并非 (bìng fēi) — (emphatic negation) actually not, by no means;… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

并非 is a written emphatic 'is not' — formal and strong, more emphatic than a plain 不是. Unlike 绝, it pairs with statements, not just negations.

verb

(emphatic negation) actually notby no meansit is not the case that

Examples

并非。
Tā de jué dìng bìng fēi míng zhì.
His decision is by no means wise.
并非，。
Wǒ bìng fēi bù xiǎng bāng nǐ, zhǐ shì tài máng le.
It's not that I don't want to help you; I'm just too busy.
并非。
Zhè jiàn shì bìng fēi nà me róng yì.
This matter is not that easy.

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.

并bìngemphasis

并 adds emphasis, and 非 means not, together meaning actually not.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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.

Appears in

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