Meaning of 不足
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- insufficient
- lacking
- deficiency
- not enough
- inadequate
- not worth
- cannot
- should not
How to use 不足
不足 often describes a shortage of resources, time, or ability, and it can also be a noun meaning a weakness or shortcoming. In formal writing, 不足 before a verb can mean not worth doing, as in 不足为奇 (bùzú wéi qí) not surprising. Example: 我们的经验还不足。(Wǒmen de jīngyàn hái bùzú.) Our experience is still insufficient.
不 (bù) means not, and 足 (zú) means foot or enough. Picture something that does not reach your foot, so it falls short and is not enough.
Common mistake: Learners often use 不足 in casual speech where 不够 (búgòu) sounds more natural, like 钱不够 (qián búgòu) for not enough money. Also note that 不 stays fourth tone here because 足 (zú) is second tone, so say bùzú, not búzú.
不足 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
足 zú · foot · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 不足.
| 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 不足
What does 不足 mean?
不足 (bùzú) means "insufficient; lacking" and is used as a adjective and verb.
How do you write 不足?
不足 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 足 (7 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 不足 an HSK word?
Yes. 不足 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不足 and 不够?
Both mean not enough. 不够 is everyday and spoken, and it can be followed by an adjective, as in 不够好 (búgòu hǎo) not good enough. 不足 is more formal and often comes after a noun, as in 资金不足 (zījīn bùzú) insufficient funds.
Can 不足 be followed by a number?
Yes. 不足 plus a number means less than that amount, for example 不足十人 (bùzú shí rén) fewer than ten people. This use is common in news and formal reports.