Beginner Lesson 10.1 – Negative with 不

Grammar 1: Negative in Chinese with 不 · HSK 1

bù(bú) 不 no; not

不 is a negation adverb in Chinese. It can be pronounced in two different ways: bù and bú because of its tone change rule. We put 不 right before the verb to express negative in Chinese:

不 + Verb

Here are some example sentences where by using 不, we can say not in Chinese.

Grammar 2: To Know Someone in Chinese · HSK 1

rènshi 认识 to recognize; to know (someone personally)

When we want to say we know someone in Chinese, we can use the verb 认识. For example:

• wǒ rènshi tā 我认识他。 I know him.

But 认识 usually means you know someone personally. For example if you know a celebrity, you don't necessarily say you 认识 them. And even if you do say you 认识 some celebrity, you cannot say they 认识 you. For example:

Q: nǐ rènshi Lǐ Xiǎolóng ma
      你认识李小龙吗
      Do you know Bruce Lee?
A: wǒ rènshi tā, tā bú rènshi wǒ
      我认识他，他不认识我。
      I know him, (but) he doesn't know me.

认识 also means to recognize something, for example:

• wǒ rènshi zhège hànzì
  我认识这个汉字。
  I know this Chinese character.

Grammar 3: Daughter and Son in Chinese · HSK 1

In Chinese, ér 儿 and zǐ 子 both mean son; child; kid. But when 儿 and 子 are put together, érzi 儿子 only means son. nǚ 女 literally means female, so 女儿, "a female child" means daughter.