HSK 4
不一定
bùyīdìng
not necessarily
Structure
Subject + 不一定 + Verb / Adjective
How it works
The phrase '不一定' (bùyīdìng) is used to indicate that a situation is not certain or that a conclusion does not always follow from a premise. It functions as an adverb to modify verbs or adjectives, expressing that there are exceptions or possibilities other than the one mentioned.
Examples
贵的东西不一定好。
Guì de dōngxi bùyīdìng hǎo.
Expensive things are not necessarily good.
他今天不一定来参加会议。
Tā jīntiān bùyīdìng lái cānjiā huìyì.
He might not necessarily come to the meeting today.
学过中文的人不一定都会写汉字。
Xuéguo Zhōngwén de rén bùyīdìng dōu huì xiě Hànzì.
People who have studied Chinese don't necessarily know how to write characters.
Common mistakes
Confusing '不一定' with '一定不'. '不一定' means 'not necessarily' (it might or might not happen), while '一定不' means 'definitely not' (it certainly won't happen).
Tip
Think of '不一定' as 'not 100%'. It is often used to politely disagree with a generalization or to express uncertainty about future plans.
More HSK 4 grammar
See 不一定 in real Chinese
Import an article and tap any sentence using it. The explanation comes back about the sentence in front of you, not a textbook example.
Try InputDojo free