不
bù
No, not
How to ask “Are you going or not?” in Chinese with 不
Verb + 不 (bù) + Verb / Adj. + 不 (bù) + Adj.
不 (bù) — affirmative-negative question
HSK 2Question Forms
Verb + 不 (bù) + Verb / Adj. + 不 (bù) + Adj.
HSK 2Question Forms不 (bù) — affirmative-negative question
Rule structure
In an affirmative-negative question, the same verb or adjective is repeated with 不 (bù) between the two parts. This form asks a neutral yes-or-no question without using the question particle 吗 (ma).
Rule structure
In an affirmative-negative question, the same verb or adjective is repeated with 不 (bù) between the two parts. This form asks a neutral yes-or-no question without using the question particle 吗 (ma).
Examples
你去不去？
Nǐ qù bu qù?
Are you going or not?
他好不好？
Tā hǎobùhǎo?
Is he good or not?
你吃不吃饭？
Nǐ chī bù chīfàn?
Are you eating or not?
Examples
你去不去？
Nǐ qù bu qù?
Are you going or not?
他好不好？
Tā hǎobùhǎo?
Is he good or not?
你吃不吃饭？
Nǐ chī bù chīfàn?
Are you eating or not?
Practice
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Characters
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say “affirmative-negative question” in Chinese with 不?
Use the structure: Verb + 不 (bù) + Verb / Adj. + 不 (bù) + Adj.. For example: 你去不去？ — “Are you going or not?”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
你去不去？ — “Are you going or not?”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 2.
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More HSK 2 grammar rules
怎么 — asking why
怎么 (zěnme)⋯⋯？
是不是 — tag questions
⋯⋯是不是 (shì bu shì) / 对不对 (duì bu duì) / 好不好 (hǎo bu hǎo)?
不是……吗？ — rhetorical questions
不 (bù) 是 (shì)…… 吗 (ma)？
吗 — tag questions
⋯⋯是 (shì)吗 (ma) / 对 (duì)吗 (ma) / 好 (hǎo)吗 (ma)?
了 — already done
Subj. + Verb Phrase + 了 (le)
最 — superlative “most”
最 (zuì) + Adj. (+ 了 (le))
到 — direction with “to go to”
到 (dào) + Place + 去 (qù)
虽然 — although… but…
虽然 (suīrán)⋯⋯，但是 (dànshì) / 可是 (kěshì)⋯⋯