If you want to say “not” in Chinese, you will quickly meet two very common words:
bù
不
not
and:
méi
没
did not / have not
At first, they may seem interchangeable.
They are not.
Compare:
wǒ bù chī.
我不吃。
I don’t eat it. / I’m not going to eat it.
and:
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat it.
Only one word changed.
But the meaning changed completely.
This is one of the most important differences to understand in beginner Chinese.
The good news is that you do not need a complicated grammar rule.
Start with one simple idea:
不 usually says “no” to a habit, choice, intention, or general situation.
没 usually says that something did not happen.
Let’s look at them one at a time.
1. 不: “I Don’t” or “I Won’t”
A very useful starting point is:
不 + Verb
For example:
wǒ bù hē kā fēi.
我不喝咖啡。
I don’t drink coffee.
Maybe you simply do not drink coffee.
This is a habit or preference.
Another:
wǒ bù chī ròu.
我不吃肉。
I don’t eat meat.
Another:
tā bù chōu yān.
他不抽烟。
He doesn’t smoke.
These sentences describe something that is generally true.
2. 不 Can Talk About Habits
This is one of the most common uses of 不.
Compare:
wǒ měi tiān hē chá.
我每天喝茶。
I drink tea every day.
Negative:
wǒ bù hē chá.
我不喝茶。
I don’t drink tea.
Another:
tā měi tiān kāi chē shàngbān.
他每天开车上班。
He drives to work every day.
Negative:
tā bù kāi chē shàngbān.
他不开车上班。
He doesn’t drive to work.
Another:
wǒ chī zǎo fàn.
我吃早饭。
I eat breakfast.
wǒ bù chī zǎo fàn.
我不吃早饭。
I don’t eat breakfast.
Here, 不 is not talking about one particular breakfast.
It describes your usual behaviour.
3. 不 Can Express a Choice
不 is also very common when you are making a decision.
For example:
wǒ bù yào.
我不要。
I don’t want it.
wǒ bù mǎi.
我不买。
I’m not buying it.
wǒ bù chī.
我不吃。
I’m not eating it.
wǒ bú qù.
我不去。
I’m not going.
These are choices.
The action has not necessarily happened yet.
You are saying:
I choose not to do it.
4. 不 Is Very Common for the Future
This is especially important.
If you are saying that you will not do something, 不 is usually the natural choice.
For example:
wǒ míngtiān bú qù shàngbān.
我明天不去上班。
I’m not going to work tomorrow.
wǒ wǎn shang bù chī fàn.
我晚上不吃饭。
I’m not eating dinner tonight.
tā míngtiān bù lái.
他明天不来。
He isn’t coming tomorrow.
wǒ xià ge xīng qī bú qù.
我下个星期不去。
I’m not going next week.
Notice:
Tomorrow.
Tonight.
Next week.
The action has not happened yet.
So 不 works naturally.
5. 没: The Action Did Not Happen
Now compare that with 没.
A very useful pattern is:
没 + Verb
For example:
wǒ méi chī fàn.
我没吃饭。
I didn’t eat.
The action did not happen.
Another:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
I didn’t go.
Another:
tā méi lái.
他没来。
He didn’t come.
Another:
wǒ méi mǎi.
我没买。
I didn’t buy it.
So a simple way to think about 没 is:
The action was expected, possible, or being discussed—but it did not happen.
6. The Most Important Comparison
Let’s compare the same verb.
去 — to go
wǒ bú qù.
我不去。
I’m not going.
This is a decision.
But:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
I didn’t go.
The opportunity to go has already passed.
吃 — to eat
wǒ bù chī.
我不吃。
I don’t eat it / I’m not eating it.
But:
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat it.
买 — to buy
wǒ bù mǎi.
我不买。
I’m not buying it.
But:
wǒ méi mǎi.
我没买。
I didn’t buy it.
看 — to watch / look / read
wǒ bú kàn.
我不看。
I don’t watch it / I’m not going to watch it.
But:
wǒ méi kàn.
我没看。
I didn’t watch it.
These pairs are worth reading aloud.
They show the difference much more clearly than a long grammar definition.
7. 不 Usually Looks Forward or Describes a General Situation
Think about these sentences:
wǒ bú qù.
我不去。
I’m not going.
The decision points forward.
wǒ bù chī ròu.
我不吃肉。
I don’t eat meat.
This is generally true.
wǒ bù xǐ huān kā fēi.
我不喜欢咖啡。
I don’t like coffee.
This is a preference.
So 不 often works with:
- habits
- preferences
- general truths
- intentions
- choices
- future actions
8. 没 Usually Looks Back at Whether Something Happened
Now look at:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
I didn’t go.
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat.
wǒ méi kàn.
