▎不是, búshì, Negation

 

Function 不是 is not a regular negator. It negates what has been stated or assumed, i.e., ‘it is not true that...,’ for example,

1 小華覺得那支手機很貴。我覺得不是很貴。

Xiǎohuá juéde nà zhī shǒujī hěn guì. Wǒ juédé búshì hěn guì.

Xiaohua feels that cellphone is expensive. I think it’s not all that expensive.

2 他不是點大碗的牛肉麵。他點的是小碗的。

Tā búshì diǎn dà wǎn de niúròu miàn. Tā diǎn de shì xiǎo wǎn de.

He didn’t order a large bowl of beef noodles. He ordered a small one.

3 餐廳不是在學校裡面。餐廳在學校外面。

Cāntīng búshì zài xuéxiào lǐmiàn. Cāntīng zài xuéxiào wàimiàn.

The restaurant isn’t on campus. The restaurant is off campus.

 

Structures The 不是 negation can occur in either positive or negative sentences, e.g.,

1 他們不是在樓下喝咖啡。他們是在樓下買書。

Tāmen búshì zài lóuxià hē kāfēi. Tāmen shì zài lóuxià mǎi shū.

It’s not the case they are drinking coffee downstairs. They are buying books downstairs.

2 我不是不來，我是週末來。

Wǒ búshì bù lái, wǒ shì zhōumò lái.

I am not not coming. I am coming on the weekend.

3 我不是不喜歡吃牛肉麵，可是這家的牛肉麵太辣了。

Wǒ búshì bù xǐhuan chī niúròu miàn, kěshì zhè jiā de niúròu miàn tài là le.

It’s not that I don’t like beef noodles; rather, it’s that this shop’s beef noodles are too spicy.

 

Usage 不bù negation and 沒méi negation are presented separately. 不是búshì negation is quite different. It negates what has been said or claimed, ‘It is not the case that...’.

他不要買包子。vs. 他不是要買包子，他是要買臭豆腐。

Tā bú yào mǎi bāozi. vs. Tā búshì yào mǎi bāozi, tā shì yào mǎi chòudòufǔ.

He isn’t buying baozi. vs. It’s not that he is buying baozi. He’s buying stinky tofu.