiang2
useless (idiom); worthless; inept

烂泥糊不上墙 爛泥糊不上牆 lan4 ni2 hu2 bu4 shang4 qiang2
see 爛泥扶不上牆|烂泥扶不上墙

狼狈不堪 狼狽不堪 lang2 bei4 bu4 kan1
battered and exhausted; stuck in a dilemma

浪子回头金不换 浪子回頭金不換 lang4 zi3 hui2 tou2 jin1 bu4 huan4
a prodigal son returned home is worth more than gold

老不死 老不死 lao3 bu4 si3
(derog.) old but still alive; old fart; old bastard

老天爷饿不死瞎家雀 老天爺餓不死瞎家雀 lao3 tian1 ye2 e4 bu4 si3 xia1 jia1 que4
lit. heaven won't let the sparrows go hungry (idiom); fig. don't give up hope; if you tough it out, there will be light at the end of the tunnel

乐不可支 樂不可支 le4 bu4 ke3 zhi1
overjoyed (idiom); as pleased as punch

乐不思蜀 樂不思蜀 le4 bu4 si1 shu3
indulge in pleasure and forget home and duty (idiom)

乐此不疲 樂此不疲 le4 ci3 bu4 pi2
to enjoy sth and never tire of it (idiom)

雷打不动 雷打不動 lei2 da3 bu4 dong4
not shaken by thunder (idiom); the arrangements are unalterable; to adhere rigidly to regulations; will go ahead whatever happens (of an arrangement or plan)

累觉不爱 累覺不愛 lei4 jue2 bu4 ai4
(lit.) so exhausted (by difficulties in a relationship) that one feels one could never fall in love again (Internet slang); disenchanted with sth

冷不丁 冷不丁 leng3 bu5 ding1
suddenly; by surprise

冷不防 冷不防 leng3 bu5 fang2
unexpectedly; suddenly; at unawares; off guard; against expectations

离不开 離不開 li2 bu5 kai1
inseparable; inevitably linked to

礼多人不怪 禮多人不怪 li3 duo1 ren2 bu4 guai4
nobody will find fault with extra courtesy (idiom); courtesy costs nothing

力不从心 力不從心 li4 bu4 cong2 xin1
less capable than desirable (idiom); not as strong as one would wish; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

力不胜任 力不勝任 li4 bu4 sheng4 ren4
not to be up to the task (idiom); incompetent

力所不及 力所不及 li4 suo3 bu4 ji2
beyond one's power (to do sth)

连续不断 連續不斷 lian2 xu4 bu4 duan4
continuous; unceasing

恋恋不舍 戀戀不捨 lian4 lian4 bu4 she3
reluctant to part

良莠不齐 良莠不齊 liang2 you3 bu4 qi2
good and bad people intermingled

两不误 兩不誤 liang3 bu4 wu4
to neglect neither one

两不相欠 兩不相欠 liang3 bu4 xiang1 qian4
to be even; to be quits; to be even-steven

两耳不闻窗外事 兩耳不聞窗外事 liang3 er3 bu4 wen2 chuang1 wai4 shi4
to pay no attention to outside matters

两国相争,不斩来使 兩國相爭,不斬來使 liang3 guo2 xiang1 zheng1 - bu4 zhan3 lai2 shi3
when two kingdoms are at war, they don't execute envoys (idiom)

两手不沾阳春水 兩手不沾陽春水 liang3 shou3 bu4 zhan1 yang2 chun1 shui3
see 十指不沾陽春水|十指不沾阳春水

了不起 了不起 liao3 bu5 qi3
amazing; terrific; extraordinary

临死不怯 臨死不怯 lin2 si3 bu4 qie4
equanimity in the face of death; to face dangers with assurance

临渊羡鱼,不如退而结网 臨淵羨魚,不如退而結網 lin2 yuan1 xian4 yu2 - bu4 ru2 tui4 er2 jie2 wang3
better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the pond longing for fish (idiom); one should take practical steps to achieve one's aim

凌乱不堪 凌亂不堪 ling2 luan4 bu4 kan1
in a terrible mess (idiom)

令人不快 令人不快 ling4 ren2 bu4 kuai4
unpleasant; objectionable

留得青山在,不怕没柴烧 留得青山在,不怕沒柴燒 liu2 de5 qing1 shan1 zai4 - bu4 pa4 mei2 chai2 shao1
While the green hills last, there'll be wood to burn (idiom). Where there's life there's hope.

流年不利 流年不利 liu2 nian2 bu4 li4
the year's horoscope augurs ill (idiom); an unlucky year

流水不腐 流水不腐 liu2 shui3 bu4 fu3
flowing water does not rot

流水不腐,户枢不蠹 流水不腐,戶樞不蠹 liu2 shui3 bu4 fu3 - hu4 shu1 bu4 du4
lit. flowing water does not rot, nor a door-hinge rust (idiom); fig. constant activity prevents decay

六亲不认 六親不認 liu4 qin1 bu4 ren4
not recognizing one's family (idiom); self-centered and not making any allowances for the needs of one's relatives

路不拾遗 路不拾遺 lu4 bu4 shi2 yi2
lit. no one picks up lost articles in the street (idiom); fig. honesty prevails throughout society

锣齐鼓不齐 鑼齊鼓不齊 luo2 qi2 gu3 bu4 qi2
not well coordinated (idiom)

络绎不绝 絡繹不絕 luo4 yi4 bu4 jue2
continuously; in an endless stream (idiom)

驴唇不对马嘴 驢唇不對馬嘴 lv2 chun2 bu4 dui4 ma3 zui3
lit. a donkey's lips do not match a horse's mouth (idiom); fig. beside the point; incongruous

吕不韦 呂不韋 lv3 bu4 wei2
Lü Buwei (?291-235 BC), merchant and politician of the State of Qin 秦國|秦国, subsequent Qin Dynasty 秦代 Chancellor, allegedly the father of Ying Zheng 嬴政, who subsequently became the first emperor Qin Shihuang 秦始皇

屡见不鲜 屢見不鮮 lv3 jian4 bu4 xian1
a common occurrence (idiom)

屡教不改 屢教不改 lv3 jiao4 bu4 gai3
lit. not to change, despite repeated admonition; incorrigible; unrepentant

屡禁不绝 屢禁不絕 lv3 jin4 bu4 jue2
to continue despite repeated prohibition (idiom)

屡禁不止 屢禁不止 lv3 jin4 bu4 zhi3
to continue despite repeated prohibition (idiom)

屡试不爽 屢試不爽 lv3 shi4 bu4 shuang3
well-tried; time-tested

屡遭不测 屢遭不測 lv3 zao1 bu4 ce4
beset by a series of mishaps (idiom)

麻木不仁 麻木不仁 ma2 mu4 bu4 ren2
numbed; insensitive; apathetic; thick-skinned

马不停蹄 馬不停蹄 ma3 bu4 ting2 ti2
unrelenting; without stopping to rest

马尾穿豆腐,提不起来 馬尾穿豆腐,提不起來 ma3 wei3 chuan1 dou4 fu5 - ti2 bu5 qi3 lai5
lit. like tofu strung on horsetail, you can't lift it; fig. let's not talk of this (pun on 提)

马无夜草不肥,人无外快不富 馬無夜草不肥,人無外快不富 ma3 wu2 ye4 cao3 bu4 fei2 - ren2 wu2 wai4 kuai4 bu4 fu4
a horse cannot get fat without an extra ration, a man cannot get rich without an extra income (idiom)

骂不绝口 罵不絕口 ma4 bu4 jue2 kou3
to scold without end (idiom); incessant abuse

买不起 買不起 mai3 bu5 qi3
cannot afford; can't afford buying

蛮不讲理 蠻不講理 man2 bu4 jiang3 li3
completely unreasonable

满不在乎 滿不在乎 man3 bu4 zai4 hu5
not in the least concerned (idiom); reckless; couldn't give a damn about it; unperturbed; couldn't care less; harum scarum

漫不经心 漫不經心 man4 bu4 jing1 xin1
careless; heedless; absent-minded; indifferent

漫不经意 漫不經意 man4 bu4 jing1 yi4
careless; unconcerned

忙不迭 忙不迭 mang2 bu4 die2
hurriedly; in haste

忙不过来 忙不過來 mang2 bu4 guo4 lai2
to have more work than one can deal with; to have one's hands full

冒大不韪 冒大不韙 mao4 da4 bu4 wei3
to face opprobrium (idiom)

冒天下之大不韪 冒天下之大不韙 mao4 tian1 xia4 zhi1 da4 bu4 wei3
see 冒大不韙|冒大不韪

没有规矩,不成方圆 沒有規矩,不成方圓 mei2 you3 gui1 ju5 - bu4 cheng2 fang1 yuan2
without rules, nothing can be done (idiom); one must follow some rules

没有什么不可能 沒有甚麼不可能 mei2 you3 shen2 me5 bu4 ke3 neng2
nothing is impossible; there's nothing impossible about it

美不胜收 美不勝收 mei3 bu4 sheng4 shou1
nothing more beautiful can be imagined (idiom)

美索不达米亚 美索不達米亞 mei3 suo3 bu4 da2 mi3 ya4
Mesopotamia

美中不足 美中不足 mei3 zhong1 bu4 zu2
everything is fine except for one small defect (idiom); the fly in the ointment

闷声不响 悶聲不響 men1 sheng1 bu4 xiang3
to keep silent

闷闷不乐 悶悶不樂 men4 men4 bu4 le4
depressed; sulky; moody; unhappy

猛不防 猛不防 meng3 bu4 fang2
suddenly; unexpectedly; taken by surprise; at unawares

迷不知返 迷不知返 mi2 bu4 zhi1 fan3
to go astray and to not know how to get back on the right path (idiom)

迷惑不解 迷惑不解 mi2 huo4 bu4 jie3
to feel puzzled

靡不有初,鲜克有终 靡不有初,鮮克有終 mi3 bu4 you3 chu1 - xian3 ke4 you3 zhong1
almost everything has a start, but not many things have an end (idiom); don't start sth you can't handle

密不可分 密不可分 mi4 bu4 ke3 fen1
inextricably linked (idiom); inseparable

密不透风 密不透風 mi4 bu4 tou4 feng1
wrapped up tight; bundled up tight; closed up tight; air-tight

秘而不宣 祕而不宣 mi4 er2 bu4 xuan1
to withhold information; to keep sth secret

密而不宣 密而不宣 mi4 er2 bu4 xuan1
confidential; secret; hush-hush

绵绵不绝 綿綿不絕 mian2 mian2 bu4 jue2
continuous; endless

免不了 免不了 mian3 bu4 liao3
unavoidable; can't be avoided

免不得 免不得 mian3 bu5 de5
unavoidable; bound to (happen)

面露不悦 面露不悅 mian4 lu4 bu4 yue4
to show unhappiness or displeasure (idiom)

妙不可言 妙不可言 miao4 bu4 ke3 yan2
too wonderful for words

妙在不言中 妙在不言中 miao4 zai4 bu4 yan2 zhong1
the charm lies in what is left unsaid (idiom)

民不聊生 民不聊生 min2 bu4 liao2 sheng1
The people have no way to make a living (idiom, from Record of the Grand Historian 史記|史记); no way of getting by

名不符实 名不符實 ming2 bu4 fu2 shi2
the name does not correspond to reality (idiom); it doesn't live up to its reputation

名不副实 名不副實 ming2 bu4 fu4 shi2
the name does not reflect the reality (idiom); more in name than in fact; Reality does not live up to the name.; Excellent theory, but the practice does not bear it out.

名不见经传 名不見經傳 ming2 bu4 jian4 jing1 zhuan4
(lit.) name not encountered in the classics; unknown (person); nobody

鸣不平 鳴不平 ming2 bu4 ping2
to cry out against injustice; to protest unfairness

名不虚传 名不虛傳 ming2 bu4 xu1 chuan2
lit. name is not in vain (idiom); a fully justified reputation; enjoys a well-deserved reputation

名不正言不顺 名不正言不順 ming2 bu5 zheng4 yan2 bu5 shun4
(of a title, degree etc) illegitimately conferred

明人不做暗事 明人不做暗事 ming2 ren2 bu4 zuo4 an4 shi4
The honest person does nothing underhand (idiom).; fig. Do what you want to do openly and without dissimulation.

