Expressing "not very" with "bu tai"

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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

不太 sentences
Subject 不 太 Adj / V
不 太 高兴
不 太 漂亮
老师 不 太 友好
不 太 喜欢
不 太 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