绝非 (jué fēi) — absolutely not; by no means

Definition

Strong, formal written adverb meaning 'absolutely not' — used to emphatically deny a possibility, usually in front of a noun phrase or adjective. More emphatic and literary than spoken alternatives like 绝对不是.

adverb
absolutely notby no means
Easily confused

Examples

  • 绝非。
    Zhè jiàn shì jué fēi yì shì.
    This matter is by no means an easy task.
  • 绝非。
    Tā de chéng gōng jué fēi ǒu rán.
    His success is by no means accidental.
  • 绝非。
    Zhè zhǒng wèn tí jué fēi yì bān.
    This kind of problem is by no means ordinary.

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.

绝juéabsolutely
非fēinot

绝 means absolutely, and 非 means not, so it stresses complete negation.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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.

Open 非 →

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