冥顽不灵 冥頑不靈 ming2 wan2 bu4 ling2
stupid; stubborn; pigheaded

命不久已 命不久已 ming4 bu4 jiu3 yi3
at death's door

摸不着 摸不著 mo1 bu5 zhao2
can't touch; can't reach; (fig.) unable to get a grasp of

摸不着边 摸不著邊 mo1 bu5 zhao2 bian1
irrelevant; can't make head or tail of

摸不着头脑 摸不著頭腦 mo1 bu5 zhao2 tou2 nao3
to be unable to make any sense of the matter; to be at a loss

模糊不清 模糊不清 mo2 hu5 bu4 qing1
indistinct; fuzzy; blurred with age

抹不下脸 抹不下臉 mo3 bu4 xia4 lian3
to be unable to keep a straight face (idiom)

莫不 莫不 mo4 bu4
none doesn't; there is none who isn't; everyone

漠不关心 漠不關心 mo4 bu4 guan1 xin1
not the least bit concerned; completely indifferent

磨不开 磨不開 mo4 bu4 kai1
to feel embarrassed

莫不然 莫不然 mo4 bu4 ran2
equally true for (all the rest); the same thing applies (for everyone)

莫不是 莫不是 mo4 bu4 shi4
probably; perhaps; could it be that...?

莫不闻 莫不聞 mo4 bu4 wen2
there is no-one who doesn't know that

莫不逾侈 莫不逾侈 mo4 bu4 yu2 chi3
there is no-one who is not extravagant

默不作声 默不作聲 mo4 bu4 zuo4 sheng1
to keep silent

没齿不忘 沒齒不忘 mo4 chi3 bu4 wang4
lit. will not be forgotten even after one's teeth fall out; to remember as long as one lives; unforgettable (idiom)

莫霍洛维奇不连续面 莫霍洛維奇不連續面 mo4 huo4 luo4 wei2 qi2 bu4 lian2 xu4 mian4
Mohorovichich discontinuity (lower boundary of the earth's lithosphere); abbr. to Moho 莫霍面

目不见睫 目不見睫 mu4 bu4 jian4 jie2
lit. the eye cannot see the eyelashes (idiom); fig. unable to see one's own faults; to lack self-awareness; truths too close to home

目不交睫 目不交睫 mu4 bu4 jiao1 jie2
lit. the eyelashes do not come together (idiom); fig. to not sleep a wink

目不窥园 目不窺園 mu4 bu4 kui1 yuan2
lit. not even peek at the garden; fig. to be absorbed in one's studies (idiom)

目不忍见 目不忍見 mu4 bu4 ren3 jian4
lit. the eye cannot bear to see it (idiom); a scene too pitiful to behold

目不忍视 目不忍視 mu4 bu4 ren3 shi4
lit. the eye cannot bear to see it (idiom); a scene too pitiful to behold

目不识丁 目不識丁 mu4 bu4 shi2 ding1
lit. the eye cannot recognize the letter T (idiom); totally illiterate

目不暇给 目不暇給 mu4 bu4 xia2 gei3
the eye cannot take it all in (idiom); too many good things to see; a feast for the eyes

目不暇接 目不暇接 mu4 bu4 xia2 jie1
lit. too much for the eye to take in (idiom); a feast for the eyes

目不斜视 目不斜視 mu4 bu4 xie2 shi4
not to glance sideways (idiom); to gaze fixedly; to be fully concentrated; to preserve a correct attitude

目不转睛 目不轉睛 mu4 bu4 zhuan3 jing1
unable to take one's eyes off (idiom); to gaze steadily; to stare

拿不出手 拿不出手 na2 bu4 chu1 shou3
not presentable; shoddy and too embarrassing to show

拿不准 拿不准 na2 bu4 zhun3
in doubt; unsure of sth; unable to decide; indecisive

拿不动 拿不動 na2 bu5 dong4
to be unable to carry; lift (sth heavy)

哪壶不开提哪壶 哪壺不開提哪壺 na3 hu2 bu4 kai1 ti2 na3 hu2
lit. mention the pot that doesn't boil (idiom); to touch a sore spot; to talk about sb's weak point

那不勒斯 那不勒斯 na4 bu4 le4 si1
Napoli, capital of Campania region of Italy; Naples

那不勒斯王国 那不勒斯王國 na4 bu4 le4 si1 wang2 guo2
Kingdom of Naples (1282-1860)

难不成 難不成 nan2 bu4 cheng2
Is it possible that ... ?

难不倒 難不倒 nan2 bu4 dao3
not to pose a problem for sb; cannot stump sb

男儿有泪不轻弹 男兒有淚不輕彈 nan2 er2 you3 lei4 bu4 qing1 tan2
real men do not easily cry (idiom)

男女授受不亲 男女授受不親 nan2 nv3 shou4 shou4 bu4 qin1
men and women should not touch hands when they give or receive things (citation, from Mencius)

男人不坏,女人不爱 男人不壞,女人不愛 nan2 ren2 bu4 huai4 - nv3 ren2 bu4 ai4
women love bad guys

拟于不伦 擬於不倫 ni3 yu2 bu4 lun2
to draw an impossible comparison

泥古不化 泥古不化 ni4 gu3 bu4 hua4
conservative and unable to adapt (idiom)

逆水行舟,不进则退 逆水行舟,不進則退 ni4 shui3 xing2 zhou1 - bu4 jin4 ze2 tui4
like rowing a boat upstream, if you stop moving forward you fall back (idiom)

念念不忘 念念不忘 nian4 nian4 bu4 wang4
to keep in mind constantly (idiom)

鸟不拉屎,鸡不生蛋 鳥不拉屎,雞不生蛋 niao3 bu4 la1 shi3 - ji1 bu4 sheng1 dan4
lit. (a place where) birds don't defecate and hens don't lay eggs (idiom); fig. god-forsaken; remote and desolate

鸟不生蛋 鳥不生蛋 niao3 bu4 sheng1 dan4
deserted (of a place)

鸟不生蛋,狗不拉屎 鳥不生蛋,狗不拉屎 niao3 bu4 sheng1 dan4 - gou3 bu4 la1 shi3
lit. (a place where) birds don't lay eggs and dogs don't defecate (idiom); fig. god-forsaken; remote and desolate

尿不湿 尿不濕 niao4 bu4 shi1
(coll.) disposable diaper

宁拆十座庙,不毁一桩婚 寧拆十座廟,不毀一樁婚 ning2 chai1 shi2 zuo4 miao4 - bu4 hui4 yi1 zhuang1 hun1
rather destroy ten temples than a single marriage (idiom)

宁死不屈 寧死不屈 ning4 si3 bu4 qu1
rather die than submit (idiom)

宁为鸡头,不为凤尾 寧為雞頭,不為鳳尾 ning4 wei2 ji1 tou2 - bu4 wei2 feng4 wei3
see 寧做雞頭,不做鳳尾|宁做鸡头,不做凤尾

宁为玉碎,不为瓦全 寧為玉碎,不為瓦全 ning4 wei2 yu4 sui4 - bu4 wei2 wa3 quan2
Better broken jade than intact tile.; Death is preferable to dishonor. (idiom)

宁做鸡头,不做凤尾 寧做雞頭,不做鳳尾 ning4 zuo4 ji1 tou2 - bu4 zuo4 feng4 wei3
lit. would rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail (idiom); fig. to prefer to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond

牛头不对马嘴 牛頭不對馬嘴 niu2 tou2 bu4 dui4 ma3 zui3
see 驢唇不對馬嘴|驴唇不对马嘴

拗不过 拗不過 niu4 bu5 guo4
can't persuade; unable to make (sb) change their mind; unable to resist (sb)

弄不懂 弄不懂 nong4 bu5 dong3
unable to make sense of (sth)

弄不清 弄不清 nong4 bu5 qing1
unable to figure out

怒不可遏 怒不可遏 nu4 bu4 ke3 e4
unable to restrain one's anger (idiom); in a towering rage

女大不中留 女大不中留 nv3 da4 bu4 zhong1 liu2
when a girl is of age, she must be married off (idiom)

蹒跚不前 蹣跚不前 pan2 shan1 bu4 qian2
to falter; to stall

跑得了和尚,跑不了庙 跑得了和尚,跑不了廟 pao3 de2 liao3 he2 shang4 - pao3 bu4 liao3 miao4
the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him (idiom); you can run this time, but you'll have to come back; I'll get you sooner or later

跑了和尚,跑不了庙 跑了和尚,跑不了廟 pao3 le5 he2 shang4 - pao3 bu4 liao3 miao4
the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him (idiom); you can run this time, but you'll have to come back; I'll get you sooner or later

跑了和尚,跑不了寺 跑了和尚,跑不了寺 pao3 le5 he2 shang4 - pao3 bu4 liao3 si4
the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him (idiom); you can run this time, but you'll have to come back; I'll get you sooner or later

赔不是 賠不是 pei2 bu2 shi5
to apologize

朋友妻不可欺 朋友妻不可欺 peng2 you5 qi1 bu4 ke3 qi1
you should not covet your friend's wife (idiom)

皮笑肉不笑 皮笑肉不笑 pi2 xiao4 rou4 bu4 xiao4
to put on a fake smile (idiom); to smile insincerely

偏邪不正 偏邪不正 pian1 xie2 bu4 zheng4
biased; prejudiced (idiom)

飘忽不定 飄忽不定 piao1 hu1 bu4 ding4
to drift without a resting place (idiom); roving; errant; vagrant; erratic

撇开不谈 撇開不談 pie1 kai1 bu4 tan2
to ignore an issue (idiom)

贫不足耻 貧不足恥 pin2 bu4 zu2 chi3
it is no disgrace to be poor (idiom)

贫贱不能移 貧賤不能移 pin2 jian4 bu4 neng2 yi2
not shaken by poverty; to preserve one's ambitions although destitute

平生不做亏心事,半夜敲门心不惊 平生不做虧心事,半夜敲門心不驚 ping2 sheng1 bu4 zuo4 kui1 xin1 shi4 - ban4 ye4 qiao1 men2 xin1 bu4 jing1
He who never wrongs others does not fear the knock in the night.; Rest with a clear conscience.

平时不烧香,临时抱佛脚 平時不燒香,臨時抱佛腳 ping2 shi2 bu4 shao1 xiang1 - lin2 shi2 bao4 fo2 jiao3
lit. to clasp the Buddha's feet when danger arises (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble; doing things at the last minute; to make a hasty last-minute effort (often refers to cramming for exams)

破败不堪 破敗不堪 po4 bai4 bu4 kan1
crushed; utterly defeated

迫不得已 迫不得已 po4 bu4 de2 yi3
to have no alternative (idiom); compelled by circumstances; forced into sth

迫不及待 迫不及待 po4 bu4 ji2 dai4
impatient (idiom); in a hurry; itching to get on with it

其乐不穷 其樂不窮 qi2 le4 bu4 qiong2
boundless joy

其貌不扬 其貌不揚 qi2 mao4 bu4 yang2
(idiom) nothing special to look at; unprepossessing

岂不 豈不 qi3 bu4
how couldn't...?; wouldn't it...?

