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不怕 (bù pà) — (verb) not fear, be unafraid; (conjunction, colloquial) even if, even though

Definition

不怕 has two distinct uses: as a verb it means 'not be afraid of', and colloquially it functions as a conjunction meaning 'even if / even though' — note the 'not afraid' sense is literal and not interchangeable with the concessive sense.

verb
not fearbe unafraid(conjunction, colloquial) even ifeven though

Examples

  • 不怕。
    Tā shén me dōu bú bù pà.
    He is not afraid of anything.
  • 不怕，。
    Mā ma bù pà xīn kǔ, měi tiān zǎo qǐ.
    Mom is not afraid of hard work; she gets up early every day.
  • 不怕，。
    bù pà Nǐ bù gāo xìng, wǒ hái shì yào shuō zhēn huà.
    Even if you are unhappy, I still have to tell the truth.

Origin

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái怕pà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 怕 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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