我没看。
I didn’t watch it.
wǒ méi mǎi.
我没买。
I didn’t buy it.
The question is:
Did this action happen?
The answer is:
No.
That is where 没 becomes useful.
9. Compare “Every Day” and “Today”
Time expressions make the difference especially easy to see.
Habit
wǒ měi tiān dōu hē kā fēi.
我每天都喝咖啡。
I drink coffee every day.
Negative habit:
wǒ bù hē kā fēi.
我不喝咖啡。
I don’t drink coffee.
But now imagine someone who normally drinks coffee:
wǒ jīn tiān méi hē kā fēi.
我今天没喝咖啡。
I didn’t drink coffee today.
This does not mean:
I never drink coffee.
It only means:
Today, the action did not happen.
Another Example
wǒ bù chī zǎo fàn.
我不吃早饭。
I don’t eat breakfast.
This sounds like a habit.
But:
wǒ jīn tiān méi chī zǎo fàn.
我今天没吃早饭。
I didn’t eat breakfast today.
Maybe you normally eat breakfast.
Today was different.
10. Yesterday: Usually Think About 没
When you are talking about whether an action happened yesterday, 没 is very common.
For example:
wǒ zuótiān méi shàngbān.
我昨天没上班。
I didn’t work yesterday.
tā zuótiān méi lái.
他昨天没来。
He didn’t come yesterday.
wǒ zuótiān méi zuò fàn.
我昨天没做饭。
I didn’t cook yesterday.
wǒ zuótiān méi kàn diàn yǐng.
我昨天没看电影。
I didn’t watch a movie yesterday.
But be careful.
This does not mean:
Yesterday = always use 没.
For example:
wǒ zuótiān bù shū fu.
我昨天不舒服。
I didn’t feel well yesterday.
Here, 不舒服 is a normal expression meaning “not feeling well.”
So do not choose 不 or 没 only by looking at the time word.
Think about what kind of meaning you are expressing.
11. 不 Works Naturally With Adjectives
不 is also extremely common before adjectives and descriptive words.
For example:
bù hǎo
不好
not good
bú dà
不大
not big
bú guì
不贵
not expensive
bù máng
不忙
not busy
bù lěng
不冷
not cold
In sentences:
jīn tiān bù lěng.
今天不冷。
It isn’t cold today.
zhè ge bù guì.
这个不贵。
This isn’t expensive.
wǒ jīn tiān bù máng.
我今天不忙。
I’m not busy today.
For beginner Chinese, 不 is usually the word you will use for this kind of description.
12. Some Very Common 不 Words
You will often learn 不 as part of a complete expression.
For example:
bù zhī dào
不知道
don’t know
bù míng bai
不明白
don’t understand
bù xǐ huān
不喜欢
don’t like
bù xiǎng
不想
don’t want to
bù yào
不要
don’t want / don’t
bú huì
不会
don’t know how / will not
Examples:
wǒ bù zhī dào.
我不知道。
I don’t know.
wǒ bù míng bai.
我不明白。
I don’t understand.
wǒ bù xiǎng qù.
我不想去。
I don’t want to go.
wǒ bú huì yóu yǒng.
我不会游泳。
I don’t know how to swim.
These expressions are worth learning as complete chunks.
13. 没 Can Mean “Haven’t Yet”
Here is another very important use of 没.
Sometimes the English translation is not “didn’t.”
It is:
haven’t
For example:
wǒ hái méi chī fàn.
我还没吃饭。
I haven’t eaten yet.
The word 还 adds the idea of “still / yet.”
Another:
wǒ hái méi zuò wán.
我还没做完。
I haven’t finished yet.
tā hái méi lái.
他还没来。
He hasn’t arrived yet.
wǒ hái méi kàn nà bù diàn yǐng.
我还没看那部电影。
I haven’t seen that movie yet.
This pattern is extremely common:
还没 + Verb
Useful Everyday 还没 Examples
nǐ chī fàn le ma?
你吃饭了吗？
Have you eaten?
Answer:
hái méi.
还没。
Not yet.
That is a complete and very natural answer.
Another:
nǐ zuò wán le ma?
你做完了吗？
Have you finished?
hái méi.
还没。
Not yet.
You will hear this constantly in everyday Mandarin.
14. 没 and 没有 Before a Verb
You may see both:
wǒ méi chī fàn.
我没吃饭。
and:
wǒ méi yǒu chī fàn.
我没有吃饭。
Both can mean:
I didn’t eat.
In everyday conversation, the shorter form is extremely common:
没 + Verb
So beginners should become very comfortable with:
méi chī
没吃
didn’t eat
méi qù
没去
didn’t go
méi mǎi
没买
didn’t buy
méi kàn
没看
didn’t watch / haven’t seen
méi lái
没来
didn’t come
15. 没有 Has Another Job: “Do Not Have”
Do not forget that 没有 can also mean:
do not have
For example:
wǒ méi yǒu chē.
