Definition
未尝 is an adverb you'll encounter in formal or written Chinese. It has two main patterns: 1) Used before a verb without other negatives, it means 'never (before)' or 'not yet'. 2) Combined with a negative (不/没有/非), it forms a double negative meaning 'it is not that...not...' or 'not necessarily not', softening the statement. You'll most often see it in phrases like 未尝不可 ('it is not impossible') or 未尝没有 ('it's not that there isn't').
adv.
never (before)not yet(with negating words) it is not that...not...not necessarily not
Examples
- 未尝。Tā wèi cháng cháng guò shībài de zīwèi.He has never tasted the flavor of failure.
- 未尝。Zhège bànfǎ wèi cháng bù kěxíng.This method is not necessarily infeasible.
- 未尝。Wǒ wèi cháng méiyǒu kǎolǜ guò zhège wèntí.It is not that I haven't considered this problem.
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