Difference between revisions of "Bu and mei(you)"

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Bu and mei(you)  
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Although 不 (bù) and 没(有) (méi(yǒu)) both have the same functions of negating verbs and adjectives, they are used differently. Let's take a look at some of these differences.
  
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Bu and mei(you) can both be used to negate verbs, however they are used differently. We can look at this issue from two angles: from the time that the statement refers to or whether the statement is personal wish, or a statement of fact.
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==有 is negated with 没==
  
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没 (rather than 不) is always used to negate 有, the verb meaning "to have."  The phrase "不有" exists only in non-standard Chinese dialects, in obscure set phrases (that you don't need), and in incorrect Chinese.  Keep in mind also that when 没 is used to negate 有, 有 can be dropped altogether.
  
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Time
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<div class="liju">
  
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Perhaps the most intuitive explanation of the difference between 不 and 没（有）is that 不 negates actions in the present whereas 没 is used to show that an action has not taken place
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<ul>
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<li class="o">没有</li>
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<li class="x"><strong>不</strong> 有</li>
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<li class="o">我 没有 钱。</li>
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<li class="o">我 没 钱。</li>
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<li class="x">我 <strong>不</strong> 有 钱。</li>
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<li class="o">她 没有 朋友。</li>
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<li class="o">她 没 朋友。</li>
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<li class="x">她 <strong>不</strong> 有 朋友。</li>
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</ul>
  
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我不去(I’m not going)
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</div>
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他没去 (I didn’t go)
 
  
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A: 我知道你告诉他了.. B: 我真没告诉他！ (A: I know you told him! B: Honestly, I didn't tell him)
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==Past and present statements==
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A: 快点告诉我！B: 我不告诉你 (A: Quick, tell me! B: I’m not telling you)
 
  
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At first this is a good way to remember the difference between the two, but this explanation doesn't neatly cover all uses.
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Perhaps the most important difference between 不 and 没(有) is that 不 negates actions and statements about the present whereas 没 negates actions and statements about the past.  Note that 没(有) is used to say that something ''has not taken place'', whereas 不 is used to say that something ''is not'' the case, or ''will not happen''.  
  
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Subjective and objective statements
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For example:
  
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A less intuitive but more encompassing explanation is that 不 is used to negate statements which are based on personal circumstances, whereas 没 is used to negate statements of fact. If we take a look at the following examples, this will become clear.
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<div class="liju">
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* 我 <em>不</em> 去。 <span class="expl">I won't go; I'm not going)</span>
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* 我 <em>没</em> 去。 <span class="expl">I didn't go)</span>
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* 我 <em>没</em> 告诉 他！ <span class="expl">I didn't tell him)</span>
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* 我 <em>不</em> 告诉 你！  <span class="expl">I won't tell you; I'm not telling you)</span>
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</div>
  
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==A few exceptions==
  
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我没去 (I didn't go – an objective statement not reliant on personal views, it is a historical fact)
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The verb 是 is never negated with 没; it can only be negated with 不.
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我不去 (I won't go – a decision based on personal circumstances. I won’t go because I don't have the money, because I'm busy or so on. This decision is up to me)
 
  
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<div class="liju">
  
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我今天没去吃饭 I haven't eaten today. This is a simple objective statement.
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<ul>
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我今天不去吃饭 I'm not eating today. This is an opinion based on personal reasons; perhaps the speaker is feeling ill, is too busy or is too lazy. Again, this is my decision.
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<li class="o"><em>不</em> 是</li>
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<li class="x"><strong>没</strong> 是</li>
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<li class="o">昨天 <em>不</em> 是 星期一。</li>
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<li class="x">昨天 <strong>没</strong> 是 星期一。</li>
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<li class="o">那个 时候，我们 <em>不</em> 是 朋友。</li>
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<li class="x">那个 时候，我们 <strong>没</strong> 是 朋友。</li>
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</ul>
  
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From this point of view, it is now easier to explain another two uses of 不 and 没有
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</div>
  
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First, 没 is always used to negate 有. When we state that things exist in everyday life, it is a fact, the glass on the table is either there or not. We cannot negate 有 with 不.
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== Sources and further reading ==
  
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没有 is often used to state the loss or absence of something:
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=== Websites ===
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工作没了，钱没了！I've lost my job, and have no money!
 
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饼干在哪儿？ 没有了，都吃完了！ Where are the biscuits (cookies)? Sorry, none left, they've all been eaten!
 
  
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Again, the fact that the biscuits have been eaten is a statement of fact, so we use 没（有）
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* http://www.docin.com/p-20925643.html
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* http://wenku.baidu.com/view/e2e8eb2ce2bd960590c67703.html
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Second, when we make negative judgments about things, we use 不, as this is a statement based on personal circumstances.
 
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我觉得白酒不好喝 I don't like drinking baijiu.
 
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To further explain can become a little complicated, as a statement negated 不 and 没 seem very similar
 
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For example:  
 
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水没凉 (the water hasn't cooled down yet – this emphasizes that the objective process of water cooling hasn't finished yet, as it hasn't yet reached room temperature)
 
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水不凉 (the water isn't cool – here the speaker is making statement based on their belief of what cool is. I might think this water is cool, but you may not, the standard we use is subjective)
 
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我不是这个意思 (No, you've got me wrong, you've judged the situation wrongly - a personal judgement on my behalf that the listener has misjudged me)
 
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我没有这个意思 (I never implied that - an objective fact )
 

Latest revision as of 14:33, 17 February 2016

Although 不 (bù) and 没(有) (méi(yǒu)) both have the same functions of negating verbs and adjectives, they are used differently. Let's take a look at some of these differences.

有 is negated with 没

没 (rather than 不) is always used to negate 有, the verb meaning "to have." The phrase "不有" exists only in non-standard Chinese dialects, in obscure set phrases (that you don't need), and in incorrect Chinese. Keep in mind also that when 没 is used to negate 有, 有 can be dropped altogether.

  • 没有
  • 不 有
  • 我 没有 钱。
  • 我 没 钱。
  • 我 不 有 钱。
  • 她 没有 朋友。
  • 她 没 朋友。
  • 她 不 有 朋友。

Past and present statements

Perhaps the most important difference between 不 and 没(有) is that 不 negates actions and statements about the present whereas 没 negates actions and statements about the past. Note that 没(有) is used to say that something has not taken place, whereas 不 is used to say that something is not the case, or will not happen.

For example:

  • 我 不 去。 I won't go; I'm not going)
  • 我 没 去。 I didn't go)
  • 我 没 告诉 他！ I didn't tell him)
  • 我 不 告诉 你！ I won't tell you; I'm not telling you)

A few exceptions

The verb 是 is never negated with 没; it can only be negated with 不.

  • 不 是
  • 没 是
  • 昨天 不 是 星期一。
  • 昨天 没 是 星期一。
  • 那个 时候，我们 不 是 朋友。
  • 那个 时候，我们 没 是 朋友。

Sources and further reading

Websites

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