Meaning of 不怎么样
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- not up to much
- very indifferent
- nothing great about it
- nothing good to be said about it
How to use 不怎么样
It is a casual, mildly negative judgment of quality, skill, or taste, softer than saying something is bad. It often follows 很 or 也 and can describe people or things. Example: 这家饭馆的菜不怎么样。(Zhè jiā fànguǎn de cài bù zěnmeyàng.) The food at this restaurant is nothing great.
Break it into 不 (bù, not) plus 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng, how is it). If someone asks how it is and you can only answer "not much of a how," it means nothing special.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read it as a question because 怎么样 by itself asks "how is it?" With 不 in front it is a statement, so do not add 吗 at the end. Also note that 么 is neutral tone, so say bù zěnme yàng, not zěn mé.
不怎么样 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
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怎 zěn · what? why? how? · 9 strokes
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么 me · interrogative particle · 3 strokes
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样 yàng · manner · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 不怎么样.
| 什么 | shénme | what?; something; anything |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how?; what? |
| 一样 | yīyàng | same; like |
| 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 |
| 干什么 | gàn shénme | what are you doing?; what's he up to? |
| 没什么 | méi shénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing; never mind; think nothing of it; it's my pleasure; you're |
| 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 |
| 这样 | zhèyàng | this way; like this; so; (before a noun) this kind of; such |
Questions about 不怎么样
What does 不怎么样 mean?
不怎么样 (bùzěnmeyàng) means "not up to much; very indifferent".
How do you write 不怎么样?
不怎么样 is made of 4 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 怎 (9 strokes), 么 (3 strokes), 样 (10 strokes). That is 26 strokes in total.
Is 不怎么样 an HSK word?
Yes. 不怎么样 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不怎么样 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不怎么样 is written 不怎麼樣.
Is 不怎么样 rude to say about someone?
It is milder than 不好 (bù hǎo) or 很差 (hěn chà), but it is still a criticism. Saying 他人不怎么样 (tā rén bù zěnmeyàng) means you do not think much of him, so use it carefully when talking about people.
What is the difference between 不怎么样 and 不怎么 + verb?
不怎么样 is a complete judgment meaning "not very good." 不怎么 before a verb or adjective means "not very" or "not often," as in 我不怎么喝酒 (wǒ bù zěnme hē jiǔ), I don't drink much.