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不符 (bù fú) — to not conform to; to be inconsistent with

Definition

不符 is a formal verb meaning 'to not match / be inconsistent with' — used when one thing fails to meet a standard or expectation. Unlike 出入 (a noun for the gap/discrepancy itself), 不符 describes the mismatch as a state, not a measured difference.

verb
to not conform toto be inconsistent with
Easily confused

Examples

  • 不符。
    Nǐ de dá àn yǔ biāo zhǔn dá àn bù fú.
    Your answer does not match the standard answer.
  • 不符。
    Zhè ge chǎn pǐn yǔ shuō míng shū shàng de miáo shù bù fú.
    This product does not match the description in the manual.
  • 不符，。
    Rú guǒ cái liào yǔ yāo qiú bù fú, jiāng huì bèi tuì huí.
    If the materials do not meet the requirements, they will be returned.

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
符fúconform; match

不 negates 符, so the result is not conforming or not matching.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
付
付fù符fú
Same sound today

符 puts the bamboo form 竹, written 𥫗 on top, above 付, which gives the sound.

Open 符 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5

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