气不忿儿 氣不忿兒 qi4 bu4 fen4 er5
furious; indignant

气不公 氣不公 qi4 bu4 gong1
indignant

气不平 氣不平 qi4 bu4 ping2
angry at unfairness

气不过 氣不過 qi4 bu5 guo4
so angry it's unbearable; bitter about unbearable grievances

千里搭长棚,没有不散的宴席 千里搭長棚,沒有不散的宴席 qian1 li3 da1 chang2 peng2 - mei2 you3 bu4 san4 de5 yan4 xi2
even if you build a thousand-league awning for it, every banquet must come to an end (idiom)

千里马常有,而伯乐不常有 千里馬常有,而伯樂不常有 qian1 li3 ma3 chang2 you3 - er2 bo2 le4 bu4 chang2 you3
lit. there are many swift horses, but very few who can spot them (idiom); fig. many have talent, but few can recognize talent when they see it

前不巴村,后不巴店 前不巴村,後不巴店 qian2 bu4 ba1 cun1 - hou4 bu4 ba1 dian4
see 前不著村,後不著店|前不着村,后不着店

前不见古人,后不见来者 前不見古人,後不見來者 qian2 bu4 jian4 gu3 ren2 - hou4 bu4 jian4 lai2 zhe3
unique; unprecedented (idiom)

前不久 前不久 qian2 bu4 jiu3
not long ago; not long before

钱不是万能的没钱是万万不能的 錢不是萬能的沒錢是萬萬不能的 qian2 bu4 shi4 wan4 neng2 de5 mei2 qian2 shi4 wan4 wan4 bu4 neng2 de5
Money isn't everything but without money you have nothing. (idiom)

前不着村,后不着店 前不著村,後不著店 qian2 bu4 zhao2 cun1 - hou4 bu4 zhao2 dian4
lit. no village ahead and no inn behind (idiom); fig. to be stranded in the middle of nowhere; to be in a predicament

前事不忘,后事之师 前事不忘,後事之師 qian2 shi4 bu4 wang4 - hou4 shi4 zhi1 shi1
don't forget past events, they can guide you in future (idiom); benefit from past experience

强龙不压地头蛇 強龍不壓地頭蛇 qiang2 long2 bu4 ya1 di4 tou2 she2
lit. strong dragon cannot repress a snake (idiom); fig. a local gangster who is above the law

瞧不起 瞧不起 qiao2 bu4 qi3
to look down upon; to hold in contempt

巧诈不如拙诚 巧詐不如拙誠 qiao3 zha4 bu4 ru2 zhuo1 cheng2
the unvarnished truth is better than a cunning ruse (idiom); honesty is the best policy

且不说 且不說 qie3 bu4 shuo1
not to mention; leaving aside

锲而不舍 鍥而不捨 qie4 er2 bu4 she3
to chip away at a task and not abandon it (idiom); to chisel away at sth; to persevere; unflagging efforts

勤劳不虞匮乏 勤勞不虞匱乏 qin2 lao2 bu4 yu2 kui4 fa2
Poverty is a stranger to industry. (idiom)

琴瑟不调 琴瑟不調 qin2 se4 bu4 tiao2
out of tune; marital discord, cf qin and se 琴瑟, two string instruments as symbol of marital harmony

禽兽不如 禽獸不如 qin2 shou4 bu4 ru2
worse than a beast; to behave immorally

勤则不匮 勤則不匱 qin2 ze2 bu4 kui4
If one is industrious, one will not be in want. (idiom)

青春不再 青春不再 qing1 chun1 bu4 zai4
lit. one's youth will never return; to make the most of one's opportunities (idiom)

青黄不接 青黃不接 qing1 huang2 bu4 jie1
lit. yellow does not reach green (idiom); the yellow autumn crop does not last until the green spring crop; temporary deficit in manpower or resources; unable to make ends meet

情不可却 情不可卻 qing2 bu4 ke3 que4
unable to refuse because of affection

情不自禁 情不自禁 qing2 bu4 zi4 jin1
unable to restrain emotions; cannot help

请将不如激将 請將不如激將 qing3 jiang4 bu4 ru2 ji1 jiang4
lit. to dispatch a general is not as effective as to excite a general; fig. inciting people to action is more effective than dispatching orders

求人不如求己 求人不如求己 qiu2 ren2 bu4 ru2 qiu2 ji3
if you want sth done well, do it yourself (idiom)

求之不得 求之不得 qiu2 zhi1 bu4 de2
lit. seek but fail to get (idiom); fig. exactly what one’s been looking for

取之不尽,用之不竭 取之不盡,用之不竭 qu3 zhi1 bu4 jin4 - yong4 zhi1 bu4 jie2
limitless supply (of); inexhaustible

去向不明 去向不明 qu4 xiang4 bu4 ming2
missing; lost

缺一不可 缺一不可 que1 yi1 bu4 ke3
not a single one is dispensable; can't do without either

确凿不移 確鑿不移 que4 zao2 bu4 yi2
established and irrefutable (idiom)

却之不恭 卻之不恭 que4 zhi1 bu4 gong1
to refuse would be impolite

逡巡不前 逡巡不前 qun1 xun2 bu4 qian2
to hesitate to move forward; to balk; to jib

惹不起 惹不起 re3 bu5 qi3
can't afford to offend; dare not provoke; difficult to deal with; insufferable

人不可貌相 人不可貌相 ren2 bu4 ke3 mao4 xiang4
you can't judge a person by appearance (idiom); you can't judge a book by its cover; often in combination 人不可貌相,海水不可斗量

人不可貌相,海水不可斗量 人不可貌相,海水不可斗量 ren2 bu4 ke3 mao4 xiang4 - hai3 shui3 bu4 ke3 dou3 liang2
you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom)

人不为己,天诛地灭 人不為己,天誅地滅 ren2 bu4 wei4 ji3 - tian1 zhu1 di4 mie4
Look out for yourself, or heaven and earth will combine to destroy you.; Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost.

人不知鬼不觉 人不知鬼不覺 ren2 bu4 zhi1 gui3 bu4 jue2
in absolute secrecy

人艰不拆 人艱不拆 ren2 jian1 bu4 chai1
life is hard enough as it is; don't burst my bubble (Internet slang)

人穷志不穷 人窮志不窮 ren2 qiong2 zhi4 bu4 qiong2
poor but with great ambitions (idiom); poor but principled

人生何处不相逢 人生何處不相逢 ren2 sheng1 he2 chu4 bu4 xiang1 feng2
it's a small world (idiom)

人生路不熟 人生路不熟 ren2 sheng1 lu4 bu4 shu2
everything is unfamiliar

人事不知 人事不知 ren2 shi4 bu4 zhi1
to have lost consciousness

人算不如天算 人算不如天算 ren2 suan4 bu4 ru2 tian1 suan4
God's plans supersede our own; Man proposes but God disposes

人心不足蛇吞象 人心不足蛇吞象 ren2 xin1 bu4 zu2 she2 tun1 xiang4
a man who is never content is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant (idiom)

人在江湖,身不由己 人在江湖,身不由己 ren2 zai4 jiang1 hu2 - shen1 bu4 you2 ji3
you can't always do as you like; one has to compromise in this world (idiom)

忍不住 忍不住 ren3 bu5 zhu4
cannot help; unable to bear

忍俊不禁 忍俊不禁 ren3 jun4 bu4 jin1
cannot help laughing; unable to restrain a smile

认识不能 認識不能 ren4 shi5 bu4 neng2
agnosia

容不得 容不得 rong2 bu5 de2
unable to tolerate; intolerant; unable to bear sth

乳糖不耐症 乳糖不耐症 ru3 tang2 bu4 nai4 zheng4
lactose intolerance

入不敷出 入不敷出 ru4 bu4 fu1 chu1
income does not cover expenditure; unable to make ends meet

软硬不吃 軟硬不吃 ruan3 ying4 bu4 chi1
unmoved by force or persuasion

锐不可当 銳不可當 rui4 bu4 ke3 dang1
unstoppable; hard to hold back

弱不禁风 弱不禁風 ruo4 bu4 jin1 feng1
too weak to stand up to the wind (idiom); extremely delicate; fragile state of health

若要人不知,除非己莫为 若要人不知,除非己莫為 ruo4 yao4 ren2 bu4 zhi1 - chu2 fei1 ji3 mo4 wei2
If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it (idiom). fig. If you do something bad, people will inevitably hear about it.

撒手不管 撒手不管 sa1 shou3 bu4 guan3
to stand aside and do nothing (idiom); to take no part in

三不 三不 san1 bu4
the three no's (abbreviated catchphrase)

三不管 三不管 san1 bu4 guan3
of undetermined status; unregulated

三不五时 三不五時 san1 bu4 wu3 shi2
(Tw) from time to time; frequently

三不沾 三不沾 san1 bu4 zhan1
air ball (basketball)

三不知 三不知 san1 bu4 zhi1
to know nothing about the beginning, the middle or the end; to know nothing at all

三寸不烂之舌 三寸不爛之舌 san1 cun4 bu4 lan4 zhi1 she2
to have a silver tongue; to have the gift of the gab

三句话不离本行 三句話不離本行 san1 ju4 hua4 bu4 li2 ben3 hang2
to talk shop all the time (idiom)

三天不打,上房揭瓦 三天不打,上房揭瓦 san1 tian1 bu4 da3 - shang4 fang2 jie1 wa3
three days without a beating, and a child will scale the roof to rip the tiles (idiom); spare the rod, spoil the child

刹不住 剎不住 sha1 bu5 zhu4
unable to brake (stop)

杀人不过头点地 殺人不過頭點地 sha1 ren2 bu4 guo4 tou2 dian3 di4
It's all exaggeration, you don't need to take it seriously; a fuss about nothing; nothing to write home about

杀人不眨眼 殺人不眨眼 sha1 ren2 bu4 zha3 yan3
to murder without blinking an eye (idiom); ruthless; cold-blooded

傻不愣登 傻不愣登 sha3 bu4 leng4 deng1
stupid; dazed

山不转路转 山不轉路轉 shan1 bu4 zhuan4 lu4 zhuan4
see 山不轉水轉|山不转水转

山不转水转 山不轉水轉 shan1 bu4 zhuan4 shui3 zhuan4
it's a small world; only mountains never meet

善有善报,恶有恶报,若然不报时晨未到 善有善報,惡有惡報,若然不報時晨未到 shan4 you3 shan4 bao4 - e4 you3 e4 bao4 - ruo4 ran2 bu4 bao4 shi2 chen2 wei4 dao4
Good has its reward and evil has its recompense. The payback is just a matter of time

善者不辩,辩者不善 善者不辯,辯者不善 shan4 zhe3 bu4 bian4 - bian4 zhe3 bu4 shan4
Good words are not persuasive, persuasive words are not good (idiom, from Laozi 老子 81). Do not be taken in by appearances.

伤不起 傷不起 shang1 bu4 qi3
(slang) it's just the pits!; so unfair!; unbearable

上不得台盤 上不得臺盤 shang4 bu4 de2 tai2 pan2
too uncouth to appear in public (idiom); unfit for a public role

上不了台面 上不了檯面 shang4 bu4 liao3 tai2 mian4
better kept under the table (idiom); not to be disclosed; too inferior to show in public

上梁不正下梁歪 上梁不正下梁歪 shang4 liang2 bu4 zheng4 xia4 liang2 wai1
lit. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked (idiom); fig. subordinates imitate their superiors' vices

上气不接下气 上氣不接下氣 shang4 qi4 bu4 jie1 xia4 qi4
not enough breath (idiom); to gasp for breath

少不得 少不得 shao3 bu5 de2
cannot be avoided; cannot do without

少不了 少不了 shao3 bu5 liao3
cannot do without; to be unavoidable; are bound to be many

少儿不宜 少兒不宜 shao4 er2 bu4 yi2
not suitable for children

少壮不努力,老大徒伤悲 少壯不努力,老大徒傷悲 shao4 zhuang4 bu4 nu3 li4 - lao3 da4 tu2 shang1 bei1
if you are lazy in your prime, you'll be sorry in your old age

舍不得 捨不得 she3 bu5 de5
to hate to do sth; to hate to part with; to begrudge

申不害 申不害 shen1 bu4 hai4
Shen Buhai (385-337 BC), legalist political thinker

深不可测 深不可測 shen1 bu4 ke3 ce4
deep and unmeasurable (idiom); unfathomable depths; incomprehensible; enigmatic and impossible to predict

身不由己 身不由己 shen1 bu4 you2 ji3
without the freedom to act independently (idiom); involuntary; not of one's own volition; in spite of oneself

伸手不见五指 伸手不見五指 shen1 shou3 bu4 jian4 wu3 zhi3
pitch-dark (idiom)

深信不疑 深信不疑 shen1 xin4 bu4 yi2
to believe firmly without any doubt (idiom); absolute certainty about sth

身在福中不知福 身在福中不知福 shen1 zai4 fu2 zhong1 bu4 zhi1 fu2
to live in plenty without appreciating it (idiom); not to know when one is well off

神不守舍 神不守捨 shen2 bu4 shou3 she4
abstracted; drifting off; restless

神不知鬼不觉 神不知鬼不覺 shen2 bu4 zhi1 gui3 bu4 jue2
top secret; hush-hush

神圣不可侵犯 神聖不可侵犯 shen2 sheng4 bu4 ke3 qin1 fan4
sacred; inviolable

神志不清 神志不清 shen2 zhi4 bu4 qing1
to be delirious; to be mentally confused

生不逢时 生不逢時 sheng1 bu4 feng2 shi2
born at the wrong time (idiom); unlucky (esp. to complain about one's fate); born under an unlucky star; ahead of his time

生命不息,战斗不止 生命不息,戰鬥不止 sheng1 ming4 bu4 xi1 - zhan4 dou4 bu4 zhi3
while there is life, the fight continues (idiom); to fight to the last

生生不息 生生不息 sheng1 sheng1 bu4 xi1
to grow and multiply without end

胜不骄,败不馁 勝不驕,敗不餒 sheng4 bu4 jiao1 - bai4 bu4 nei3
no arrogance in victory, no despair in defeat

胜之不武 勝之不武 sheng4 zhi1 bu4 wu3
(fig.) to fight a one-sided battle; to have an unfair advantage in a contest

虱多不痒 蝨多不癢 shi1 duo1 bu4 yang3
many fleas, but unconcerned (idiom); no point in worrying about one debt when one has so many others; Troubles never come singly.; It never rains but it pours.

