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不知 (bù zhī) — not know; have no idea; wonder if (introducing a polite or uncertain question)

Definition

Literary/formal 'not know, have no idea', and used to soften a polite or uncertain question (I wonder whether…). More written than the plain 不知道.

verb
not knowhave no ideawonder if (introducing a polite or uncertain question)

Examples

  • 不知。
    bù zhī Tā shén me shí hou huí lái.
    I wonder when he will come back.
  • 不知。
    bù zhī Nín shì fǒu yuàn yì cān jiā zhè cì huó dòng.
    I wonder if you would like to join this event.
  • 不知。
    Tā bù zhī zì jǐ zuò dé duì bú duì.
    He doesn't know whether he did it right.

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.

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

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Appears in
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