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从不 (cóng bù) — never

Definition

从不 is a straightforward 'never' used before any verb in everyday speech. Compared to 从未, it is more colloquial and common; 从未 sounds more formal/written.

phrase
never

Examples

  • 从不。
    Wǒ cóng bù chí dào.
    I am never late.
  • 从不。
    Tā cóng bù shuō jiǎ huà.
    He never tells lies.
  • 从不。
    Tā cóng bù hē kā fēi.
    She never drinks coffee.

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.

从cóngever
不bùnot

从 means ever and 不 negates; together they mean not at any time.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 從; 从 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
从
从cóng從cóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 從 pairs 辵 (walk) with 从, which gives the sound; the character was originally written 从.

Open 从 →

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 →
Appears in
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