Meaning of 不再
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- no more; no longer
How to use 不再
不再 goes directly before a verb or adjective to say that something that used to happen has stopped. It sounds slightly more formal or emotional than everyday 不…了. Example: 我不再相信他了。 (Wǒ bú zài xiāngxìn tā le.) I no longer believe him.
不 (bù) means "not" and 再 (zài) means "again." Put them together and you get "not again," which is exactly the idea of "no longer" or "no more."
Common mistake: Learners often put 不再 after the verb, as in 我相信不再他. It must come before the verb: 我不再相信他. Also remember that 不 changes to second tone before fourth-tone 再, so it is said bú zài.
不再 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
再 zài · again · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 不再.
| 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 |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye; see you again later |
| 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 |
Questions about 不再
What does 不再 mean?
不再 (bùzài) means "no more; no longer" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 不再?
不再 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 再 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 不再 an HSK word?
Yes. 不再 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不再 and 再也不?
再也不 (zài yě bù) is stronger and means "never again," often with a firm promise or strong emotion. 不再 simply states that something has stopped. For example, 我再也不去了 means "I will never go again," while 我不再去了 means "I don't go anymore."
Can I use 不再 with 了 at the end of the sentence?
Yes, adding 了 is common and emphasizes the change of situation, as in 他不再抽烟了 (Tā bú zài chōuyān le), "He doesn't smoke anymore." Without 了 the sentence sounds a bit more formal or written.