我没有车。
I don’t have a car.
wǒ méi yǒu shí jiān.
我没有时间。
I don’t have time.
zhè lǐ méi yǒu cè suǒ.
这里没有厕所。
There is no washroom here.
This is different from:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
I didn’t go.
So remember:
没有 + Noun
often means:
do not have / there is not
没 + Verb
often means:
the action did not happen
16. 不有 Is Not Standard Chinese
This is an important rule for beginners.
If you want to say:
I don’t have...
Do not say:
我不有…… ❌
Use:
wǒ méi yǒu...
我没有……
I don’t have...
For example:
wǒ méi yǒu qián.
我没有钱。
I don’t have money.
wǒ méi yǒu shí jiān.
我没有时间。
I don’t have time.
wǒ méi yǒu chē.
我没有车。
I don’t have a car.
Think of this as a fixed relationship:
有 → 没有
17. 没 Usually Does Not Go With 了 for a Completed Action
This connects directly to the grammar of 了.
Positive:
wǒ chī le fàn.
我吃了饭。
I ate.
Negative:
wǒ méi chī fàn.
我没吃饭。
I didn’t eat.
Not:
我没吃了饭。 ❌
Another:
wǒ mǎi le.
我买了。
I bought it.
Negative:
wǒ méi mǎi.
我没买。
I didn’t buy it.
For this basic completed-action meaning, once 没 tells us the action did not happen, the completion 了 is normally unnecessary.
18. 不…了 Is Different
But now look at this:
wǒ bù chī le.
我不吃了。
I’m not eating anymore.
This does not mean:
I didn’t eat.
Compare carefully:
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat.
But:
wǒ bù chī le.
我不吃了。
I’m not eating anymore / I’ve decided not to eat it.
Another:
tā méi lái.
他没来。
He didn’t come.
But:
tā bù lái le.
他不来了。
He isn’t coming anymore.
This is a very important difference.
Here, the sentence-final 了 tells us that the situation has changed.
See the Difference
没吃
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat.
The action did not happen.
不吃
wǒ bù chī.
我不吃。
I don’t eat it / I won’t eat it.
A habit, preference, or decision.
不吃了
wǒ bù chī le.
我不吃了。
I’m not eating anymore.
The situation has changed.
These three sentences may look similar, but they communicate three different ideas.
19. Everyday Situation: Restaurant
Imagine someone asks:
nǐ chī ròu ma?
你吃肉吗？
Do you eat meat?
You say:
wǒ bù chī ròu.
我不吃肉。
I don’t eat meat.
That describes your general diet.
But later someone asks:
nǐ jīn tiān chī ròu le ma?
你今天吃肉了吗？
Did you eat meat today?
You answer:
méi chī.
没吃。
No, I didn’t.
Different question.
Different negative word.
20. Everyday Situation: Going Out
Your friend asks:
nǐ míngtiān qù ma?
你明天去吗？
Are you going tomorrow?
You answer:
wǒ bú qù.
我不去。
I’m not going.
Tomorrow is still in the future.
Now imagine the next day your friend asks:
nǐ zuótiān qù le ma?
你昨天去了吗？
Did you go yesterday?
You answer:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
I didn’t go.
This pair is one of the easiest ways to remember the difference.
21. Everyday Situation: Watching a Movie
General preference
wǒ bù kàn kǒng bù piàn.
我不看恐怖片。
I don’t watch horror movies.
One particular movie
wǒ méi kàn nà bù diàn yǐng.
我没看那部电影。
I didn’t watch that movie.
Not yet
wǒ hái méi kàn.
我还没看。
I haven’t watched it yet.
Three situations.
Three slightly different meanings.
22. Everyday Situation: Buying Something
Imagine you are shopping.
You look at something and decide against it:
wǒ bù mǎi.
我不买。
I’m not buying it.
Later someone asks whether you bought it.
You say:
wǒ méi mǎi.
我没买。
I didn’t buy it.
Again:
不买 = decision
没买 = the purchase did not happen
23. A Simple Shortcut
When you are unsure, ask yourself this:
Am I saying “I don’t / I won’t”?
Try 不.
Examples:
wǒ bú qù.
我不去。
wǒ bù chī.
我不吃。
wǒ bù xǐ huān.
我不喜欢。
Am I saying “I didn’t / I haven’t”?
Try 没.
Examples:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
wǒ hái méi kàn.
我还没看。
This shortcut will not explain every advanced Chinese sentence, but it works very well for beginners.
