不仅 meaning in English
not just; not limited to; (as a correlative conjunction) not only (..., but also ...)
Meaning of 不仅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- not just; not limited to
- (as a correlative conjunction) not only (..., but also ...)
How to use 不仅
不仅 usually opens the first half of a sentence and is followed by 而且 (érqiě) or 还 (hái) in the second half. Example: 他不仅会说中文，而且说得很好。(Tā bùjǐn huì shuō Zhōngwén, érqiě shuō de hěn hǎo.) He not only speaks Chinese, but speaks it very well.
不仅 is built from 不 (bù, not) and 仅 (jǐn, only), so it literally reads "not only." Think of it as saying the first thing is not the only thing, more is coming.
Common mistake: Learners often use 不仅 alone and forget the second half with 而且, 还 or 也, which makes the sentence feel unfinished. Also note the tone of 不: before third tone 仅 (jǐn) it stays fourth tone, bùjǐn, not bújǐn.
不仅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
仅 jǐn · barely · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 不仅.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
Questions about 不仅
What does 不仅 mean?
不仅 (bùjǐn) means "not just; not limited to; (as a correlative conjunction) not only (..., but also ...)" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 不仅?
不仅 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 仅 (4 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 不仅 an HSK word?
Yes. 不仅 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不仅 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不仅 is written 不僅.
What is the difference between 不仅 and 不但?
They mean the same thing, not only, and both pair with 而且. 不仅 sounds slightly more formal and is common in writing, while 不但 is very common in everyday speech.
Where does 不仅 go if both clauses share the same subject?
Put 不仅 after the subject, as in 她不仅漂亮，而且聪明 (She is not only pretty but also smart). If the two clauses have different subjects, put 不仅 before the first subject: 不仅我去，他也去.