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<title>Adjectives: 不怎么 (bù zěnme)</title>
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<h1>Expressing "not very" with <span class="hanzist">不怎么</span> (<span class="pinyinst">bù zěnme</span>)</h1>
<p>When you use <span class="hanzi">不怎么</span> (<span class="pinyin">bù zěnme</span>) before an adjective, it means "not very." This structure is similar to how English speakers may say something is "not very good."</p>
<p><br/></p>
<h2>Contents</h2>
<ol>
<li>Structure<br/></li>
<li>Examples<br/></li>
<li>See also<br/></li>
<li>Sources and further reading<br/></li>
<ol>
<li>Books<br/></li>
</ol>
</ol>
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<h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>
<p>When used together with an adjective, <span class="hanzi">不怎么</span> becomes similar to <a href=""Not_very"_with_"bu_tai"" title="wikilink">不太</a>, which means that the degree of the adjective is not very high.</p>
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<div class="deux">
Subj. + <span class="hanzist">不怎么</span> + Adj. / Psychological Verb
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<p>Using this grammar structure is a way to indirectly or mildly state something. Instead of saying "<span class="hanzi">他不聪明</span>" (<span class="pinyin">tā bù cōngming</span>) you can say "<span class="hanzi">他不怎么聪明</span>" (<span class="pinyin">tā bù zěnme cōngming</span>), turning a very direct statement to a milder, more wayward statement.</p>
<h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">最近 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 忙 。</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Zuìjìn <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> máng.</span><br/><span> It hasn't been very busy lately.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">这里 的 冬天 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 冷 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ de dōngtiān <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> lěng.</span><br/><span> It's not very cold here in winter.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">他们 好像 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 高兴 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tāmen hǎoxiàng <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> gāoxìng.</span><br/><span> They seem not very happy.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">这 个 学生 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 努力 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhège xuéshēng <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> nǔlì.</span><br/><span> This student isn't very hard-working.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">那 家 餐厅 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 干净 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nà jiā cāntīng <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> gānjìng.</span><br/><span> That restaurant isn't very clean.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">这个 老师 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 专业 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhège lǎoshī <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> zhuānyè.</span><br/><span> This teacher isn't very professional.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 是 不 是 昨天 睡 得 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 好 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ shì bu shì zuótiān shuì de <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> hǎo?</span><br/><span> Did you not sleep very well last night?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">我 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 喜欢 咖啡 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> xǐhuan kāfēi.</span><br/><span> I'm not very into coffee.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">他 跟 他 父母 长 得 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 像 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tā gēn tā fùmǔ zhǎng de <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> xiàng.</span><br/><span> He and his parents don't look very much alike.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">他 去 美国 一 年 多 了 ，不过 <span class="orange">不 怎么</span> 想家 。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"> Tā qù Měiguó yī nián duō le, bùguò <span class="orange">bù zěnme</span> xiǎngjiā.</span><br/><span> He's been in America for more than one year, but he's not very homesick.</span></li>
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<p>Remember that to make <span class="hanzi">不怎么</span> mean "<b>not very</b>" use it with an adjective. Using it with a verb will give it <a href=""Not_often"_with_"bu_zenme"" title="wikilink">the meaning of "not often."</a></p>
<h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href=""Not_often"_with_"bu_zenme"" title="wikilink">"Not often" with "bu zenme"</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li>Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (<span class="hanzi">汉语口语速成基础篇</span>) (pp. 139)</li>
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