Writing
要不是 (yào bú shì) — how to say "if not for" in Chinese
要不是
If not for
conjunction
Character composition
要
to want
不
not
是
to be
Radicals / Keys
日
Sun
#72 · rì · 4 strokes
襾
Cover
#146 · yà · 6 strokes
一
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
Examples
要不是下雨，我们就去公园了。
If it hadn't rained, we would have gone to the park.
要不是你，我失败了。
If not for you, I would have failed.
Try remembering 要不是
Three short exercises on meaning and pronunciation. Free, no sign-up needed.
Frequently asked questions
How to say if not in Chinese?
"if not for" in Chinese is 要不是 (yào bú shì).
What does 要不是 mean in English?
要不是 (yào bú shì) means "If not for".
How is 要不是 pronounced?
It is pronounced yào bú shì (written as yao bu shi, yaobushi). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "if not for" in Chinese characters?
It is written 要不是: 要 has 9 strokes, 不 has 4 strokes, 是 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 要不是?
要不是 is on the HSK 3.0 level 5 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 要不是 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.