非 fēi not

源How it came to be

Two wings spread from one body and turning away from each other, one to each side. Two halves facing opposite ways is the picture, and facing away became the word for not.

用How it is used

• 'Not' in bookish pairs - 非常 (fēicháng) extremely (lit. not-ordinary), 除非 (chúfēi) unless, 并非 (bìngfēi) is not really.
• The pattern 非…不可 means 'simply must / have no choice but': 非去不可 (fēi qù bùkě) must go.
• Rarely negates alone in speech (that's 不/没); 非 lives in fixed compounds and formal writing. Also 非洲 (Fēizhōu) = Africa.

字Characters built with 非

• 啡 unsweetened coffee
• 排 row
• 靠 nearby
• 悲 sorrow
• 罪 sin
• 辈 generation
• 匪 bandits
• 徘 to dither
• 绯 crimson
• 诽 to condemn

词Words with 非

• 非常fēichángextremelyHSK 1
• 非洲FēizhōuAfricaHSK 5
• 除非chúfēionly if (..., or otherwise, ...)HSK 6
• 并非bìngfēireally isn'tHSK 7
• 无可厚非wúkěhòufēiunderstandable; not to be blamedHSK 7
• 无非wúfēionlyHSK 7
• 是非shìfēiright and wrongHSK 7
• 非但fēidànnot onlyHSK 7
• 非得fēiděimustHSK 7
• 非法fēifǎillegalHSK 7
• 面目全非miànmù-quánfēinothing remains the same (idiom)HSK 7
• 似是而非sìshì-érfēiapparently right but actually wrongHSK 8
• 莫非mòfēican it be possible thatHSK 9
• 非凡fēifánout of the ordinaryHSK 9

句Example sentences

• 孩子们玩得非常高兴。 Háizimen wán de fēicháng gāoxìng.The children were extremely happy playing.
• 这间宾馆非常豪华。 Zhè jiān bīnguǎn fēicháng háohuá.This hotel is very luxurious.