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不准 (bù zhǔn) — to forbid, to prohibit; not allowed

Definition

不准 is a colloquial 'not allowed' used in everyday speech, especially on signs and rules. Less formal than 禁止/严禁 (which are written or strong), and more general than 不许 (which forbids a specific action).

phrase
to forbidto prohibitnot allowed

Examples

  • 不准。
    Zhè lǐ bù zhǔn tíng chē.
    Parking is not allowed here.
  • 不准。
    Gōng sī bù zhǔn yuán gōng chí dào.
    The company doesn't allow employees to be late.
  • 不准。
    Tú shū guǎn bù zhǔn chī dōng xī.
    Eating is not allowed in the library.

Origin

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 準; 准 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
隼
隼sǔn準zhǔn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 準, not 准, pairs 水 (water) with 隼 as a sound part; the evidence describes it as 'water level'.

Open 准 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Law & Justice5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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