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毫不 (háo bù) — not at all; not in the least; hardly (used to emphasize negation before an adjective or verb)

Definition

Intensifier meaning 'not at all / not in the least', used before verbs or adjectives to sharpen a negation. Pairs with abstract/state words; 毫无 + noun means 'to completely lack'.

phrase
not at allnot in the leasthardly (used to emphasize negation before an adjective or verb)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā duì wǒ de bāng zhù háo bù gǎn jī.
    He was not at all grateful for my help.
  • 。
    Zhè ge jì huà háo bú qiè hé shí jì.
    This plan is not at all practical.
  • 。
    Tā háo bú fèi lì jiù wán chéng le rèn wu.
    He completed the task without any effort.

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.

毫háosmallest amount
不bùnot

毫 points to the smallest amount and 不 points to absence, giving not even the least bit.

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.

The written form 毫 is built from 高 and 毛.

Open 毫 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 65000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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