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- {{Grammar Box}}
- When you use 不怎么 (bù zěnme) before an adjective, it means "not very." This structure is similar to how English speakers may say something is "not very good."
- == Structure ==
- When used together with an adjective, 不怎么 becomes similar to [["Not_very"_with_"bu_tai"| 不太]], which means that the degree of the adjective is not very high.
- <div class="jiegou">
- Subj. + 不怎么 + Adj. / Psychological Verb
- </div>
- Using this grammar structure is a way to indirectly or mildly state something. Instead of saying "他不聪明" (tā bù cōngming) you can say "他不怎么聪明" (tā bù zěnme cōngming), turning a very direct statement to a milder, more wayward statement.
- == Examples ==
- <div class="liju">
- *最近 <em>不 怎么</em> 忙 。<span class="pinyin">Zuìjìn <em>bù zěnme</em> máng.</span><span class="trans">It hasn't been very busy lately.</span>
- *这里 的 冬天 <em>不 怎么</em> 冷 。<span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ de dōngtiān <em>bù zěnme</em> lěng.</span><span class="trans">It's not very cold here in winter.</span>
- *他们 好像 <em>不 怎么</em> 高兴 。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen hǎoxiàng <em>bù zěnme</em> gāoxìng.</span><span class="trans">They seem not very happy.</span>
- *这 个 学生 <em>不 怎么</em> 努力 。<span class="pinyin">Zhège xuéshēng <em>bù zěnme</em> nǔlì.</span><span class="trans">This student isn't very hard-working.</span>
- *那 家 餐厅 <em>不 怎么</em> 干净 。<span class="pinyin">Nà jiā cāntīng <em>bù zěnme</em> gānjìng.</span><span class="trans">That restaurant isn't very clean.</span>
- *这个 老师 <em>不 怎么</em> 专业 。<span class="pinyin">Zhège lǎoshī <em>bù zěnme</em> zhuānyè.</span><span class="trans">This teacher isn't very professional.</span>
- *你 是 不 是 昨天 睡 得 <em>不 怎么</em> 好 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ shì bu shì zuótiān shuì de <em>bù zěnme</em> hǎo?</span><span class="trans">Did you not sleep very well last night?</span>
- *我 <em>不 怎么</em> 喜欢 咖啡 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>bù zěnme</em> xǐhuan kāfēi.</span><span class="trans">I'm not very into coffee.</span>
- *他 跟 他 父母 长 得 <em>不 怎么</em> 像 。<span class="pinyin">Tā gēn tā fùmǔ zhǎng de <em>bù zěnme</em> xiàng.</span><span class="trans">He and his parents don't look very much alike.</span>
- *他 去 美国 一 年 多 了 ，不过 <em>不 怎么</em> 想家 。<span class="pinyin">Tā qù Měiguó yī nián duō le, bùguò <em>bù zěnme</em> xiǎngjiā.</span><span class="trans">He's been in America for more than one year, but he's not very homesick.</span>
- </div>
- Remember that to make 不怎么 mean "not very" use it with an adjective. Using it with a verb will give it [["Not_often"_with_"bu_zenme" |the meaning of "not often."]]
- == See Also ==
- *[["Not often" with "bu zenme"]]
- == Sources and further reading ==
- === Books ===
- * [[Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)]] (pp. 139) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00326U9MS/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00326U9MS →buy]
- {{Basic Grammar|不怎么|B1|不怎么 + Adj.|这里 的 菜 他 <em>不怎么 好吃</em> ！|grammar point|ASGVYIZT}}
- {{Similar|How to do something with "zenme"}}
- {{Similar|Asking why with "zenme“}}
- {{Similar|"Not often" with "bu zenme"}}
- {{Rel char|不}}
- {{Rel char|怎么}}
- {{Used for|Adding more explanation}}
- {{POS|Adjectives}}
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