不成 (bù chéng) — how to say "won't work" in Chinese

不成

Won't work; won't do; can it be that…? / …or what? (sentence-final rhetorical particle)

verb · adjective · particle

Character composition

不

not

成

to become; to succeed

Radicals / Keys

戈

Halberd

#62 · gē · 4 strokes

一

One

#1 · yī · 1 stroke

Collocations

做什么都不成的人

zuò shén me dōu bù chéng de rén

a person who can't get anything done

Examples

没有你的帮助,这件事不成。

Without your help, this matter cannot be done.

这样不成。

This won't work.

Writing

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "won't work" in Chinese?

"won't work" in Chinese is 不成 (bù chéng).

What does 不成 mean in English?

不成 (bù chéng) means "Won't work; won't do; can it be that…? / …or what? (sentence-final rhetorical particle)".

How is 不成 pronounced?

It is pronounced bù chéng (written as bu cheng, bucheng). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "won't work" in Chinese characters?

It is written 不成: 不 has 4 strokes, 成 has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 不成?

不成 is on the HSK 3.0 level 6 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

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