Meaning of 不至于
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- unlikely to go so far as to; not as bad as
How to use 不至于
不至于 is used to say a situation is not likely to become as extreme as someone fears. It often follows a negative worry and is softened with 吧 (ba) or followed by a verb phrase. Example: 他不至于生气吧。(Tā bùzhìyú shēngqì ba.) He wouldn't go so far as to get angry, would he?
Break it into 不 (bù) not, 至 (zhì) to reach, and 于 (yú) to or at. Together it means something does not reach that point, so things will not get that bad.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 不至于 as a simple "not" for neutral facts, but it only fits when you are ruling out an extreme or bad result. Also, 不 stays fourth tone here, bùzhìyú, because 至 is fourth tone and 不 changes to bú before it in speech: búzhìyú.
不至于 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
至 zhì · to arrive · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
于 yú · to go · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 不至于.
| 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 不至于
What does 不至于 mean?
不至于 (bùzhìyú) means "unlikely to go so far as to; not as bad as" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 不至于?
不至于 is made of 3 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 至 (6 strokes), 于 (3 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 不至于 an HSK word?
Yes. 不至于 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不至于 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不至于 is written 不至於.
Can 不至于 be used alone as a reply?
Yes. In conversation people often answer a worried comment with just 不至于 or 不至于吧, meaning "It's not that bad" or "It won't come to that."
What is the positive form of 不至于?
The positive form is 至于 (zhìyú), as in 至于吗？(zhìyú ma?) "Is it really that serious?" Note that 至于 also has a separate meaning, "as for," used to introduce a new topic.