食不果腹 食不果腹 shi2 bu4 guo3 fu4
lit. food not filling the stomach (idiom); fig. poverty-stricken

时不时 時不時 shi2 bu4 shi2
from time to time

时不我待 時不我待 shi2 bu4 wo3 dai4
time and tide wait for no man (idiom)

实不相瞒 實不相瞞 shi2 bu4 xiang1 man2
truth to tell; to be quite honest...

食不厌精,脍不厌细 食不厭精,膾不厭細 shi2 bu4 yan4 jing1 - kuai4 bu4 yan4 xi4
lit. to eat but finely ground grain and finely chopped meat (idiom, from Analects); fig. to be fastidious about one's food

时不再来 時不再來 shi2 bu4 zai4 lai2
Time that has passed will never come back. (idiom)

食不知味 食不知味 shi2 bu4 zhi1 wei4
lit. to eat without tasting the food; worried or downhearted (idiom)

时代不同,风尚不同 時代不同,風尚不同 shi2 dai4 bu4 tong2 - feng1 shang4 bu4 tong2
customs change with time (idiom); other times, other manners; O Tempora, O Mores!

十恶不赦 十惡不赦 shi2 e4 bu4 she4
wicked beyond redemption (idiom); heinous

食古不化 食古不化 shi2 gu3 bu4 hua4
to swallow ancient learning without digesting it (idiom); to be pedantic without having a mastery of one's subject

拾金不昧 拾金不昧 shi2 jin1 bu4 mei4
to pick up money and not hide it (idiom); to return property to its owner

实属不易 實屬不易 shi2 shu3 bu4 yi4
really not easy (idiom)

时运不济 時運不濟 shi2 yun4 bu4 ji4
fate is unfavorable (idiom); the omens are not good

食之无味,弃之不甘 食之無味,棄之不甘 shi2 zhi1 wu2 wei4 - qi4 zhi1 bu4 gan1
see 食之無味,棄之可惜|食之无味,弃之可惜

十指不沾阳春水 十指不沾陽春水 shi2 zhi3 bu4 zhan1 yang2 chun1 shui3
to have no need to fend for oneself (idiom); to lead a pampered life

使不得 使不得 shi3 bu5 de5
cannot be used; must not (do sth); unacceptable

始终不渝 始終不渝 shi3 zhong1 bu4 yu2
unswerving; unflinching

誓不反悔 誓不反悔 shi4 bu4 fan3 hui3
to vow not to break one's promise

事不关己 事不關己 shi4 bu4 guan1 ji3
a matter of no concern to oneself (idiom)

事不关己,高高挂起 事不關己,高高掛起 shi4 bu4 guan1 ji3 - gao1 gao1 gua4 qi3
to feel unconcerned and let matters rest (idiom)

事不过三 事不過三 shi4 bu4 guo4 san1
a thing should not be attempted more than three times (idiom); don't repeat the same mistake again and again; bad things don't happen more than three times

势不可当 勢不可當 shi4 bu4 ke3 dang1
impossible to resist (idiom); an irresistible force

势不可挡 勢不可擋 shi4 bu4 ke3 dang3
see 勢不可當|势不可当

势不两立 勢不兩立 shi4 bu4 liang3 li4
the two cannot exist together (idiom); irreconcilable differences; incompatible standpoints

誓不两立 誓不兩立 shi4 bu4 liang3 li4
the two cannot exist together (idiom); irreconcilable differences; incompatible standpoints

是不是 是不是 shi4 bu4 shi4
is or isn't; yes or no; whether or not

事不宜迟 事不宜遲 shi4 bu4 yi2 chi2
the matter should not be delayed; there's no time to lose

视而不见 視而不見 shi4 er2 bu4 jian4
to turn a blind eye to; to ignore

是非不分 是非不分 shi4 fei1 bu4 fen1
unable to distinguish right and wrong (idiom)

是可忍,孰不可忍 是可忍,孰不可忍 shi4 ke3 ren3 - shu2 bu4 ke3 ren3
if this can be tolerated, what cannot? (idiom); enough is enough

誓死不从 誓死不從 shi4 si3 bu4 cong2
to vow to die rather than obey (idiom)

誓死不降 誓死不降 shi4 si3 bu4 xiang2
to vow to fight to the death

手不释卷 手不釋卷 shou3 bu4 shi4 juan4
lit. always with a book in hand (idiom); fig. (of a student or scholar) diligent and hardworking

手脚不干净 手腳不乾淨 shou3 jiao3 bu4 gan1 jing4
thieving; light-fingered; prone to stealing

守正不阿 守正不阿 shou3 zheng4 bu4 e1
to be strictly just and impartial

受不了 受不了 shou4 bu4 liao3
unbearable; unable to endure; can't stand

寿命不长 壽命不長 shou4 ming4 bu4 chang2
one's days are numbered; not to have long to live (often fig.)

授人以鱼不如授人以渔 授人以魚不如授人以漁 shou4 ren2 yi3 yu2 bu4 ru2 shou4 ren2 yi3 yu2
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime; knowledge is the best charity

授之以鱼不如授之以渔 授之以魚不如授之以漁 shou4 zhi1 yi3 yu2 bu4 ru2 shou4 zhi1 yi3 yu2
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (idiom)

疏不见亲 疏不見親 shu1 bu4 jian4 qin1
lit. casual aquaintances should not come between relatives; blood is thicker than water (idiom)

书不尽言 書不盡言 shu1 bu4 jin4 yan2
I have much more to say than can be written in this letter (conventional letter ending) (idiom)

输不起 輸不起 shu1 bu4 qi3
to take defeat with bad grace; to be a sore loser; cannot afford to lose

殊不知 殊不知 shu1 bu4 zhi1
little imagined; scarcely realized

疏而不漏 疏而不漏 shu1 er2 bu4 lou4
loose, but allows no escape (idiom, from Laozi 老子); the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape

书写不能症 書寫不能症 shu1 xie3 bu4 neng2 zheng4
agraphia

数不过来 數不過來 shu3 bu4 guo4 lai2
can't manage to count; too many to count

数不清 數不清 shu3 bu4 qing1
countless; innumerable

数不上 數不上 shu3 bu4 shang4
not to deserve to be mentioned; not to qualify; below par

数不胜数 數不勝數 shu3 bu4 sheng4 shu3
too many to count (idiom); innumerable

数不着 數不著 shu3 bu4 zhao2
see 數不上|数不上

数不尽 數不盡 shu3 bu5 jin4
countless

数不多 數不多 shu4 bu4 duo1
a small number; one of a very few

树欲静而风不止 樹欲靜而風不止 shu4 yu4 jing4 er2 feng1 bu4 zhi3
lit. the trees long for peace but the wind will never cease (idiom); fig. the world changes, whether you want it or not

水火不容 水火不容 shui3 huo3 bu4 rong2
completely incompatible; lit. incompatible as fire and water

水土不服 水土不服 shui3 tu3 bu4 fu2
not acclimatized

水泄不通 水洩不通 shui3 xie4 bu4 tong1
lit. not one drop can trickle through (idiom); fig. impenetrable (crowd, traffic)

睡眠不足 睡眠不足 shui4 mian2 bu4 zu2
lack of sleep; sleep deficit

顺应不良 順應不良 shun4 ying4 bu4 liang2
inability to adjust; unable to adapt

说不出话来 說不出話來 shuo1 bu4 chu1 hua4 lai2
speechless

说不通 說不通 shuo1 bu4 tong1
it does not make sense

说不准 說不準 shuo1 bu4 zhun3
unable to say; can't say precisely

说不出 說不出 shuo1 bu5 chu1
unable to say

说不定 說不定 shuo1 bu5 ding4
can't say for sure; maybe

说不过去 說不過去 shuo1 bu5 guo4 qu4
cannot be justified; inexcusable

说不上 說不上 shuo1 bu5 shang4
to be unable to say or tell; to not be worth mentioning

说话不当话 說話不當話 shuo1 hua4 bu4 dang4 hua4
to fail to keep to one's word; to break a promise

说一不二 說一不二 shuo1 yi1 bu4 er4
to say one and mean just that (idiom); to keep one's word

数见不鲜 數見不鮮 shuo4 jian4 bu4 xian1
a common occurrence (idiom)

丝毫不差 絲毫不差 si1 hao2 bu4 cha1
accurate to perfection (idiom); precise to the finest detail

死不改悔 死不改悔 si3 bu4 gai3 hui3
not to repent even facing death (idiom); unrepentant; very obstinate

死不了 死不了 si3 bu4 liao3
Portulaca Sundial (a type of plant)

死不冥目 死不冥目 si3 bu4 ming2 mu4
dead but will not close the eyes (idiom); to die with a remaining grievance; also written 死不瞑目

死不瞑目 死不瞑目 si3 bu4 ming2 mu4
dead but will not close the eyes (idiom); to die with a remaining grievance

死不要脸 死不要臉 si3 bu4 yao4 lian3
to know no shame; to be totally shameless

死而不僵 死而不僵 si3 er2 bu4 jiang1
dead but showing no signs of rigor mortis; to die hard (idiom); to die yet not be vanquished (idiom)

死活不顾 死活不顧 si3 huo2 bu4 gu4
regardless of life or death (idiom)

死人不管 死人不管 si3 ren2 bu4 guan3
(coll.) to wash one's hands of a matter

死因不明 死因不明 si3 yin1 bu4 ming2
unknown cause of death

死猪不怕开水烫 死豬不怕開水燙 si3 zhu1 bu4 pa4 kai1 shui3 tang4
lit. a dead pig doesn't fear scalding water (idiom); fig. to be unaffected (by sth); undaunted

四体不勤,五谷不分 四體不勤,五穀不分 si4 ti3 bu4 qin2 - wu3 gu3 bu4 fen1
never move your four limbs, can't distinguish the five crops (idiom); living as a parasite

俗不可耐 俗不可耐 su2 bu4 ke3 nai4
intolerably vulgar

素不相能 素不相能 su4 bu4 xiang1 neng2
unable to get along (idiom)

素不相识 素不相識 su4 bu4 xiang1 shi2
to be total strangers (idiom)

酸不溜丢 酸不溜丟 suan1 bu5 liu1 diu1
sour; acrid; (of a person) embittered

酸不溜秋 酸不溜秋 suan1 bu5 liu1 qiu1
see 酸不溜丟|酸不溜丢

算不得 算不得 suan4 bu4 de2
not count as

算不了 算不了 suan4 bu4 liao3
does not count for anything; of no account

岁不我与 歲不我與 sui4 bu4 wo3 yu3
Time and tide wait for no man (idiom)

损人不利己 損人不利己 sun3 ren2 bu4 li4 ji3
to harm others without benefiting oneself (idiom)

踏步不前 踏步不前 ta4 bu4 bu4 qian2
to be at a standstill; to mark time

踏破铁鞋无觅处,得来全不费工夫 踏破鐵鞋無覓處,得來全不費工夫 ta4 po4 tie3 xie2 wu2 mi4 chu4 - de2 lai2 quan2 bu4 fei4 gong1 fu5
to travel far and wide looking for sth, only to find it easily

太阳永不落 太陽永不落 tai4 yang2 yong3 bu4 luo4
(on which) the sun never sets

贪多嚼不烂 貪多嚼不爛 tan1 duo1 jiao2 bu4 lan4
to bite off more than one can chew (idiom)

贪心不足 貪心不足 tan1 xin1 bu4 zu2
avaricious and insatiable (idiom); greedy and never satisfied

谈不拢 談不攏 tan2 bu4 long3
can't come to an agreement

谈不上 談不上 tan2 bu5 shang4
to be out of the question

忐忑不安 忐忑不安 tan3 te4 bu4 an1
restless; apprehensive

滔滔不绝 滔滔不絕 tao1 tao1 bu4 jue2
unceasing torrent (idiom); talking non-stop; gabbling forty to the dozen

逃不出 逃不出 tao2 bu4 chu1
unable to escape; can't get out

天不怕地不怕 天不怕地不怕 tian1 bu4 pa4 di4 bu4 pa4
fearing nothing in Heaven or Earth (idiom); fearless

天公不作美 天公不作美 tian1 gong1 bu4 zuo4 mei3
the weather is not cooperating (idiom); bad weather

天机不可泄漏 天機不可泄漏 tian1 ji1 bu4 ke3 xie4 lou4
lit. mysteries of heaven must not be revealed (idiom); must not be revealed; I am not at liberty to inform you.

