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不太

HSK 1
  • Negation

Structure (结构 jiégòu)

Subject不太Adjective / Psych verb

Meaning (意思 yìsi)

Used to negate in a mild way, meaning "not very..." or "not necessarily."

Explanation (解释 jiěshì)

When you want to negate something gently, without being too blunt, use 不太. It works like saying "not very..." or "not that..." in English. Instead of saying 不好 (not good), saying 不太好 (not very good) sounds more polite and tactful.

不太 can be used with adjectives (such as 贵, 忙, 好) as well as certain verbs expressing emotion or thought (such as 喜欢, 想, 方便).

Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)

  1. 这个菜不太辣。
    繁: 這個菜不太辣。Zhège cài bú tài là.

    This dish is not very spicy.

  2. 我今天不太忙。
    Wǒ jīntiān bú tài máng.

    I am not very busy today.

  3. 他的身体不太好。
    繁: 他的身體不太好。Tā de shēntǐ bú tài hǎo.

    His health is not very good.

  4. 我不太喜欢喝咖啡。
    繁: 我不太喜歡喝咖啡。Wǒ bú tài xǐhuān hē kāfēi.

    I don't really like drinking coffee.

  5. 这里不太方便停车。
    繁: 這裡不太方便停車。Zhèlǐ bú tài fāngbiàn tíngchē.

    It's not very convenient to park here.