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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>You may be familiar with using <a href=
"Expressing_&quot;excessively&quot;_with_tai" title="wikilink">太
(tài) to express "too,"</a> such as when something is "too
expensive" or "too hot." 不太 (bù tài) is a similar pattern for the
negative, which just means "not very" or "not so" (literally "not
too"). Note that this pattern does not normally use 了 (le).</p>
<h2 id="不太-bù-tài-with-adjectives">不太 (bù tài) with Adjectives</h2>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 不太 + Adj.</p>
</div>
<p>Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See
below for more info.</p>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 家 <em>不 太</em> 大。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ jiā <em>bù tài</em>
dà.</span><span class="trans">My house is not too big.</span></li>
<li>那 个 地方 <em>不 太</em> 远。<span class="pinyin">Nàge dìfang <em>bù
tài</em> yuǎn.</span><span class="trans">That place is not very far
away.</span></li>
<li>老板 今天 <em>不 太</em> 高兴。 <span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn jīntiān
<em>bù tài</em> gāoxìng.</span><span class="trans">The boss is not
very happy today.</span></li>
<li>这 个 店 的 衣服 <em>不 太</em> 贵。<span class="pinyin">Zhège diàn de
yīfu <em>bù tài</em> guì.</span> <span class="trans">The clothes in
this shop are not too expensive.</span></li>
<li>我 觉得 他 <em>不 太</em> 聪明。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ juéde tā <em>bù
tài</em> cōngming.</span><span class="trans">I think he is not too
smart.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="不太-bù-tài-with-verbs">不太 (bù tài) with Verbs</h2>
<h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>
<p>This pattern can be used with some <a href="psychological_verb"
title="wikilink">psychological verbs</a> (e.g. 喜欢 (xǐhuan), 想
(xiǎng), 明白 (míngbai)), as is the case with the next examples.
These verbs are relatively limited.</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 不太 + Verb</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>不 太</em> 懂 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù tài</em>
dǒng.</span><span class="trans">I don't really
understand.</span></li>
<li>我 <em>不 太</em> 会 说 英语 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù tài</em>
huì shuō Yīngyǔ.</span><span class="trans">I can't really speak
English.</span></li>
<li>他们 <em>不 太</em> 想 去 。 <span class="pinyin">Tāmen <em>bù
tài</em> xiǎng qù.</span><span class="trans">They don't really want
to go.</span></li>
<li>我 哥哥 <em>不 太</em> 喜欢 他 的 工作 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ gēge
<em>bù tài</em> xǐhuan tā de gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">My
older brother doesn't really like his job.</span></li>
<li>他 <em>不 太</em> 明白 老板 的 意思 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bù
tài</em> míngbai lǎobǎn de yìsi.</span> <span class="trans">He
didn't really understand what the boss meant.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="Expressing_&quot;excessively&quot;_with_tai" title=
"wikilink">Expressing "excessively" with tai</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further
reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition" title=
"wikilink">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition</a> (pp.
200) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0415372615">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1</a> (pp.
180-181)　<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276385">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)"
title="wikilink">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners
(外国人实用汉语语法)</a> (pp. 109) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B001J0ADWA&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:A2_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:A2 grammar points</a> <a href=
"Category:Adverbs" class="uri" title=
"wikilink">Category:Adverbs</a></p>
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