天机不可泄露 天機不可泄露 tian1 ji1 bu4 ke3 xie4 lu4
lit. mysteries of heaven must not be revealed (idiom); must not be revealed; I am not at liberty to inform you.

天上不会掉馅饼 天上不會掉餡餅 tian1 shang4 bu4 hui4 diao4 xian4 bing3
there is no such thing as a free lunch (idiom)

天网恢恢,疏而不漏 天網恢恢,疏而不漏 tian1 wang3 hui1 hui1 - shu1 er2 bu4 lou4
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73); fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape; you can't run from the long arm of the law

天网恢恢,疏而不失 天網恢恢,疏而不失 tian1 wang3 hui1 hui1 - shu1 er2 bu4 shi1
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73); fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape; you can't run from the long arm of the law

天下没有不散的筵席 天下沒有不散的筵席 tian1 xia4 mei2 you3 bu4 san4 de5 yan2 xi2
all good things must come to an end (idiom)

天下没有不散的宴席 天下沒有不散的宴席 tian1 xia4 mei2 you3 bu4 san4 de5 yan4 xi2
see 天下沒有不散的筵席|天下没有不散的筵席

天有不测风云,人有旦夕祸福 天有不測風雲,人有旦夕禍福 tian1 you3 bu4 ce4 feng1 yun2 - ren2 you3 dan4 xi1 huo4 fu2
fortune as unpredictable as the weather, every day may bring fortune or calamity (idiom); sth unexpected may happen at any moment

甜不辣 甜不辣 tian2 bu4 la4
see 天婦羅|天妇罗

恬不知耻 恬不知恥 tian2 bu4 zhi1 chi3
to have no sense of shame

跳进黄河洗不清 跳進黃河洗不清 tiao4 jin4 huang2 he2 xi3 bu4 qing1
lit. even jumping into the Yellow River can't get you clean; fig. to become inexorably mixed up; mired in controversy; in deep trouble

听不进去 聽不進去 ting1 bu4 jin4 qu5
not to listen; to be deaf to

听不到 聽不到 ting1 bu5 dao4
can't hear

听不懂 聽不懂 ting1 bu5 dong3
unable to make sense of what one is hearing

听不见 聽不見 ting1 bu5 jian4
not be able to hear

听而不闻 聽而不聞 ting1 er2 bu4 wen2
to hear but not react (idiom); to turn a deaf ear; to ignore deliberately

停滞不前 停滯不前 ting2 zhi4 bu4 qian2
stuck and not moving forward (idiom); stagnant; in a rut; at a standstill

痛不欲生 痛不欲生 tong4 bu4 yu4 sheng1
to be so in pain as to not want to live; to be so grieved as to wish one were dead

偷鸡不成蚀把米 偷雞不成蝕把米 tou1 ji1 bu4 cheng2 shi2 ba3 mi3
lit. to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it (idiom); fig. to try to gain an advantage only to end up worse off; to go for wool and come back shorn

偷鸡不着蚀把米 偷雞不著蝕把米 tou1 ji1 bu4 zhao2 shi2 ba3 mi3
see 偷雞不成蝕把米|偷鸡不成蚀把米

土到不行 土到不行 tu3 dao4 bu4 xing2
old-fashioned; extremely kitsch

兔子不吃窝边草 兔子不吃窩邊草 tu4 zi5 bu4 chi1 wo1 bian1 cao3
A rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow (idiom); One shouldn't do anything to harm one's neighbors.

脱不了身 脫不了身 tuo1 bu4 liao3 shen1
busy and unable to get away

玩儿不转 玩兒不轉 wan2 er5 bu4 zhuan4
can't handle it; can't find any way (of doing sth); not up to the task

玩世不恭 玩世不恭 wan2 shi4 bu4 gong1
to trifle without respect (idiom); to despise worldly conventions; frivolous

万变不离其宗 萬變不離其宗 wan4 bian4 bu4 li2 qi2 zong1
many superficial changes but no departure from the original stand (idiom); plus ça change, plus ça reste la mème chose

万不得已 萬不得已 wan4 bu4 de2 yi3
only when absolutely essential (idiom); as a last resort

万劫不复 萬劫不復 wan4 jie2 bu4 fu4
consigned to eternal damnation; with no hope of reprieve

万死不辞 萬死不辭 wan4 si3 bu4 ci2
ten thousand deaths will not prevent me (idiom); ready to risk life and limb to help out

王不留行 王不留行 wang2 bu4 liu2 xing2
cowherb (Vaccaria segetalis); cowherb seeds (used in TCM)

忘不了 忘不了 wang4 bu4 liao3
cannot forget

微不足道 微不足道 wei1 bu4 zu2 dao4
negligible; insignificant

危而不持 危而不持 wei1 er2 bu4 chi2
national danger, but no support (idiom, from Analects); the future of the nation is at stake but no-one comes to the rescue

威武不屈 威武不屈 wei1 wu3 bu4 qu1
not to submit to force

为德不终 為德不終 wei2 de2 bu4 zhong1
to start on virtue but give up (idiom); to fail to carry things through; lack of sticking power; short attention span

为德不卒 為德不卒 wei2 de2 bu4 zu2
to start on virtue but give up (idiom); to fail to carry things through; lack of sticking power; short attention span

为富不仁 為富不仁 wei2 fu4 bu4 ren2
the benevolent man cannot be rich (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24).

为富不仁,为仁不富 為富不仁,為仁不富 wei2 fu4 bu4 ren2 - wei2 ren2 bu4 fu4
the benevolent man cannot be rich and vice versa (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24).

唯恐天下不乱 唯恐天下不亂 wei2 kong3 tian1 xia4 bu4 luan4
to wish for the whole world to be in chaos (idiom)

为仁不富 為仁不富 wei2 ren2 bu4 fu4
the rich man cannot be benevolent (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24).

为时不晚 為時不晚 wei2 shi2 bu4 wan3
it is not too late (idiom)

尾大不掉 尾大不掉 wei3 da4 bu4 diao4
large tail obstructs action (idiom); bottom heavy; fig. rendered ineffective by subordinates

委靡不振 委靡不振 wei3 mi3 bu4 zhen4
variant of 萎靡不振

萎靡不振 萎靡不振 wei3 mi3 bu4 zhen4
dispirited and listless (idiom); downcast

亹亹不倦 亹亹不倦 wei3 wei3 bu4 juan4
on and on; relentlessly

畏缩不前 畏縮不前 wei4 suo1 bu4 qian2
to shrink back in fear (idiom); too cowardly to advance

文不对题 文不對題 wen2 bu4 dui4 ti2
irrelevant; beside the point

文不加点 文不加點 wen2 bu4 jia1 dian3
to write a flawless essay in one go (idiom); to be quick-witted and skilled at writing compositions

纹风不动 紋風不動 wen2 feng1 bu4 dong4
absolutely still; fig. not the slightest change; also written 文風不動|文风不动

文风不动 文風不動 wen2 feng1 bu4 dong4
absolutely still; fig. not the slightest change; also written 紋風不動|纹风不动

闻名不如见面 聞名不如見面 wen2 ming2 bu4 ru2 jian4 mian4
knowing sb by their reputation can't compare to meeting them in person (idiom)

纹丝不动 紋絲不動 wen2 si1 bu4 dong4
to not move a single jot (idiom)

稳步不前 穩步不前 wen3 bu4 bu4 qian2
to mark time and make no advances (idiom)

卧不安 臥不安 wo4 bu4 an1
restless insomnia

无不 無不 wu2 bu4
none lacking; none missing; everything is there; everyone without exception

无不达 無不達 wu2 bu4 da2
nothing he can't do

无处不在 無處不在 wu2 chu4 bu4 zai4
to be everywhere

无毒不丈夫 無毒不丈夫 wu2 du2 bu4 zhang4 fu5
no poison, no great man (idiom); A great man has to be ruthless.

无恶不作 無惡不作 wu2 e4 bu4 zuo4
not to shrink from any crime (idiom); to commit any imaginable misdeed

无风不起浪 無風不起浪 wu2 feng1 bu4 qi3 lang4
lit. without wind there cannot be waves (idiom); there must be a reason; no smoke without fire

无功不受禄 無功不受祿 wu2 gong1 bu4 shou4 lu4
Don't get a reward if it's not deserved. (idiom)

无话不谈 無話不談 wu2 hua4 bu4 tan2
not to hold anything back (idiom); (of close friends etc) to tell each other everything

无坚不摧 無堅不摧 wu2 jian1 bu4 cui1
no stronghold one cannot overcome (idiom); to conquer every obstacle; nothing one can't do; to carry everything before one

无奸不商 無奸不商 wu2 jian1 bu4 shang1
all businessmen are evil (idiom)

无可无不可 無可無不可 wu2 ke3 wu2 bu4 ke3
neither for nor against sth; indifferent

无孔不钻 無孔不鑽 wu2 kong3 bu4 zuan1
lit. leave no hole undrilled (idiom); to latch on to every opportunity

无奇不有 無奇不有 wu2 qi2 bu4 you3
nothing is too bizarre; full of extraordinary things

无巧不成书 無巧不成書 wu2 qiao3 bu4 cheng2 shu1
curious coincidence

无人不 無人不 wu2 ren2 bu4
no man is not...

无人不晓 無人不曉 wu2 ren2 bu4 xiao3
known to everyone

无人不知 無人不知 wu2 ren2 bu4 zhi1
known to everybody

无事不登三宝殿 無事不登三寶殿 wu2 shi4 bu4 deng1 san1 bao3 dian4
lit. One doesn't visit a temple without a cause. (idiom); fig. to visit sb with an ulterior motive (esp. to ask for sth); having a hidden agenda

无所不包 無所不包 wu2 suo3 bu4 bao1
not excluding anything; all-inclusive

无所不卖 無所不賣 wu2 suo3 bu4 mai4
to sell anything; to sell everything

无所不能 無所不能 wu2 suo3 bu4 neng2
omnipotent

无所不为 無所不為 wu2 suo3 bu4 wei2
not stopping at anything; all manner of evil

无所不用其极 無所不用其極 wu2 suo3 bu4 yong4 qi2 ji2
committing all manner of crimes; completely unscrupulous

无所不在 無所不在 wu2 suo3 bu4 zai4
omnipresent

无所不知 無所不知 wu2 suo3 bu4 zhi1
omniscient

无所不至 無所不至 wu2 suo3 bu4 zhi4
to reach everywhere; to stop at nothing; to do one's utmost

无往不利 無往不利 wu2 wang3 bu4 li4
to be successful in every endeavor

无微不至 無微不至 wu2 wei1 bu4 zhi4
in every possible way (idiom); meticulous

无一事而不学,无一时而不学,无一处而不得 無一事而不學,無一時而不學,無一處而不得 wu2 yi1 shi4 er2 bu4 xue2 - wu2 yi1 shi2 er2 bu4 xue2 - wu2 yi1 chu4 er2 bu4 de2
Study everything, at all times, everywhere. (Zhu Xi 朱熹)

无征不信 無徵不信 wu2 zheng1 bu4 xin4
without proof one can't believe it (idiom)

五音不全 五音不全 wu3 yin1 bu4 quan2
tone deaf; unable to sing in tune

喜不自禁 喜不自禁 xi3 bu4 zi4 jin1
unable to contain one's joy (idiom)

喜不自胜 喜不自勝 xi3 bu4 zi4 sheng4
unable to contain one's joy (idiom)

洗手不干 洗手不幹 xi3 shou3 bu4 gan4
to totally stop doing something; to reform one's ways

细大不捐 細大不捐 xi4 da4 bu4 juan1
not to discard anything, whether small or big (idiom); all-embracing

瑕不掩瑜 瑕不掩瑜 xia2 bu4 yan3 yu2
lit. a blemish does not obscure jade's luster; the pros outweigh the cons (idiom)

下不来 下不來 xia4 bu4 lai2
awkward; embarrassed; cannot be accomplished

下不来台 下不來臺 xia4 bu4 lai2 tai2
to be put on the spot; to find oneself in an awkward situation

下不为例 下不為例 xia4 bu4 wei2 li4
not to be repeated; not to be taken as a precedent; just this once

