不见得 (bù jiàn dé) vs 绝不 (jué bù) — probably not vs absolutely not

Subj. + 不见得 (bú jiànde) + Verb/Adj. | Subj. + 绝不 (jué bù) + Verb

HSK 7–93.0

Pattern diagram

Who / what不见得Adjective
Who / what绝不Action

Rule structure

不见得 (bú jiànde) expresses uncertain negation: "not necessarily, probably not". 绝不 (jué bù) expresses categorical negation: "by no means, absolutely not".

Examples

他不见得会来,但我绝不放弃。

Tā bú jiànde huì lái, dàn wǒ jué bú fàngqì.

He probably won't come, but I will absolutely not give up.

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Words from this rule

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “probably not vs absolutely not” in Chinese with 不见得 vs 绝不?

Use the structure: Subj. + 不见得 (bú jiànde) + Verb/Adj. | Subj. + 绝不 (jué bù) + Verb. For example: 他不见得会来,但我绝不放弃。 — “He probably won't come, but I will absolutely not give up”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他不见得会来,但我绝不放弃。 — “He probably won't come, but I will absolutely not give up”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9.

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More HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 grammar rules