TongTong
Sign in

不肯 (bù kěn) — not willing to, refuse to

Definition

不肯 (bù kěn) is a modal-style auxiliary meaning 'refuses to' or 'won't' — focuses on the subject's unwillingness, not inability. Paired only with willing verbs, never involuntary ones (use 不能 for 'cannot').

auxiliary verb
not willing torefuse to

Examples

  • 不肯。
    Tā bù kěn gào sù wǒ zhēn xiàng.
    He refused to tell me the truth.
  • 不肯。
    Tā bù kěn jiē shòu zhè ge ān pái.
    She is not willing to accept this arrangement.
  • 不肯，。
    Hái zi bù kěn chī shū cài, mā ma hěn dān xīn.
    The child refuses to eat vegetables; the mother is very worried.

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
肯kěnwilling

不肯 joins 不 (not) and 肯 (willing) to express refusal or unwillingness.

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 →

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

肯 is described as showing 冎 (bone) and 肉 (meat), meaning meat attached to the bone.

Open 肯 →
Appears in
Will & Intention

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.