决非 (jué fēi) — is definitely not, is by no means

Definition

A formal, written way to say 'definitely not / by no means' — much stronger than 决不 juébù in tone, used in formal writing to firmly deny something.

verb

is definitely notis by no means

Easily confused

决非，。
Zhè jué fēi xiǎo shì, wǒ men bì xū rèn zhēn duì dài.
This is by no means a small matter; we must take it seriously.
决非，。
Tā de chéng gōng jué fēi ǒu rán, ér shì cháng qī nǔ lì de jié guǒ.
His success is definitely not accidental; it's the result of long-term effort.
决非，。
Zhè zhǒng shuō fǎ jué fēi shì shí, qǐng bú yào xiāng xìn.
This claim is by no means the truth; please don't believe it.

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.

决juédefinitely

“决” (definitely) strengthens “非” (not), giving definitely not.

Characters in this word

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 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

氵夬決

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài決jué

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

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

The shape of 非 is drawn from two wings facing opposite directions. It later came to be used for going against or not being.