To say an adjective is not true, put 不 (bù) directly in front of it: 不高 (bù gāo) "not tall," 不贵 (bú guì) "not expensive," 我不忙 (wǒ bù máng) "I'm not busy." Two things trip up beginners. First, the negator is 不, never 没 (méi) — even though English "wasn't tall" tempts you toward the 没 that marks the past elsewhere. Second, 不 takes the same slot the default 很 would occupy, so the two do not stack: "not tall" is 不高, not 不很高. Because a Chinese adjective is already its own verb, it simply takes the ordinary verb-negator 不 — and there is no 是 (shì) sitting there to negate.
不, not 没: negating a quality
Chinese has two main negators, and they split the world cleanly. 不 (bù) negates general states, habits, and qualities — the timeless "is not / does not." 没(有) (méi(yǒu)) negates having something and completed changes — "did not / has not." A quality like "tall," "busy," or "expensive" is a general state, so it takes 不.
我今天不忙。
wǒ jīntiān bù máng
I'm not busy today. — 不 negates the state.
这个不贵。
zhège bú guì
This isn't expensive. — 不 before 贵.
他不高，可是打球很好。
tā bù gāo, kěshì dǎqiú hěn hǎo
He's not tall, but he plays ball well. — 不高 = 'not tall'.
今天不冷，你不用穿大衣。
jīntiān bù lěng, nǐ búyòng chuān dàyī
It's not cold today, you don't need a coat. — 不冷 for the negated state.
Note the sound change: 不 is toned bù before 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tones, but shifts to bú before a 4th tone. So 不高 (bù gāo), 不忙 (bù máng), 不冷 (bù lěng) — but 不贵 (bú guì), 不错 (bú cuò), 不太 (bú tài). It is one word spelled two ways in Pinyin.
Why 没 is wrong here
The single most common transfer error is reaching for 没 to negate an adjective, because 没 feels like it should mean "wasn't." But 没 negates change or completion, not a static quality. Stick 没 in front of an adjective and you force a "hasn't-become" reading — which is usually not what you meant.
| You want to say | Correct | What 没 would force |
|---|---|---|
| He's not tall | 他不高 (tā bù gāo) | 他没高 → "he hasn't grown taller" |
| The soup isn't hot | 汤不热 (tāng bú rè) | 汤没热 → "the soup hasn't heated up" |
| I'm not old | 我不老 (wǒ bù lǎo) | 我没老 → "I haven't aged" |
So 没 + adjective is not simply "wrong" — it flips the meaning from quality to change. If you genuinely want to say a change hasn't happened, you normally add a change verb like 长 (zhǎng, "to grow"): 他还没长高 "he hasn't grown taller yet." The full 不-versus-没 story lives on the 不 vs 没 overview.
他还没长高呢。
tā hái méi zhǎng gāo ne
He hasn't grown taller yet. — 没 negates the change 长高, not the quality.
汤不热，我给你热一下。
tāng bú rè, wǒ gěi nǐ rè yíxià
The soup isn't hot; let me heat it up for you. — 不热 for the current state.
Softening with 不太 ("not very")
A flat 不 can sound blunt, so Chinese often softens a negative judgement with 不太 (bú tài) "not very / not too" — a polite hedge that is gentler than a bare 不. It is the everyday way to say something is a bit lacking without being harsh.
这家饭馆的菜不太好吃。
zhè jiā fànguǎn de cài bú tài hǎochī
The food at this restaurant isn't very good. — 不太 softens the criticism.
我不太累，可以再走一会儿。
wǒ bú tài lèi, kěyǐ zài zǒu yíhuìr
I'm not too tired, I can walk a bit more. — 不太 = 'not very'.
You can also turn any adjective into a yes/no question by the A-not-A pattern — bare adjective + 不 + same adjective — which conveniently drops 很 as well: 高不高？(gāo bu gāo?) "Tall or not?", 贵不贵？(guì bu guì?) "Expensive?"
今天冷不冷？
jīntiān lěng bu lěng?
Is it cold today? — the A-not-A question, built straight from 不.
Common Mistakes
1. Using 没 to negate a quality. 没 forces a "hasn't-become" reading; use 不 for states.
❌ 他没高。
Wrong meaning — this says 'he hasn't grown taller', not 'he's not tall'.
✅ 他不高。
tā bù gāo
He's not tall. — 不 for the quality.
2. Stacking 不 and 很. 不 already fills the 很 slot; "not tall" is just 不高.
❌ 我不很忙。
Unnatural for 'not busy' — drop 很; say 我不忙 (or 不太忙 for 'not very busy').
✅ 我不忙。
wǒ bù máng
I'm not busy.
3. Missing the 不 → bú sandhi before a 4th tone. 不 is pronounced bú before a falling tone.
❌ 这个 bù guì (mispronounced)。
Tone error — before the 4th-tone 贵, 不 becomes bú.
✅ 这个不贵。
zhège bú guì
This isn't expensive. — 不 → bú before 贵.
4. Adding 是 to negate. There is no copula; negate the adjective directly.
❌ 我不是忙。
Incorrect — no 是 with an adjective; say 我不忙.
✅ 我不忙。
wǒ bù máng
I'm not busy.
Key Takeaways
- Negate an adjective with 不 (bù): 不高, 不贵, 我不忙. Never 没.
- 没 + adjective forces a "hasn't-changed" reading (他没高 = "hasn't grown taller"); for a change, add a verb like 长: 还没长高.
- 不 fills the very slot, so it does not stack with 很: "not tall" = 不高, not 不很高.
- Soften a negative judgement with 不太 (bú tài) "not very": 不太好吃.
- Remember the sandhi: 不 → bú before a 4th tone (不贵 bú guì, 不太 bú tài).
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- Adjectives Are Stative Verbs (No 是)HSK 1 — A Chinese adjective is a kind of verb — it predicates on its own, with NO copula 是 (shì). 她很高 'she is tall', 天气很好 'the weather is good', 这个太贵了 'this is too expensive' — never *她是高. 高 already means 'to be tall', so 是 has no job; negate with 不 (不高), not 没.
- Two Negators: 不 (bù) vs 没 (méi)HSK 1 — Mandarin has exactly two everyday negators. 不 (bù) negates the habitual, willed, future, and all adjectives and modal verbs; 没(有) (méi yǒu) negates the verb 有 and any completed or experienced action. The split is NOT about tense — it's habit/intention/quality (不) vs completion/existence (没).
- The Default 很 (Linking hěn)HSK 1 — A plain predicate adjective normally takes an unstressed 很 (hěn) that does NOT mean 'very' — it is a neutral linker that makes the description sound complete: 我很好 'I'm fine', 他很高 'he's tall'.
- Degree Adverbs (很 / 太 / 非常 / 更 / 最)HSK 1 — Degree adverbs are the adverb class that scales gradable words — 很, 非常, 特别, 太…了, 更, 最, 比较 all sit before the adjective or psych-verb and run from a bare linker up to the superlative.