不快 (bù kuài) — dull, not sharp | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

dullnot sharp

不快，。
Zhè bǎ dāo bù kuài, xū yào mó yi mó.
This knife is dull; it needs sharpening.
不快，。
Zhè bǎ jiǎn dāo bù kuài, jiǎn bú dòng zhǐ.
These scissors are dull; they can't cut paper.
不快，。
Dāo bù kuài le, qiē cài hěn fèi jìn.
The knife is dull; cutting vegetables is very hard.

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

忄夬快

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài快kuài

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

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