{"id":181997,"date":"2020-10-15T00:36:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T04:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/mei-you\/"},"modified":"2025-01-17T00:19:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T05:19:50","slug":"mei-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/mei-you\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) in Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even if you’re new to Chinese<\/a>, you’ll hear the word \u6ca1\u6709\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) <\/em>a lot.<\/p>\n

It literally means “to not have,” but it can also mean that something hasn’t happened or that something doesn’t exist. It can be used to make comparisons and to deflect compliments, too.<\/p>\n

Discover when and how to use \u6ca1\u6709 in Chinese<\/strong> so you can use \u6ca1\u6709 in sentences with ease.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709 \u2014 To not have<\/h2>\n

As mentioned above, \u6ca1 is used to negate the verb \u6709. When put together, \u6ca1\u6709 is the negative form of \u6709, so it means “to not have.”<\/p>\n

In sentences, \u6ca1\u6709 follows the simple structure: subject + \u6ca1\u6709 + object<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u82f9\u679c\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> p\u00edng gu\u01d2.)\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 I don’t have apples.<\/p>\n

\u5979\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u5144\u5f1f\u59d0\u59b9\u3002 (<\/em>t\u0101 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> xi\u014dng d\u00ec ji\u011b m\u00e8i.)\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 She doesn’t have siblings.<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709 \u2014 To say something hasn’t or didn’t happen<\/h2>\n

To tell someone that you haven’t done something before, use \u6ca1\u6709.<\/p>\n

Note that \u6709 is optional here. Native speakers often omit it and just use \u6ca1 to negate their sentences because it’s shorter. However, you can still find \u6ca1\u6709 in its full form in these types of sentences, so practice using both.<\/p>\n

To create a sentence, use the structure: subject + \u6ca1(\u6709) + verb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u770b\u8fd9\u573a\u7535\u5f71\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> k\u00e0n zh\u00e8 ch\u01ceng di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng.)<\/em> \u2014 I haven’t seen this movie\/I didn’t see this movie.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u5403\u65e9\u996d\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> ch\u012b z\u01ceo f\u00e0n.) <\/em>\u2014 I haven’t eaten breakfast\/I didn’t eat breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u8fd8\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u60f3\u597d\u3002 (w\u01d2 h\u00e1i m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> xi\u01ceng h\u01ceo.) <\/em>\u2014 I still haven’t made up my mind.<\/p>\n

To say that something hasn’t ever<\/em> happened before, it’s a little different.<\/p>\n

You’d use \u6ca1 or \u6ca1\u6709 along with \u8fc7\u00a0<\/strong>(gu\u00f2)<\/em>, in a sentence structured like this: subject + \u6ca1(\u6709) verb + \u8fc7<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u770b\u8fc7<\/strong>\u8fd9\u573a\u7535\u5f71\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> k\u00e0n gu\u00f2<\/strong> zh\u00e8 ch\u01ceng di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng.)<\/em> \u2014 I’ve never seen this movie before.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u5403\u8fc7<\/strong>\u65e9\u996d\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> ch\u012b gu\u00f2<\/strong> z\u01ceo f\u00e0n.)<\/em> \u2014 I’ve never eaten breakfast before.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u53bb\u8fc7<\/strong>\u4e2d\u56fd\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> q\u00f9 gu\u00f2<\/strong> zh\u014dng gu\u00f3.) <\/em>\u2014 I’ve never been to China before.<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709 \u2014 To make comparisons<\/h2>\n

You can easily compare two things or people using \u6ca1\u6709.<\/p>\n

Structure the sentence<\/a> as follows: subject + \u6ca1\u6709 + object + verb\/adjective\/phrase<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Simple, right? Here are some examples:<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u4ed6\u4e2d\u6587\u8bf4\u5f97\u90a3\u4e48\u597d\u3002 (w\u01d2 m<\/strong><\/em>\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/em><\/strong> t\u0101 zh\u014dng w\u00e9n shu\u014d de n\u00e0 me h\u01ceo.)<\/em> \u2014 I don’t speak Chinese as well as him.<\/p>\n

\u4f60\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u6211\u9ad8\u3002 (n\u01d0 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> w\u01d2 g\u0101o.) <\/em>\u2014 You aren’t as tall as me.<\/p>\n

\u6c88\u9633\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u5317\u4eac\u7684\u4ea4\u901a\u6d41\u91cf\u5927\u3002 (sh\u011bn y\u00e1ng m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> b\u011bi j\u012bng de ji\u0101o t\u014dng li\u00fa li\u00e0ng d\u00e0.)<\/em> \u2014 Shenyang doesn’t have as much traffic as Beijing.<\/p>\n

\u706b\u8f66\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u98de\u673a\u5feb\u3002 (hu\u01d2 ch\u0113 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> f\u0113i j\u012b ku\u00e0i.) <\/em>\u2014 Trains aren’t as fast as airplanes.<\/p>\n

Notice that the English translations all include the negative from \u6ca1. It’s like saying, “something doesn’t have something else’s blank.”<\/p>\n

