不够意思 (bú gòu yì si) — (colloquial) not decent; not behaving like a good friend; mean; stingy

Definition

Colloquial expression meaning a friend has acted unkindly or meanly — not living up to what friendship requires, such as not helping out or being stingy. Often softened with 太 / 真 / 太不 in casual complaints among friends.

verb
(colloquial) not decentnot behaving like a good friendmeanstingy

Examples

  • ，不够意思。
    Tā yě bù bāng máng, tài bú gòu yì si le.
    He didn't even help, that's really not decent.
  • ，不够意思。
    Jiè le qián bù hái, zhēn bú gòu yì si.
    Borrowing money and not paying it back is really mean.
  • ，不够意思。
    Dà jiā dōu shì péng you, nǐ zhè yàng jiù bú bú gòu yì si le.
    We are all friends, acting like this just isn't cool.

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 夠; 够 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
多多duō
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù夠gòu
Same sound today

In the traditional form 夠, 多 is the part tied to the meaning and 句 is the part that gives the sound; the simplified 够 is a later shorthand.

Open 够 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →

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