下不了台 下不了臺 xia4 bu5 liao3 tai2
to be unable to extricate oneself gracefully; to be put on the spot; to be embarrassed

夏虫不可以语冰 夏蟲不可以語冰 xia4 chong2 bu4 ke3 yi3 yu3 bing1
a summer insect cannot discuss ice (idiom)

下落不明 下落不明 xia4 luo4 bu4 ming2
unaccounted; unknown whereabouts

先不先 先不先 xian1 bu4 xian1
(dialect) first of all; in the first place

纤尘不染 纖塵不染 xian1 chen2 bu4 ran3
see 一塵不染|一尘不染

先天不足 先天不足 xian1 tian1 bu4 zu2
congenital deficiency; inherent weakness

弦诵不缀 弦誦不綴 xian2 song4 bu4 chuo4
variant of 弦誦不輟|弦诵不辍

弦诵不辍 弦誦不輟 xian2 song4 bu4 chuo4
incessant playing of instruments and reciting of poems (idiom)

相差不多 相差不多 xiang1 cha4 bu5 duo1
not much difference

相持不下 相持不下 xiang1 chi2 bu4 xia4
at a stalemate; deadlocked; in unrelenting mutual opposition

香火不绝 香火不絕 xiang1 huo3 bu4 jue2
an unending stream of pilgrims

想不到 想不到 xiang3 bu5 dao4
unexpected; hard to imagine; it had not occurred to me; who could have thought that

想不开 想不開 xiang3 bu5 kai1
cannot figure out; to be unable to take a lighter view; to take things too hard; to be depressed; to fret over trifles

想不通 想不通 xiang3 bu5 tong1
unable to understand; unable to get over

消化不良 消化不良 xiao1 hua4 bu4 liang2
indigestion

小不点 小不點 xiao3 bu5 dian3
tiny; very small; tiny thing; small child; baby

小洞不补大洞吃苦 小洞不補大洞吃苦 xiao3 dong4 bu4 bu3 da4 dong4 chi1 ku3
A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); a stitch in time saves nine

小洞不堵,大洞吃苦 小洞不堵,大洞吃苦 xiao3 dong4 bu4 du3 - da4 dong4 chi1 ku3
A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); A stitch in time saves nine.

小洞不堵,大洞难补 小洞不堵,大洞難補 xiao3 dong4 bu4 du3 - da4 dong4 nan2 bu3
If you don't plug the small hole, the big hole will be hard to repair (idiom); A stitch in time saves nine.

小洞不堵,大洞受苦 小洞不堵,大洞受苦 xiao3 dong4 bu4 du3 - da4 dong4 shou4 ku3
A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); A stitch in time saves nine.

小洞不堵沉大船 小洞不堵沉大船 xiao3 dong4 bu4 du3 chen2 da4 chuan2
A small hole not plugged will sink a great ship.

小野不由美 小野不由美 xiao3 ye3 bu4 you2 mei3
Ono Fuyumi (1960-), Japanese novelist

笑不可仰 笑不可仰 xiao4 bu4 ke3 yang3
to double up with laughter (idiom)

笑不可抑 笑不可抑 xiao4 bu4 ke3 yi4
to laugh irrepressibly

笑贫不笑娼 笑貧不笑娼 xiao4 pin2 bu4 xiao4 chang1
the notion in society that it's better to get ahead in the world by abandoning one's scruples than to suffer poverty; lit. despising poverty but not prostitution (idiom)

孝思不匮 孝思不匱 xiao4 si1 bu4 kui4
to be forever filial (idiom)

邪不敌正 邪不敵正 xie2 bu4 di2 zheng4
good will always triumph over evil (idiom)

新不列颠岛 新不列顛島 xin1 bu4 lie4 dian1 dao3
New Britain, island of northeast Papua New Guinea

新不伦瑞克 新不倫瑞克 xin1 bu4 lun2 rui4 ke4
New Brunswick province, Canada

心不在焉 心不在焉 xin1 bu4 zai4 yan1
absent-minded; preoccupied; inattentive; with one's thoughts wandering

心存不满 心存不滿 xin1 cun2 bu4 man3
to be discontented; to be dissatisfied

心急吃不了热豆腐 心急吃不了熱豆腐 xin1 ji2 chi1 bu5 liao3 re4 dou4 fu5
hasty men don't get to eat hot tofu (idiom); one just has to be patient; haste will ruin everything

心口不一 心口不一 xin1 kou3 bu4 yi1
heart and mouth at variance (idiom); keeping one's real intentions to oneself; saying one thing but meaning sth different

心律不齐 心律不齊 xin1 lv4 bu4 qi2
arrhythmia

心律不整 心律不整 xin1 lv4 bu4 zheng3
arrhythmia

心神不安 心神不安 xin1 shen2 bu4 an1
to feel ill at ease

心神不宁 心神不寧 xin1 shen2 bu4 ning2
to feel ill at ease

心神不属 心神不屬 xin1 shen2 bu4 zhu3
see 心不在焉

心绪不佳 心緒不佳 xin1 xu4 bu4 jia1
out of sorts; gloomy

心绪不宁 心緒不寧 xin1 xu4 bu4 ning2
unquiet state of mind

心有余,力不足 心有餘,力不足 xin1 you3 yu2 - li4 bu4 zu2
The will is there, but not the strength (idiom, from Confucian Analects).; I really want to do it, but don't have the resources.; The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

心有余而力不足 心有餘而力不足 xin1 you3 yu2 er2 li4 bu4 zu2
the will is there, but not the strength (idiom); the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

心照不宣 心照不宣 xin1 zhao4 bu4 xuan1
a tacit mutual understanding

信不过 信不過 xin4 bu4 guo4
to distrust; to be suspicious

行不从径 行不從徑 xing2 bu4 cong2 jing4
lit. not following the straight path (idiom); fig. looking for a shortcut to get ahead in work or study

行不改姓,坐不改名 行不改姓,坐不改名 xing2 bu4 gai3 xing4 - zuo4 bu4 gai3 ming2
see 行不更名,坐不改姓

行不更名,坐不改姓 行不更名,坐不改姓 xing2 bu4 geng1 ming2 - zuo4 bu4 gai3 xing4
I am who I am (and I'm not ashamed); fig. to be proud of one's name and stand by one's actions

行不顾言 行不顧言 xing2 bu4 gu4 yan2
to say one thing and do another (idiom)

行不由径 行不由徑 xing2 bu4 you2 jing4
lit. never taking a short-cut (idiom); fig. upright and honest

行不通 行不通 xing2 bu5 tong1
won't work; will get (you) nowhere

行动不便 行動不便 xing2 dong4 bu4 bian4
unable to move freely; difficult to get about

形影不离 形影不離 xing2 ying3 bu4 li2
inseparable (as form and shadow)

性格不合 性格不合 xing4 ge2 bu4 he2
incompatibility of temperament

秀才不出门,能知天下事 秀才不出門,能知天下事 xiu4 cai5 bu4 chu1 men2 - neng2 zhi1 tian1 xia4 shi4
a learned person need not leave his home to know what's going on in the world (idiom)

秀才不出门,全知天下事 秀才不出門,全知天下事 xiu4 cai5 bu4 chu1 men2 - quan2 zhi1 tian1 xia4 shi4
a learned person need not leave his home to know what's going on in the world (idiom)

虚不受补 虛不受補 xu1 bu4 shou4 bu3
a person who is in poor health cannot handle sth so strong as a tonic

学而不思则罔,思而不学则殆 學而不思則罔,思而不學則殆 xue2 er2 bu4 si1 ze2 wang3 - si1 er2 bu4 xue2 ze2 dai4
To learn without thinking is confusing, to think without learning is dangerous (Confucius)

学而不厌 學而不厭 xue2 er2 bu4 yan4
study tirelessly (idiom, from Analects)

学而不厌,诲人不倦 學而不厭,誨人不倦 xue2 er2 bu4 yan4 - hui4 ren2 bu4 juan4
study tirelessly, teach with endless enthusiasm (idiom, from Analects)

学然后知不足 學然後知不足 xue2 ran2 hou4 zhi1 bu4 zu2
to learn is to know one's ignorance (the Book of Rites 禮記|礼记)

学如逆水行舟,不进则退 學如逆水行舟,不進則退 xue2 ru2 ni4 shui3 xing2 zhou1 - bu4 jin4 ze2 tui4
Study is like rowing upstream: no advance is to drop back

谑而不虐 謔而不虐 xue4 er2 bu4 nve4
to tease; to mock sb without offending; to banter

薰莸不同器 薰蕕不同器 xun1 you2 bu4 tong2 qi4
lit. fragrant herbs and foul herbs do not go into the same vessel (idiom); bad people and good people do not mix

压不碎 壓不碎 ya1 bu5 sui4
crushproof; unbreakable; indomitable

压而不服 壓而不服 ya1 er2 bu4 fu2
coercion will never convince (idiom)

哑巴吃黄连,有苦说不出 啞巴吃黃連,有苦說不出 ya3 ba5 chi1 huang2 lian2 - you3 ku3 shuo1 bu5 chu1
to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom); unable to speak of one's bitter suffering; sometimes written 啞子吃黃連,有苦說不出|哑子吃黄连,有苦说不出

烟酒不沾 煙酒不沾 yan1 jiu3 bu4 zhan1
abstaining from liquor and tobacco

言不及义 言不及義 yan2 bu4 ji2 yi4
to talk nonsense (idiom); frivolous talk

言不尽意 言不盡意 yan2 bu4 jin4 yi4
(conventional letter ending) words cannot fully express what is in my heart (idiom)

言不可传 言不可傳 yan2 bu4 ke3 chuan2
impossible to put into words; inexpressible

言不由衷 言不由衷 yan2 bu4 you2 zhong1
to say sth without meaning it (idiom); to speak tongue in cheek; saying one thing but meaning sth different

严惩不贷 嚴懲不貸 yan2 cheng2 bu4 dai4
to punish severely (idiom)

言教不如身教 言教不如身教 yan2 jiao4 bu4 ru2 shen1 jiao4
Explaining in words is not as good as teaching by example (idiom). Action speaks louder than words.

眼不见,心不烦 眼不見,心不煩 yan3 bu4 jian4 - xin1 bu4 fan2
what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over (idiom)

眼不见为净 眼不見為淨 yan3 bu4 jian4 wei2 jing4
what remains unseen is deemed to be clean; what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over (idiom)

眼不转睛 眼不轉睛 yan3 bu4 zhuan4 jing1
with fixed attention (idiom)

眼里容不得沙子 眼裡容不得沙子 yan3 li3 rong2 bu5 de2 sha1 zi5
can't bear having grit in one's eye (idiom); unable to put sth objectionable out of one's mind; not prepared to turn a blind eye

眼神不好 眼神不好 yan3 shen2 bu4 hao3
to have poor eyesight

眼神不济 眼神不濟 yan3 shen2 bu4 ji4
to have poor eyesight

摇摆不定 搖擺不定 yao2 bai3 bu4 ding4
indecisive; wavering

遥不可及 遙不可及 yao2 bu4 ke3 ji2
unattainable; far-fetched; out of reach; exceedingly remote or distant

咬人狗儿不露齿 咬人狗兒不露齒 yao3 ren2 gou3 er5 bu4 lu4 chi3
lit. the dog that bites does not show its fangs (idiom); fig. You can't tell the really dangerous enemy from his external appearance.

药补不如食补 藥補不如食補 yao4 bu3 bu4 ru2 shi2 bu3
the benefits of medicine are not as great as those of good nutrition

要不 要不 yao4 bu4
otherwise; or else; how about...?; either... (or...)