24. Common Beginner Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using 不 for “didn’t”
If you mean:
I didn’t go yesterday.
Do not say:
wǒ zuótiān bú qù. ❌
Say:
wǒ zuótiān méi qù.
我昨天没去。
I didn’t go yesterday.
Mistake 2: Using 没 for a Future Decision
If you mean:
I’m not going tomorrow.
Do not say:
wǒ míngtiān méi qù. ❌
Say:
wǒ míngtiān bú qù.
我明天不去。
I’m not going tomorrow.
Mistake 3: Saying 不有
Do not say:
wǒ bù yǒu shí jiān. ❌
Say:
wǒ méi yǒu shí jiān.
我没有时间。
I don’t have time.
Mistake 4: Adding 了 After 没
For a basic completed action:
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat.
Not:
我没吃了。 ❌
25. Quick Comparison Table
| Meaning | Chinese Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I don’t do it | 不 + Verb | 我不吃。 |
| I won’t do it | 不 + Verb | 我明天不去。 |
| I didn’t do it | 没 + Verb | 我没去。 |
| I haven’t done it yet | 还没 + Verb | 我还没吃。 |
| I don’t have it | 没有 + Noun | 我没有车。 |
| It is not… | 不 + adjective | 今天不冷。 |
You do not need to memorize the table all at once.
Start by noticing the contrast between:
不 = don’t / won’t
and:
没 = didn’t / haven’t
Try It Yourself
Choose 不, 没, or 没有.
1. I don’t drink coffee.
wǒ ___ hē kā fēi.
我___喝咖啡。
Answer:
bù
不
wǒ bù hē kā fēi.
我不喝咖啡。
I don’t drink coffee.
2. I didn’t drink coffee today.
wǒ jīn tiān ___ hē kā fēi.
我今天___喝咖啡。
Answer:
méi
没
wǒ jīn tiān méi hē kā fēi.
我今天没喝咖啡。
I didn’t drink coffee today.
3. I’m not going tomorrow.
wǒ míngtiān ___ qù.
我明天___去。
Answer:
bù
不
wǒ míngtiān bú qù.
我明天不去。
I’m not going tomorrow.
4. I didn’t go yesterday.
wǒ zuótiān ___ qù.
我昨天___去。
Answer:
méi
没
wǒ zuótiān méi qù.
我昨天没去。
I didn’t go yesterday.
5. I don’t have a car.
wǒ ___ chē.
我___车。
Answer:
méi yǒu
没有
wǒ méi yǒu chē.
我没有车。
I don’t have a car.
6. I haven’t eaten yet.
wǒ hái ___ chī fàn.
我还___吃饭。
Answer:
méi
没
wǒ hái méi chī fàn.
我还没吃饭。
I haven’t eaten yet.
Make Your Own Sentences
Try completing these sentences with information from your own life.
Something you do not do
wǒ bù ______.
我不______。
I don’t ______.
For example:
wǒ bù hē jiǔ.
我不喝酒。
I don’t drink alcohol.
Something you did not do today
wǒ jīn tiān méi ______.
我今天没______。
I didn’t ______ today.
For example:
wǒ jīn tiān méi yùn dòng.
我今天没运动。
I didn’t exercise today.
Something you have not done yet
wǒ hái méi ______.
我还没______。
I haven’t ______ yet.
For example:
wǒ hái méi chī wǎn fàn.
我还没吃晚饭。
I haven’t eaten dinner yet.
The Most Important Thing to Remember
If you only remember one thing from this lesson, remember this:
不
Think:
don’t / won’t
It often describes:
- habits
- preferences
- choices
- intentions
- future actions
- descriptions
For example:
wǒ bú qù.
我不去。
I’m not going.
没
Think:
didn’t / haven’t
It often tells us:
the action did not happen.
For example:
wǒ méi qù.
我没去。
I didn’t go.
没有
Think:
don’t have / there isn’t
For example:
wǒ méi yǒu shí jiān.
我没有时间。
I don’t have time.
You’re Making Progress
If you can understand the difference between these four sentences:
wǒ bù chī.
我不吃。
I don’t eat it / I won’t eat it.
wǒ méi chī.
我没吃。
I didn’t eat it.
wǒ hái méi chī.
我还没吃。
I haven’t eaten yet.
wǒ bù chī le.
我不吃了。
I’m not eating anymore.
then you are already noticing something very important about how Mandarin expresses time, choice, and change.
You do not need to translate every English “not” into the same Chinese word.
Instead, ask:
Is this a habit or decision?
Use 不.
Did the action fail to happen?
Use 没.
Do I mean “not yet”?
Use 还没.
Do I mean “do not have”?
Use 没有.
Once this distinction starts to feel natural, your Chinese will immediately become clearer and more accurate.