Meaning of 不止
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- incessantly
- without end
- more than
- not limited to
How to use 不止
Most often 不止 means more than or not only, placed before a number or a noun phrase. It can also follow a verb to mean nonstop, as in 大笑不止 (dàxiào bùzhǐ) laughing without end. Example: 他不止去过一次北京。(Tā bùzhǐ qùguo yí cì Běijīng.) He has been to Beijing more than once.
不 (bù) means not, and 止 (zhǐ) means stop. Something that does not stop keeps going past a limit, so 不止 means more than or without end.
Common mistake: Learners confuse 止 (zhǐ, stop) with 只 (zhǐ, only) because they sound the same, and write 不只. 不只 does exist with a similar meaning of not only, but for the number sense of more than and the nonstop sense, the standard form is 不止. Also note that 不 stays fourth tone here because 止 is third tone.
不止 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
止 zhǐ · to stop · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 不止.
| 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 不止
What does 不止 mean?
不止 (bùzhǐ) means "incessantly; without end" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 不止?
不止 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 止 (4 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 不止 an HSK word?
Yes. 不止 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不止 and 不仅?
不仅 (bùjǐn) is mainly a conjunction meaning not only, usually paired with 而且 or 也. 不止 is more often used before numbers and amounts, as in 不止三个 (bùzhǐ sān ge), more than three. In a not only sentence both can work, but 不仅 sounds more formal.
Can 不止 mean more than with ages and prices?
Yes. You can say 他不止三十岁 (tā bùzhǐ sānshí suì), he is over thirty, or 这件衣服不止一百块 (zhè jiàn yīfu bùzhǐ yìbǎi kuài), this piece of clothing costs more than 100 yuan. It often suggests the real amount is higher than someone expects.