Meaning of 不断
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- unceasing
- uninterrupted
- continuous
- constant
How to use 不断
不断 is most often used as an adverb before a verb to show that an action keeps happening or keeps increasing. It is common in news, reports, and formal speech, often with verbs like 提高 (tígāo), 发展 (fāzhǎn), or 努力 (nǔlì). Example: 他的中文水平不断提高。(Tā de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng bùduàn tígāo.) His Chinese level keeps improving.
不 (bù) means "not" and 断 (duàn) means "to break" or "to cut off." Something that does "not break" keeps going without stopping, so 不断 means continuous or constant.
Common mistake: Learners often say 不断 with a second-tone 不 (bú) because they remember the tone change rule, but that rule only applies before a fourth tone. Here 断 (duàn) is fourth tone, so 不 does become bú in speech: búduàn. Also do not confuse 断 (duàn) with 继 (jì) in 继续 (jìxù), which looks somewhat similar on the left side.
不断 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
断 duàn · to break · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 不断.
| 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 不断
What does 不断 mean?
不断 (bùduàn) means "unceasing; uninterrupted" and is used as a verb and adverb.
How do you write 不断?
不断 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 断 (11 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 不断 an HSK word?
Yes. 不断 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不断 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不断 is written 不斷.
What is the difference between 不断 and 一直?
一直 (yìzhí) means something stays the same or continues all along, like 他一直在家 (he has been home the whole time). 不断 stresses repeated or ongoing change or effort, like growing, improving, or appearing again and again. You would say 问题不断出现 (problems keep appearing), not usually 一直出现 in the same sense.
Can 不断 be used after a noun as a predicate?
Yes. As a verb it can describe something that never stops, often in set phrases like 笑声不断 (xiàoshēng bùduàn), laughter that never stops, or 雨下个不断 (the rain keeps falling). This use sounds a bit literary but is common in writing.