要不然 要不然 yao4 bu4 ran2
otherwise; or else; or

要不得 要不得 yao4 bu5 de5
intolerable; unacceptable

要不是 要不是 yao4 bu5 shi4
if it were not for; but for

要死不活 要死不活 yao4 si3 bu4 huo2
half dead; more dead than alive

要言不烦 要言不煩 yao4 yan2 bu4 fan2
to explain in simple terms; succinct; concise

也好不到哪里去 也好不到哪裡去 ye3 hao3 bu4 dao4 na3 li3 qu4
just as bad; not much better

也好不了多少 也好不了多少 ye3 hao3 bu5 liao3 duo1 shao3
hardly any better; just as bad

野火烧不尽,春风吹又生 野火燒不盡,春風吹又生 ye3 huo3 shao1 bu4 jin4 - chun1 feng1 chui1 you4 sheng1
lit. even a prairie fire cannot destroy the grass - it grows again when the breeze blows (proverb); fig. cannot be easily eliminated; abbr. to 野火春風|野火春风

夜不闭户 夜不閉戶 ye4 bu4 bi4 hu4
lit. doors not locked at night (idiom); fig. stable society

夜不成眠 夜不成眠 ye4 bu4 cheng2 mian2
to be unable to sleep at night

夜不归宿 夜不歸宿 ye4 bu4 gui1 su4
to stay out all night (idiom)

一笔不苟 一筆不苟 yi1 bi3 bu4 gou3
lit. not even one stroke is negligent (idiom); fig. to write characters (calligraphy) in which every stroke is placed perfectly

一病不起 一病不起 yi1 bing4 bu4 qi3
to fall gravely ill, never to recover (idiom)

衣不蔽体 衣不蔽體 yi1 bu4 bi4 ti3
lit. clothes not covering the body (idiom); fig. poverty-stricken

一部二十四史,不知从何说起 一部二十四史,不知從何說起 yi1 bu4 er4 shi2 si4 shi3 - bu4 zhi1 cong2 he2 shuo1 qi3
It's a long and intricate story, I hardly know where to start.

一不做,二不休 一不做,二不休 yi1 bu4 zuo4 - er4 bu4 xiu1
don't do it, or don't rest (idiom); either give up, or go through to the end; Since we started, we must carry it through whatever happens.; in for a penny, in for a pound

一尘不染 一塵不染 yi1 chen2 bu4 ran3
untainted by even a speck of dust (idiom); selfless and incorruptible; spotless

一成不变 一成不變 yi1 cheng2 bu4 bian4
nothing much changes (idiom); always the same; stuck in a rut

一代不如一代 一代不如一代 yi1 dai4 bu4 ru2 yi1 dai4
to be getting worse with each generation

一点不 一點不 yi1 dian3 bu4
not at all

一丁不识 一丁不識 yi1 ding1 bu4 shi2
illiterate; ignorant

一动不动 一動不動 yi1 dong4 bu4 dong4
motionless

一发不可收拾 一發不可收拾 yi1 fa1 bu4 ke3 shou1 shi5
things that have happened can hardly be controlled; to get out of hand

一个巴掌拍不响 一個巴掌拍不響 yi1 ge5 ba1 zhang3 pai1 bu4 xiang3
lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb); fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute; it takes two to tango; it's difficult to achieve anything without support

一介不取 一介不取 yi1 jie4 bu4 qu3
to not even take a penny (as a bribe)

一蹶不振 一蹶不振 yi1 jue2 bu4 zhen4
one stumble, unable to rise (idiom); a setback leading to total collapse; ruined at a stroke; unable to recover after a minor hitch

一口吃不成胖子 一口吃不成胖子 yi1 kou3 chi1 bu4 cheng2 pang4 zi5
lit. you cannot get fat with only one mouthful (proverb); fig. learn to walk before you run

一毛不拔 一毛不拔 yi1 mao2 bu4 ba2
stingy (idiom)

一钱不值 一錢不值 yi1 qian2 bu4 zhi2
not worth a penny; utterly worthless

一窍不通 一竅不通 yi1 qiao4 bu4 tong1
lit. doesn't (even) enter a single aperture (of one's head); I don't understand a word (idiom); it's all Greek to me

一去不复返 一去不復返 yi1 qu4 bu4 fu4 fan3
gone forever

一去不回 一去不回 yi1 qu4 bu4 hui2
gone forever

一日不见,如隔三秋 一日不見,如隔三秋 yi1 ri4 bu4 jian4 - ru2 ge2 san1 qiu1
one day apart seems like three years (idiom)

一声不吭 一聲不吭 yi1 sheng1 bu4 keng1
to not say a word

一声不响 一聲不響 yi1 sheng1 bu4 xiang3
to keep totally silent; noiselessly

一丝不苟 一絲不苟 yi1 si1 bu4 gou3
not one thread loose (idiom); strictly according to the rules; meticulous; not one hair out of place

一丝不挂 一絲不掛 yi1 si1 bu4 gua4
not wearing one thread (idiom); absolutely naked; without a stitch of clothing; in one's birthday suit

一文不名 一文不名 yi1 wen2 bu4 ming2
to be penniless

一文不值 一文不值 yi1 wen2 bu4 zhi2
worthless (idiom); no use whatsoever

一问三不知 一問三不知 yi1 wen4 san1 bu4 zhi1
lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom); fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on; complete ignorance

一言不发 一言不發 yi1 yan2 bu4 fa1
to not say a word (idiom)

依依不舍 依依不捨 yi1 yi1 bu4 she3
reluctant to part (idiom); broken-hearted at having to leave

一语不发 一語不發 yi1 yu3 bu4 fa1
to not say a word (idiom)

一着不慎,满盘皆输 一著不慎,滿盤皆輸 yi1 zhao1 bu4 shen4 - man3 pan2 jie1 shu1
One careless move and the whole game is lost. (idiom)

一字不差 一字不差 yi1 zi4 bu4 cha1
word for word; verbatim

一字不落 一字不落 yi1 zi4 bu4 la4
see 一字不漏

一字不漏 一字不漏 yi1 zi4 bu4 lou4
without missing a word

一字不识 一字不識 yi1 zi4 bu4 shi2
totally illiterate

一字不提 一字不提 yi1 zi4 bu4 ti2
to not mention a single word (about sth) (idiom)

以备不测 以備不測 yi3 bei4 bu4 ce4
to be prepared for accidents

义不容辞 義不容辭 yi4 bu4 rong2 ci2
not to be shirked without dishonor (idiom); incumbent; bounden (duty)

艺不压身 藝不壓身 yi4 bu4 ya1 shen1
see 藝多不壓身|艺多不压身

艺多不压身 藝多不壓身 yi4 duo1 bu4 ya1 shen1
it's always good to have more skills (idiom)

意见不合 意見不合 yi4 jian4 bu4 he2
to disagree; dissent

意想不到 意想不到 yi4 xiang3 bu4 dao4
unexpected; previously unimagined

抑郁不平 抑鬱不平 yi4 yu4 bu4 ping2
in a state of depression (idiom)

阴魂不散 陰魂不散 yin1 hun2 bu4 san4
lit. the soul of a deceased has not yet dispersed (idiom); fig. the influence still lingers on; the spirit (of some doctrine) is still alive

隐病不报 隱病不報 yin3 bing4 bu4 bao4
not to tell others of one's illness

引而不发 引而不發 yin3 er2 bu4 fa1
to pull the bow without shooting (idiom from Mencius); ready and waiting for action; to go through the motions; to practice; a trial run

隐瞒不报 隱瞞不報 yin3 man2 bu4 bao4
to cover up (a matter that should be reported to the authorities)

隐情不报 隱情不報 yin3 qing2 bu4 bao4
not to report sth; to keep sth secret

隐忍不发 隱忍不發 yin3 ren3 bu4 fa1
to keep one's emotions inside oneself; to restrain one's emotions

隐忍不言 隱忍不言 yin3 ren3 bu4 yan2
to keep one's emotions inside oneself; to restrain one's emotions

营养不良 營養不良 ying2 yang3 bu4 liang2
malnutrition; undernourishment; deficiency disease; dystrophy

应接不暇 應接不暇 ying4 jie1 bu4 xia2
more than one can attend to (idiom); deluged (with inquiries etc); overwhelmed (by the beauty of the scenery)

拥挤不堪 擁擠不堪 yong1 ji3 bu4 kan1
overcrowded; jam-packed

永不 永不 yong3 bu4
never; will never

永垂不朽 永垂不朽 yong3 chui2 bu4 xiu3
eternal glory; will never be forgotten

永志不忘 永志不忘 yong3 zhi4 bu4 wang4
never to be forgotten

用不了 用不了 yong4 bu5 liao3
to not use all of; to use less than

用不着 用不著 yong4 bu5 zhao2
not need; have no use for

由不得 由不得 you2 bu4 de5
cannot help; to be beyond control of

游移不定 游移不定 you2 yi2 bu4 ding4
to oscillate without pause (idiom); to fluctuate; (of thoughts) to wander; to waver

犹豫不决 猶豫不決 you2 yu4 bu4 jue2
hesitancy; indecision; to waver

有不少名堂 有不少名堂 you3 bu4 shao3 ming2 tang5
there is a lot to it; not a straightforward matter

有过之而无不及 有過之而無不及 you3 guo4 zhi1 er2 wu2 bu4 ji2
not to be inferior in any aspects (idiom); to surpass; to outdo; (derog.) to be even worse

有借有还,再借不难 有借有還,再借不難 you3 jie4 you3 huan2 - zai4 jie4 bu4 nan2
return what you borrowed on time, you may borrow again next time (idiom)

有苦说不出 有苦說不出 you3 ku3 shuo1 bu5 chu1
having unspeakable bitter suffering; (often used after 啞巴吃黃連|哑巴吃黄连)

有所不同 有所不同 you3 suo3 bu4 tong2
to differ to some extent (idiom)

有条不紊 有條不紊 you3 tiao2 bu4 wen3
regular and thorough (idiom); methodically arranged

有眼不识泰山 有眼不識泰山 you3 yan3 bu4 shi2 tai4 shan1
lit. to have eyes but fail to recognize Mt Tai (idiom); fig. to fail to recognize sb important or sb's great talent; to be blind to the fact

有意栽花花不发,无心插柳柳成阴 有意栽花花不發,無心插柳柳成陰 you3 yi4 zai1 hua1 hua1 bu4 fa1 - wu2 xin1 cha1 liu3 liu3 cheng2 yin1
lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree; fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect; well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it

有罪不罚 有罪不罰 you3 zui4 bu4 fa2
impunity

又要马儿好,又要马儿不吃草 又要馬兒好,又要馬兒不吃草 you4 yao4 ma3 er5 hao3 - you4 yao4 ma3 er5 bu4 chi1 cao3
see 又要馬兒跑,又要馬兒不吃草|又要马儿跑,又要马儿不吃草

又要马儿跑,又要马儿不吃草 又要馬兒跑,又要馬兒不吃草 you4 yao4 ma3 er5 pao3 - you4 yao4 ma3 er5 bu4 chi1 cao3
lit. you can't expect the horse to run fast but not let it graze (idiom); fig. you can't have your cake and eat it, too

愚不可及 愚不可及 yu2 bu4 ke3 ji2
impossibly stupid

于心不忍 於心不忍 yu2 xin1 bu4 ren3
can't bear to

鱼与熊掌不可兼得 魚與熊掌不可兼得 yu2 yu3 xiong2 zhang3 bu4 ke3 jian1 de2
lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other; you can't always get everything you want; you can't have your cake and eat it

语焉不详 語焉不詳 yu3 yan1 bu4 xiang2
to mention sth without elaborating (idiom); not giving details

与众不同 與眾不同 yu3 zhong4 bu4 tong2
to stand out from the masses (idiom)

欲罢不能 欲罷不能 yu4 ba4 bu4 neng2
want to stop but can't (idiom); to be unable to stop oneself; to feel an urge to continue

欲速而不达 欲速而不達 yu4 su4 er2 bu4 da2
lit. to want sth in haste, but cannot get there (idiom, from Analects); more haste, less speed; also written 慾速則不達|欲速则不达

欲速则不达 欲速則不達 yu4 su4 ze2 bu4 da2
lit. to want sth in haste, but cannot get there (idiom, from Analects); more haste, less speed; don't try to run before you can walk

郁郁不得志 鬱鬱不得志 yu4 yu4 bu4 de2 zhi4
soured by the loss of one's hopes

郁郁不乐 鬱鬱不樂 yu4 yu4 bu4 le4
discontented (idiom)

冤家宜解不宜结 冤家宜解不宜結 yuan1 jia1 yi2 jie3 bu4 yi2 jie2
It is better to squash enmity rather than keeping it alive (proverb)

原封不动 原封不動 yuan2 feng1 bu4 dong4
sticking unmoving to the original (idiom); not an iota changed; untouched

源源不断 源源不斷 yuan2 yuan2 bu4 duan4
a steady flow (idiom); an unending stream

远亲不如近邻 遠親不如近鄰 yuan3 qin1 bu4 ru2 jin4 lin2
A relative afar is less use than a close neighbor (idiom). Take whatever help is on hand, even from strangers.

