不一 (bù yī) — to be not uniform; to differ; different

Definition

不一 is a written/formal verb meaning '(things) differ, are not all the same' — used to describe variation among multiple items like opinions, sizes, or quality, not a single object.

verb
to be not uniformto differdifferent
Easily confused

Examples

  • 不一，。
    Dà jiā de yì jiàn bù yī, xū yào zài tǎo lùn.
    Everyone's opinions differ; we need to discuss further.
  • 不一。
    Zhè pī chǎn pǐn de zhì liàng bù yī.
    The quality of this batch of products is not uniform.
  • 不一，，。
    Duì zhè jiàn shì de kàn fǎ bù yī, yǒu rén zhī chí, yǒu rén fǎn duì.
    Views on this matter differ; some support, some oppose.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
一yīuniform

「不」 means not, and 「一」 means uniform, giving a sense of not the same.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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