不
bù
No, not
不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō) — to tell you the truth
不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō) / 老实说 (lǎoshi shuō) / 说真的 (shuō zhēn de) + Personal opinion or confession
HSK 7–93.0
Pattern diagram
不瞒你说老实说说真的，Clause
Rule structure
不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō), 老实说 (lǎo shí shuō) and 说真的 (shuō zhēn de) are colloquial introductory phrases placed at the start of a statement to set a frank, confiding tone. 不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō) stresses "I won't hide it from you," 老实说 (lǎo shí shuō) means "honestly speaking," and 说真的 (shuō zhēn de) means "if I'm honest." They are normally followed by a personal opinion, a confession, or an uncomfortable truth.
Rule structure
不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō), 老实说 (lǎo shí shuō) and 说真的 (shuō zhēn de) are colloquial introductory phrases placed at the start of a statement to set a frank, confiding tone. 不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō) stresses "I won't hide it from you," 老实说 (lǎo shí shuō) means "honestly speaking," and 说真的 (shuō zhēn de) means "if I'm honest." They are normally followed by a personal opinion, a confession, or an uncomfortable truth.
Examples
不瞒你说，我最近有点儿累。
Bù mán nǐ shuō, wǒ zuìjìn yǒu diǎnr lèi.
To tell you the truth, I've been a bit tired lately.
Examples
不瞒你说，我最近有点儿累。
Bù mán nǐ shuō, wǒ zuìjìn yǒu diǎnr lèi.
To tell you the truth, I've been a bit tired lately.
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Words from this rule
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “to tell you the truth” in Chinese with 不瞒你说?
Use the structure: 不瞒你说 (bù mán nǐ shuō) / 老实说 (lǎoshi shuō) / 说真的 (shuō zhēn de) + Personal opinion or confession. For example: 不瞒你说，我最近有点儿累。 — “To tell you the truth, I've been a bit tired lately”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
不瞒你说，我最近有点儿累。 — “To tell you the truth, I've been a bit tired lately”.
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
这样一来 — in this way, as a result
这样一来 (zhèyàng yìlái) + Conclusion/Consequence
要我说 — in my opinion, if you ask me
要 (yào) / 让 (ràng) + 我 (wǒ) + 说 (shuō) + Opinion
这不 — “see, look”
Preceding statement，+ 这不 (zhè bu)，+ confirming fact
反过来 — reversal and concession markers
反过来 (fǎnguòlai) + (说 (shuō)) + reverse viewpoint; 话是这么说 (huà shì zhème shuō) + objection; 话 (huà) + (又 (yòu)) + 说回来 (shuō huílai) + counterbalancing point; 退一步说 (tuì yí bù shuō) + concession
不是 — not to criticize you
不是 (búshì) + correction / 不是我说你 (búshì wǒ shuō nǐ) + criticism / 你看你 (nǐ kàn nǐ) + reproach
无论如何 — no matter what
无论如何 (wúlùn rúhé) + Subject + (都 (dōu)) + Predicate
概括来说 — summary and conclusion
概括来说 (gàikuò lái shuō) / 总的来说 (zǒng de lái shuō) / 总而言之 (zǒng ér yán zhī) / 归根到底 (guīgēndàodǐ) / 简言之 (jiǎn yán zhī) / 简而言之 (jiǎn ér yán zhī) / 综上所述 (zōng shàng suǒ shù) + Conclusion
还别说 — you know what, actually
(你 (nǐ)) + 还别说 (hái bié shuō) + conclusion/admission