Chinese Grammar: 不bù VS. 没méi/ 没有méiyǒu

不bù VS 没méi / 没有méi yǒu

 

不bù

不 bù is the marker of negation for:

1) adjectival verbs, stative verbs, and modal verbs;

Mèimei bù ɡāo.
妹妹不高。
Younger sister is not tall.

Wǒ bù xǐhuan tā.
我不喜欢他。
I don't like him.

Xiǎoháizi bù kěyǐ hējiǔ.
小孩子不可以喝酒。
Kids are not allowded to drink.

2) action verbs describing present,future,or habitual events

Tā bù chī ròu.
他不吃肉。
He doesn't eat meat.

Wǒ bù xué fáyǔ.
我不学法语 。
I don't study French.

 

没méi / 没有méi yǒu

没 méi is the negation word that negates the verb 有 yǒu

wǒ méi/ méiyǒu qián.
我没/ 没有钱。
I don't have any money.

zhèr méiyǒu/ méi rén.
这儿没有/ 没人。
There's nobody here.

In additon, 没 méi or 没有 méiyǒu negates action verbs under the following conditions:

1) the action is not complete

Wǒ hái méi/ méiyǒu kàn wán nà běn shū.
我还没/ 没有看完那本书。
I still haven't finished reading that book.

2) the action did not happen in the past

Wǒ zuótiān méi/ méi yǒu chī wǎn fàn.
我昨天没/没有吃晚饭。
I didn't eat dinner yesterda.

3) when negation occurs at the end of the sentence in verb-not-verb question,没méi must be followed by 有 yǒu

Nǐ kànwán le nà běn shū méiyǒu？
你看完了那本书没有？
Have you finished reading that book？

=

Nǐ kàn méi kàn wán nà běn shū？
你看没看完那本书？