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- {{Grammar Box}}
- You might be tempted to conclude that 不怎么 (bù zěnme) seems to mean "not how," but it actually means "not often" when used together with a verb.
- == Structure ==
- 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 "not often." When the verb is used with an object, it also means that the number (or quantity) is really small.
- <div class="jiegou">
- Subj. + 不怎么 + Verb ( + Obj. )
- </div>
- == Examples ==
- <div class="liju">
- *他 <em>不怎么</em> 说话 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>bù zěnme</em> xǐhuan shuōhuà.</span><span class="trans">He doesn't like talking too much.</span>
- *我 老公 <em>不怎么</em> 做饭 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ lǎogōng <em>bù zěnme</em> zuòfàn.</span><span class="trans">My husband doesn't cook very often.</span>
- *我们 <em>不怎么</em> 看 电视 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>bù zěnme</em> kàn diànshì.</span><span class="trans">We don't watch a lot of television.</span>
- *我 儿子 <em>不怎么</em>吃 零食 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ érzi <em>bùzěnme</em> chī língshí.</span><span class="trans">My son doesn't eat snacks very often.</span>
- *老板 <em>不怎么</em> 来 办公室 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn <em>bù zěnme</em> lái bàngōngshì.</span><span class="trans">My boss doesn't come to the office very often.</span>
- *你 好像 <em>不怎么</em> 喝酒 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ hǎoxiàng <em>bù zěnme</em> hējiǔ.</span><span class="trans">It seems that you don't drink very often.</span>
- *我 同事 <em>不怎么</em> 去 健身 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ tóngshì <em>bù zěnme</em> qù jiànshēn.</span><span class="trans">My colleagues don't go to the gym.</span>
- *新 室友 <em>不怎么</em> 跟 朋友 出去 玩 。<span class="pinyin">Xīn shìyǒu <em>bù zěnme</em> gēn péngyou chūqù wán.</span><span class="trans">The new roommate doesn't go out and have fun with her friends very often.</span>
- </div>
- == Usage of 没怎么 ==
- 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 [[Negation_of_"you"| the 有 negation rules]].
- <div class="liju">
- *他 <em>没 怎么</em> 说话 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>méi zěnme</em> shuōhuà.</span><span class="trans">He didn't say much.</span>
- *我 <em>没 怎么</em> 复习 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>méi zěnme</em> fùxí.</span><span class="trans">I didn't review much.</span>
- *开会 的 时候 ，我们 <em>没 怎么</em> 讨论 这 件 事 。<span class="pinyin">Kāihuì de shíhou, wǒmen <em>méi zěnme</em> tǎolùn zhè jiàn shì.</span><span class="trans">We didn't discuss this matter much when we were at the meeting.</span>
- *昨天 我 肚子 不 舒服 ，<em>没 怎么</em> 吃 东西 。<span class="pinyin">Zuótiān wǒ dùzi bù shūfu, <em>méi zěnme</em> chī dōngxi.</span><span class="trans">I didn't feel well in the stomach yesterday, so I didn't eat much.</span>
- *今天 很 热 ，不过 我 <em>没 怎么</em> 出汗 。<span class="pinyin">Jīntiān hěn rè, bùguò wǒ <em>méi zěnme</em> chūhàn.</span><span class="trans">It's hot today, but I didn't sweat much.</span>
- </div>
- Lastly, make sure to use 不怎么 with a verb if you want it to mean "not often." Using it with an adjective gives it a [["Not_very"_with_"bu_zenme" | different meaning]].
- == See Also ==
- * [[How to do something with "zenme"]]
- * [[Asking why with "zenme"]]
- * [["Not very" 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]
- * [[现代汉语八百词]] （p.652) [http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001198GSW&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001198GSW →buy]
- {{Basic Grammar|不怎么|B1|不怎么 + Verb|我 儿子 <em>不怎么</em> 吃 零食 。|grammar point|ASG5BOGP}}
- {{Rel char|不}}
- {{Rel char|怎么}}
- {{Similar|How to do something with "zenme"}}
- {{Similar|Asking why with "zenme"}}
- {{Similar|"Not very" with "bu zenme"}}
- {{Used for|Expressing frequency}}
- {{POS|Verbs}}
- {{Subprop|Verb phrases}}
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