Meaning of 不便
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- inconvenient
- inappropriate
- unsuitable
- short of cash
How to use 不便
不便 often describes situations or things that cause trouble, and it is also a polite way to say something is not appropriate to do, as in 不便透露 (bùbiàn tòulù, not appropriate to reveal). It sounds more formal than 不方便 (bù fāngbiàn). Example: 给您带来不便，敬请谅解。(Gěi nín dàilái bùbiàn, jìngqǐng liàngjiě.) We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
不便 is simply 不 (bù, not) plus 便 (biàn, convenient). Think of 便 as in 方便 (fāngbiàn, convenient), and 不 flips it to "not convenient."
Common mistake: Learners often read 便 as pián, as in 便宜 (piányi, cheap). In 不便 it is always biàn. Also, 不 keeps its fourth tone here because 便 is fourth tone too, so it changes to bú in speech: búbiàn.
不便 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
便 biàn · plain · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 不便.
| 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 不便
What does 不便 mean?
不便 (bùbiàn) means "inconvenient; inappropriate" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 不便?
不便 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 便 (9 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 不便 an HSK word?
Yes. 不便 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不便 and 不方便?
They mean nearly the same thing. 不方便 is everyday spoken Chinese, while 不便 is shorter and more formal, common in notices, apologies and written language.
Can 不便 really mean short of money?
Yes. In phrases like 手头不便 (shǒutóu bùbiàn), it politely means you are short of cash right now. This is a softer way to avoid saying 没钱 (méi qián) directly.