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不至于 (bù zhì yú) — unlikely to go so far as to (do something); would not stoop to; not as bad as; not to the point of

Definition

不至于 (bù zhì yú) is the discourse marker 'it's not that bad / I wouldn't go that far,' used to soften or deny an extreme outcome. It echoes the structure of 至于 but carries a negative, reassuring tone.

verb
unlikely to go so far as to (do something)would not stoop tonot as bad asnot to the point of

Examples

  • 不至于，。
    Shì qing bù zhì yú nà me zāo gāo, nǐ bié tài dān xīn.
    Things aren't that bad — don't worry too much.
  • 不至于。
    Tā bù zhì yú yīn wèi yì diǎn xiǎo shì jiù cí zhí.
    He wouldn't go so far as to quit over a small matter.
  • 不至于？
    Nǐ bù zhì yú lián zhè ge dào lǐ yě bù dǒng ba?
    Surely you understand this principle, don't you?

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
至于to the extent
至zhìreach于yúto
联合Coordinate

不 negates 至于, where 至 and 于 both point to reaching or a target, so it means not to that extent.

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.

至 is drawn as an arrow stuck into the ground.

Open 至 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Attitudes & Opinions

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