远水不解近渴 遠水不解近渴 yuan3 shui3 bu4 jie3 jin4 ke3
lit. distant water does not cure present thirst; fig. urgent need; a slow remedy does not address immediate needs

远水不救近火 遠水不救近火 yuan3 shui3 bu4 jiu4 jin4 huo3
see 遠水救不了近火|远水救不了近火

远水救不了近火 遠水救不了近火 yuan3 shui3 jiu4 bu5 liao3 jin4 huo3
lit. water from afar quenches not fire; fig. urgent need; a slow remedy does not address the current emergency

怨不得 怨不得 yuan4 bu5 de5
cannot blame; no wonder

殒身不恤 殞身不恤 yun3 shen1 bu4 xu4
to die without regrets (idiom); to sacrifice oneself without hesitation

再不 再不 zai4 bu4
if not, then; otherwise

再好不过 再好不過 zai4 hao3 bu4 guo4
(saying) can't be better

再生不良性贫血 再生不良性貧血 zai4 sheng1 bu4 liang2 xing4 pin2 xue4
aplastic anemia

在所不辞 在所不辭 zai4 suo3 bu4 ci2
not to refuse to (idiom); not to hesitate to

在所不计 在所不計 zai4 suo3 bu4 ji4
irrespective of; to have no concerns whatsoever about

赞不绝口 讚不絕口 zan4 bu4 jue2 kou3
to praise without cease (idiom); praise sb to high heaven

赞不绝口 贊不絕口 zan4 bu4 jue2 kou3
to praise without cease (idiom); praise sb to high heaven

赞叹不已 贊嘆不已 zan4 tan4 bu4 yi3
to be full of praise (idiom)

择不开 擇不開 zhai2 bu5 kai1
impossible to separate; impossible to disentangle; cannot take time out

斩而不奏 斬而不奏 zhan3 er2 bu4 zou4
to do sth and not report the fact (idiom)

站不住脚 站不住腳 zhan4 bu5 zhu4 jiao3
ill-founded; groundless

战无不胜 戰無不勝 zhan4 wu2 bu4 sheng4
to triumph in every battle (idiom); invincible; to succeed in every undertaking

战无不胜,攻无不克 戰無不勝,攻無不克 zhan4 wu2 bu4 sheng4 - gong1 wu2 bu4 ke4
to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom); all-conquering; ever victorious; nothing they can't do

战无不胜,攻无不取 戰無不勝,攻無不取 zhan4 wu2 bu4 sheng4 - gong1 wu2 bu4 qu3
to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom); all-conquering; ever victorious; nothing they can't do

占着茅坑不拉屎 占著茅坑不拉屎 zhan4 zhe5 mao2 keng1 bu4 la1 shi3
lit. to occupy a latrine but not shit (proverb); fig. to be a dog in the manger

站着说话不腰疼 站著說話不腰疼 zhan4 zhe5 shuo1 hua4 bu4 yao1 teng2
it's all very well to talk, but getting things done is another matter (idiom); to be an armchair expert; to blabber on

丈二和尚,摸不着头脑 丈二和尚,摸不著頭腦 zhang4 er4 he2 shang5 - mo1 bu5 zhao2 tou2 nao3
lit. like a three-meter high monk, you can't rub his head (idiom); fig. at a total loss

丈二金刚摸不着头脑 丈二金剛摸不著頭腦 zhang4 er4 jin1 gang1 mo1 bu5 zhao2 tou2 nao3
see 丈二和尚,摸不著頭腦|丈二和尚,摸不着头脑

朝不保夕 朝不保夕 zhao1 bu4 bao3 xi1
at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening (idiom); precarious state; imminent crisis; living from hand to mouth

朝不虑夕 朝不慮夕 zhao1 bu4 lv4 xi1
at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening (idiom); precarious state; imminent crisis; living from hand to mouth

着三不着两 著三不著兩 zhao2 san1 bu4 zhao2 liang3
scatter-brained; thoughtless

找不自在 找不自在 zhao3 bu4 zi4 zai5
to ask for trouble; to bring misfortune on oneself

找不到 找不到 zhao3 bu5 dao4
can't find

找不着 找不著 zhao3 bu5 zhao2
to be unable to find

找不着北 找不著北 zhao3 bu5 zhao2 bei3
to be confused and disoriented

照作不误 照作不誤 zhao4 zuo4 bu4 wu4
to do something, never mind the circumstances

这不 這不 zhe4 bu5
(coll.) As a matter of fact, ... (used to introduce evidence for what one has just asserted)

真金不怕火来烧 真金不怕火來燒 zhen1 jin1 bu4 pa4 huo3 lai2 shao1
see 真金不怕火煉|真金不怕火炼

真金不怕火炼 真金不怕火煉 zhen1 jin1 bu4 pa4 huo3 lian4
True gold fears no fire. (idiom)

真人不露相 真人不露相 zhen1 ren2 bu4 lou4 xiang4
the sage presents as an ordinary person (idiom)

争执不下 爭執不下 zheng1 zhi2 bu4 xia4
to quarrel endlessly

知彼知己,百战不殆 知彼知己,百戰不殆 zhi1 bi3 zhi1 ji3 - bai3 zhan4 bu4 dai4
knowing the enemy and yourself will get you unscathed through a hundred battles (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War")

知恩不报 知恩不報 zhi1 en1 bu4 bao4
ungrateful

支付不起 支付不起 zhi1 fu4 bu4 qi3
to be unable to pay; unaffordable

知己知彼,百战不殆 知己知彼,百戰不殆 zhi1 ji3 zhi1 bi3 - bai3 zhan4 bu4 dai4
know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated (idiom, from Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法|孙子兵法)

知其不可而为之 知其不可而為之 zhi1 qi2 bu4 ke3 er2 wei2 zhi1
to keep going resolutely despite knowing the task is impossible (idiom)

知其然而不知其所以然 知其然而不知其所以然 zhi1 qi2 ran2 er2 bu4 zhi1 qi2 suo3 yi3 ran2
to know that it is so but not why it is so (idiom)

知人知面不知心 知人知面不知心 zhi1 ren2 zhi1 mian4 bu4 zhi1 xin1
one may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature (idiom)

知无不言,言无不尽 知無不言,言無不盡 zhi1 wu2 bu4 yan2 - yan2 wu2 bu4 jin4
not hiding anything he knows, not stopping before he has said it through (idiom); frank; outspoken

只字不提 隻字不提 zhi1 zi4 bu4 ti2
not to mention (idiom); to say not one word; fig. to omit mention (of a non-person or embarrassing topic); to censor

执迷不悟 執迷不悟 zhi2 mi2 bu4 wu4
to obstinately persist in going about things the wrong way (idiom)

直言不讳 直言不諱 zhi2 yan2 bu4 hui4
to speak bluntly (idiom); not to mince words

纸包不住火 紙包不住火 zhi3 bao1 bu4 zhu4 huo3
lit. paper can't wrap fire; fig. the truth will out

只不过 祇不過 zhi3 bu4 guo4
it's just that ...

只不过 只不過 zhi3 bu5 guo4
only; merely; nothing but; no more than

只见树木不见森林 只見樹木不見森林 zhi3 jian4 shu4 mu4 bu4 jian4 sen1 lin2
unable to see the wood for the trees; fig. only able to see isolated details, and not the bigger picture

只可意会,不可言传 只可意會,不可言傳 zhi3 ke3 yi4 hui4 - bu4 ke3 yan2 chuan2
can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子); mysterious and subtle

只说不做 只說不做 zhi3 shuo1 bu4 zuo4
to be all talk and no action

只许州官放火,不许百姓点灯 只許州官放火,不許百姓點燈 zhi3 xu3 zhou1 guan1 fang4 huo3 - bu4 xu3 bai3 xing4 dian3 deng1
only the official is allowed to light the fire; Gods may do what cattle may not; quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi

只知其一,不知其二 只知其一,不知其二 zhi3 zhi1 qi2 yi1 - bu4 zhi1 qi2 er4
to know the first, but not know the second (idiom); only partial information

治标不治本 治標不治本 zhi4 biao1 bu4 zhi4 ben3
to treat the symptoms but not the root cause

志不在此 志不在此 zhi4 bu4 zai4 ci3
to have one's ambitions elsewhere (idiom)

秩然不紊 秩然不紊 zhi4 ran2 bu4 wen3
to be in complete order (idiom)

置之不理 置之不理 zhi4 zhi1 bu4 li3
to pay no heed to (idiom); to ignore; to brush aside

置之不问 置之不問 zhi4 zhi1 bu4 wen4
to pass by without showing interest (idiom)

忠贞不渝 忠貞不渝 zhong1 zhen1 bu4 yu2
unswerving in one's loyalty (idiom); faithful and constant

重罚不用 重罰不用 zhong4 fa2 bu4 yong4
do not punish severely (and do not reward too generously)

中看不中用 中看不中用 zhong4 kan4 bu4 zhong4 yong4
impressive-looking but useless

周转不开 周轉不開 zhou1 zhuan3 bu4 kai1
to have financial difficulties; unable to make ends meet

周转不灵 周轉不靈 zhou1 zhuan3 bu4 ling2
to have a cash flow problem

猪狗不如 豬狗不如 zhu1 gou3 bu4 ru2
worse than a dog or pig; lower than low

注意力不足过动症 注意力不足過動症 zhu4 yi4 li4 bu4 zu2 guo4 dong4 zheng4
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

惴惴不安 惴惴不安 zhui4 zhui4 bu4 an1
to be on tenterhooks (idiom); to be anxious and frightened

卓尔不群 卓爾不群 zhuo2 er3 bu4 qun2
standing above the common crowd (idiom); outstanding; excellent and unrivaled

卓乎不群 卓乎不群 zhuo2 hu1 bu4 qun2
standing out from the common crowd (idiom); outstanding; preeminent

趑趄不前 趑趄不前 zi1 ju1 bu4 qian2
hesitant and not daring to move forward (idiom)

孜孜不倦 孜孜不倦 zi1 zi1 bu4 juan4
lit. diligent and never slacking (idiom); continuous concentrated effort; assiduous (in study); to concentrate

子不嫌母丑,狗不嫌家贫 子不嫌母醜,狗不嫌家貧 zi3 bu4 xian2 mu3 chou3 - gou3 bu4 xian2 jia1 pin2
see 兒不嫌母醜,狗不嫌家貧|儿不嫌母丑,狗不嫌家贫

自不必说 自不必說 zi4 bu4 bi4 shuo1
to not need dwell on (idiom)

自不待言 自不待言 zi4 bu4 dai4 yan2
needless to say; it goes without saying

自不量力 自不量力 zi4 bu4 liang4 li4
to overestimate one's capabilities (idiom)

自愧不如 自愧不如 zi4 kui4 bu4 ru2
ashamed of being inferior (idiom); to feel inferior to others

自命不凡 自命不凡 zi4 ming4 bu4 fan2
to think too much of oneself; self-important; arrogant

自强不息 自強不息 zi4 qiang2 bu4 xi1
to strive unremittingly; self-improvement

自叹不如 自嘆不如 zi4 tan4 bu4 ru2
to consider oneself as being not as good as the others

足不出户 足不出戶 zu2 bu4 chu1 hu4
lit. not putting a foot outside; to stay at home

嘴上没毛,办事不牢 嘴上沒毛,辦事不牢 zui3 shang4 mei2 mao2 - ban4 shi4 bu4 lao2
a youth without facial hair cannot be relied upon (proverb)

嘴上无毛,办事不牢 嘴上無毛,辦事不牢 zui3 shang4 wu2 mao2 - ban4 shi4 bu4 lao2
see 嘴上沒毛,辦事不牢|嘴上没毛,办事不牢

醉翁之意不在酒 醉翁之意不在酒 zui4 weng1 zhi1 yi4 bu4 zai4 jiu3
wine-lover's heart is not in the cup (idiom); a drinker not really interested in alcohol; having an ulterior motive; to have other things in mind; with an ax to grind; accomplishing something besides what one set out to do

左不过 左不過 zuo3 bu5 guo4
anyhow; in any event; just; only

坐不垂堂 坐不垂堂 zuo4 bu4 chui2 tang2
lit. don't sit under overhanging eaves (idiom); fig. don't stay in danger area

做不到 做不到 zuo4 bu4 dao4
impossible

坐立不安 坐立不安 zuo4 li4 bu4 an1
lit. agitated sitting or standing (idiom); restless; fidgety

坐视不理 坐視不理 zuo4 shi4 bu4 li3
to sit and watch, but remain indifferent (idiom)

坐卧不宁 坐臥不寧 zuo4 wo4 bu4 ning4
to be restless

作者不详 作者不詳 zuo4 zhe3 bu4 xiang2
anonymous author