不

Primary adverbial negative denoting a general state, habitual action, or future occurrence.

• Syntax: Negates the following predicate (verb or adjective).
• Prefixing: Used to create antonyms.
• Double Negatives: The construction 不不 frequently functions as a hedge meaning "not entirely" or "not exactly," rather than a simple positive.

• vs. 未 (wèi): 不 is general or definitive; 未 specifically denotes "not yet" (temporal/incomplete).
• vs. 弗 (fú): Often interchangeable in Pre-Qin texts, though 弗 may carry a stronger nuance of refusal or defiance.
• vs. 非 (fēi): 不 negates actions and qualities; 非 is an equative negative ("is not [X]"). Use of 不 before a noun suggests prefixing or a more complex sentence structure.
• vs. 毋 (wú): While 不 can appear in imperatives, 毋 is the explicit prohibitive ("do not!").

• Phonetics: Tang-period reading //biət//; Fanqie readings include 甫鳩, 方久, and 分勿.

Graphically stable; however, in cursive scripts (caoshu), the glyph may be merged with surrounding characters.

• Volition: Depending on the verb, 不 may imply either inability or a refusal to act; this must be determined by context.
• Prefixes: When used as a prefix, determine if the glyph is negating an action or redefining the nature/category of the object (un-X).