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= Expressing &quot;not often&quot; with &quot;bu zenme&quot; =


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<li>[https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/How_to_do_something_with_%22zenme%22 How to do something with &quot;zenme&quot;] (A1)</li>
<li>[https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Asking_why_with_%22zenme%22 Asking why with &quot;zenme&quot;] (A2)</li>
<li>[https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22not_very%22_with_%22bu_zenme%22 Expressing &quot;not very&quot; with &quot;bu zenme&quot;] (B1)</li></ul>


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[https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_frequency Expressing frequency]

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[https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D%E6%80%8E%E4%B9%88 不怎么], [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%8D 不], [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%80%8E%E4%B9%88 怎么]

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You might be tempted to conclude that 不怎么 (bù zěnme) seems to mean &quot;not how,&quot; but it actually means &quot;not often&quot; when used together with a verb.

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== Contents ==

<span class="toctoggle"> [[[#|hide]]] </span>

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* [[#Structure|<span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Structure</span>]]
* [[#Examples|<span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Examples</span>]]
* [[#Usage_of_.E6.B2.A1.E6.80.8E.E4.B9.88|<span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Usage of 没怎么</span>]]
* [[#See_also|<span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span>]]
* [[#Sources_and_further_reading|<span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Sources and further reading</span>]]
** [[#Books|<span class="tocnumber">5.1</span> <span class="toctext">Books</span>]]


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== <span id="Structure" class="mw-headline">Structure</span> ==

When 不怎么 is used with a verb, it means that one does not put a lot of time or energy into doing it. In other words, the action is done &quot;not often.&quot; When the verb is used with an object, it also means that the number (or quantity) is really small.

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Subj. + 不怎么 + Verb


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== <span id="Examples" class="mw-headline">Examples</span> ==

<div class="liju">

* 他 ''不怎么'' 爱 说话 。<span class="pinyin">Tā ''bù zěnme'' ài shuōhuà.</span><span class="trans">He doesn't like talking too much.</span>
* 我 老公 ''不怎么'' 运动 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ lǎogōng ''bù zěnme'' yùndòng.</span><span class="trans">My husband doesn't exercise very often.</span>
* 我们 在家 ''不怎么'' 看 电视 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zài jiā ''bù zěnme'' kàn diànshì.</span><span class="trans">We don't watch a lot of television at home.</span>
* 我 儿子 ''不怎么''吃 零食 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ érzi ''bùzěnme'' chī língshí.</span><span class="trans">My son doesn't eat snacks very often.</span>
* 老板 ''不怎么'' 来 办公室 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn ''bù zěnme'' lái bàngōngshì.</span><span class="trans">My boss doesn't come to the office very often.</span>
* 我 ''不怎么'' 在 网上 买 东西 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ ''bù zěnme'' zài wǎngshàng mǎi dóngxi.</span><span class="trans">I don't online shop very often.</span>
* 他们 ''不怎么'' 跟 朋友 出去 玩 。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen ''bù zěnme'' gēn péngyou chūqù wán.</span><span class="trans">They don't often go out and have fun with friends.</span>


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== <span id="Usage_of_.E6.B2.A1.E6.80.8E.E4.B9.88" class="mw-headline">Usage of 没怎么</span> ==

Note that the examples below use 没 instead of 不. This is because the verb uses or implies 有 and thus it uses the same [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Negation_of_%22you%22 the 有 negation rules].

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* 我 ''没 怎么'' 复习 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ ''méi zěnme'' fùxí.</span><span class="trans">I didn't review much.</span>
* 我 ''没 怎么'' 想 过 这个 问题 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ ''méi zěnme'' xiǎng guo zhège wèntí.</span><span class="trans">I didn't really think about this before.</span>
* 昨天 我 肚子 不 舒服 ，''没 怎么'' 吃 东西 。<span class="pinyin">Zuótiān wǒ dùzi bù shūfu, ''méi zěnme'' chī dōngxi.</span><span class="trans">My stomach didn't feel well yesterday, so I didn't eat much.</span>


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Lastly, make sure to use 不怎么 with a verb if you want it to mean &quot;not often.&quot; Using it with an adjective gives it a [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Not_very%22_with_%22bu_zenme%22 different meaning].

== <span id="See_also" class="mw-headline">See also</span> ==

* [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/How_to_do_something_with_%22zenme%22 How to do something with &quot;zenme&quot;]
* [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Asking_why_with_%22zenme%22 Asking why with &quot;zenme&quot;]
* [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Not_very%22_with_%22bu_zenme%22 &quot;Not very&quot; with &quot;bu zenme&quot;]

== <span id="Sources_and_further_reading" class="mw-headline">Sources and further reading</span> ==

=== <span id="Books" class="mw-headline">Books</span> ===

* [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Short-term_Spoken_Chinese:_Elementary_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%AD%E9%80%9F%E6%88%90%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E7%AF%87) Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)] (pp. 139) [ →buy]
* [https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D 现代汉语八百词] (pp. 652) [http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001198GSW&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001198GSW →buy]

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