Instead of thinking trains aren’t as fast as airplanes,<\/em> simply think trains don’t have airplanes’ fast<\/em>. Or instead of thinking\u00a0you aren’t as tall as me,<\/em> think more like you don’t have my tall<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709 \u2014 To say something doesn’t exist<\/h2>\n

You can say that something doesn’t exist by using \u6ca1\u6709.<\/p>\n

It’s not too different from English. Think about it: when we say “there’s no point” or “it’s useless,” we’re actually saying “a point doesn’t exist” or “a use doesn’t exist.”<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at some examples:<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u610f\u4e49\u3002 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> y\u00ec y\u00ec.)<\/em> \u2014 It’s pointless. (lit. to not have a point)<\/p>\n

\u6211\u8ddf\u4f60\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u5173\u7cfb\u3002 (w\u01d2 g\u0113n n\u01d0 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> gu\u0101n xi.) <\/em>\u2014 I have nothing to do with you. (lit. I with you have no relationship)<\/p>\n

(\u8fd9)\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u7528\u3002 ([zh\u00e8] m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> y\u00f2ng.)<\/em> \u2014 This\/It is useless. (lit. this has no use)<\/p>\n

\u6ca1<\/strong>\u4e8b\u3002 (m\u00e9i<\/strong> sh\u00ec.)<\/em> \u2014 It’s nothing.\/It’s fine. (lit. there’s no matter)<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong> \u2014 To deflect compliments<\/h2>\n

And finally, you can use \u6ca1\u6709 to deflect compliments.<\/p>\n

In traditional Chinese culture, refusing to accept compliments<\/a> is considered polite\u2014and still is (to an extent)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, imagine that someone tells you \u4f60\u8bf4\u4e2d\u6587\u8bf4\u7684\u5f88\u597d\u3002<\/strong>\u00a0(n\u01d0 shu\u014d zh\u014dng w\u00e9n shu\u014d de h\u011bn h\u01ceo.) <\/em>\u2014 You speak Chinese well.<\/p>\n

You might be tempted to say \u8c22\u8c22<\/strong> (xi\u00e8 xi\u00e8)\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Thank you<\/a>. But in fact, it’s considered more polite to turn down the compliment.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, the phrase \u54ea\u91cc\u54ea\u91cc<\/strong>\u00a0(n\u01ce l\u01d0 n\u01ce l\u01d0)<\/em>, meaning “where, where” was used to deflect compliments.<\/p>\n

When I said this during my first conversation with my italki<\/a> tutor, however, she laughed. She told me that nowadays, more people respond with phrases like \u8fd8\u884c\u5427\u00a0<\/strong>(h\u00e1i x\u00edng ba)<\/em> \u2014 it’s alright, or \u6ca1\u6709\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

A: \u4f60\u5531\u6b4c\u5531\u5f97\u90a3\u4e48\u597d\u554a\uff01 (n\u01d0 ch\u00e0ng g\u0113 ch\u00e0ng de n\u00e0 me h\u01ceo a!) <\/em>\u2014 You sing so well!<\/p>\n

B: \u6ca1\u6709\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u3002 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong>.) <\/em>\u2014 No, no.<\/p>\n

\u4e0d\u00a0<\/em>vs. \u6ca1\u6709: What’s the Difference?<\/h2>\n

At this point in your Chinese studies, you’ve probably already figured out that both \u4e0d (b\u00f9)<\/em> and \u6ca1\u6709 can be used to mean “no.”<\/a><\/p>\n

However, there’s a huge difference between these two tiny words.<\/p>\n

Think of \u4e0d as being used to describe habits. When paired with verbs, \u4e0d means you don’t<\/em> do something.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u4e0d<\/strong>\u5403\u65e9\u996d\u3002 (w\u01d2 b\u00f9<\/strong> ch\u012b z\u01ceo f\u00e0n.)<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I don’t<\/strong> eat breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u6ca1\u6709, on the other hand, means you haven’t<\/em> done or didn’t<\/em> do something in this instance.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1(\u6709)<\/strong>\u5403\u65e9\u996d\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i [y\u01d2u]<\/strong> ch\u012b z\u01ceo f\u00e0n.)<\/em> \u2014 I haven’t<\/strong> eaten breakfast\/I didn’t<\/strong> eat breakfast.<\/p>\n

And remember that you will always use \u6ca1\u00a0<\/strong>to negate \u6709<\/strong>, and never \u4e0d<\/strong>. See how the meanings differ:<\/p>\n

\u6211\u4e0d<\/strong>\u770b\u4e66\u3002 (w\u01d2 b\u00f9<\/strong> k\u00e0n sh\u016b.)<\/em> \u2014 I don’t read books.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u4e66\u3002 (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/strong> sh\u016b.)<\/em> \u2014 I don’t have books.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you have<\/em> those five meanings of the Chinese \u6ca1\u6709 down? Practice the word to get its meaning down. For instance, you can practice them in context on the immersion program FluentU<\/a>, which lets you see videos and clips of the word in use.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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