Expressing "not at all" with "yidianr ye bu"
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Sometimes we may want to say something is "not even the least bit. . ." For example, we might say in English: "I am not at all hungry." In Chinese, we can use 一点也不 or 一点都不 to express "not at all"
Contents
一点也/都不 with an adjective
The phrases "一点也不 " and "一点都不 " can both be used to express "not at all ."
Subject + 一点也/都 + 不 + Adjective
Examples
- 你 一点 也 不 性感。You're not even a little bit sexy.
- 我 一点 都 不 难看。I'm not even a little bit ugly.
- 他 一点 都 不 聪明。He is not even a little bit smart.
一点也/都不 with a verb
This describes the subject as being "not at all adjective" or "not even slightly adjective". Psychological verbs can also appear in place of the adjective in this structure.
Subject + 一点也/都 + 不 + Verb
Examples
- 他 一点 也 不 喜欢 啤酒。
- 你 一点 也 不 会 说 吗？
- 她 好像 一点 都 不 知道 这 件 事。
一点也/都不 with 没
The phrases "一点也没 " and "一点都没 " can also be used to express "not at all ." This is used when the statement uses or implies the verb negative form of 有 in the past.
Subject + 一点都/也 + 没 + Verb
Examples
- 我 一点 也 没 生气。
- 宝宝 打针 的 时候 一点 都 没 哭。
- 今天 的 工作 一点 也 没 做。
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 36-7) →buy
