Expressing "not very" with "bu tai"
You may be familiar with using 太 (tài) to express "too" in the sense of "too expensive." There's a similar pattern in the negative, which just means "not very" or "not so" (literally "not too"). Note that this pattern does not normally use 了 (le).
Structure
Subject + 不 + 太 + Adjective
Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for more info.
Examples
Some examples:
| Subject | 不 太 | Adj / V | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 | 不 太 | 高兴 | 。 |
| 他 | 不 太 | 好看 | 。 |
| 老师 | 不 太 | 友好 | 。 |
| 我 | 不 太 | 喜欢 | 。 |
| 她 | 不 太 | 想 | 去 。 |
Note: This pattern can be used with modal verbs (e.g. 会, 能) as well as psychological verbs (e.g. 喜欢, 崇拜), as in the last two examples.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 200) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 180-1) →buy
