不满 meaning in English
dissatisfied; discontented; resentful; (before a number) to be less than
Meaning of 不满
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- dissatisfied; discontented; resentful
- (before a number) to be less than
How to use 不满
不满 often follows 对 to show who or what you are unhappy with, and it can also work as a noun meaning dissatisfaction. Before a number it means less than, as in 不满十八岁 (bù mǎn shíbā suì, under eighteen). Example: 他对工作很不满。(Tā duì gōngzuò hěn bùmǎn.) He is very dissatisfied with his job.
不满 is 不 (bù, not) plus 满 (mǎn, full). If your heart is not full, you are not satisfied, and if a number is not full, it falls short.
Common mistake: Learners often write 我不满他 to mean I am unhappy with him. The usual pattern is 我对他不满 (wǒ duì tā bùmǎn). Also, 不 stays fourth tone here because 满 is third tone, so do not change it to bú.
不满 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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- 4
满 mǎn · to fill · 13 strokes
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- 13
Related words
Words that share a character with 不满.
| 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 不满
What does 不满 mean?
不满 (bùmǎn) means "dissatisfied; discontented; resentful; (before a number) to be less than" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 不满?
不满 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 满 (13 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 不满 an HSK word?
Yes. 不满 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不满 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不满 is written 不滿.
What is the difference between 不满 and 不满意?
Both mean dissatisfied. 不满意 (bù mǎnyì) is more common in everyday speech, as in 我不满意 (I'm not satisfied). 不满 sounds a bit stronger and more formal, and it can also be a noun, as in 表示不满 (express dissatisfaction).
How do you say someone is unhappy or complaining using 不满?
You can say 他有很多不满 (tā yǒu hěn duō bùmǎn, he has a lot of complaints). Here 不满 is used as a noun for grievances or resentment.