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不单 (bù dān) — not only; not merely

Definition

不单 (bù dān) means 'not only / not merely' and pairs with 而且, 也, 还 or 更是 to add a stronger second point. It is more formal and written than the spoken 不光.

adverb
not onlynot merely

Examples

  • 不单，。
    Tā bù dān dǒng yīng yǔ, hái huì fǎ yǔ.
    He not only understands English but also speaks French.
  • 不单，。
    Zhè ge wèn tí bù dān yǐng xiǎng jīng jì fā zhǎn, yě guān xì dào shè huì wěn dìng.
    This issue not only affects economic development but also concerns social stability.
  • 不单，。
    bù dān Lǎo shī, xué shēng yě dōu cān jiā le zhè cì huó dòng.
    Not only teachers but also students participated in this activity.

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
单dānonly

不 negates 单, so the meaning is not only or not merely.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

Open 单 →
Appears in
Cause, Effect & Logic

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