HSK 7-9
可不（是嘛）
kě bù (shì ma)
Exactly! Isn't that so!
Structure
Statement / Question + 可不 (是嘛)！
How it works
This rhetorical phrase is used to express strong agreement with someone's previous statement. It functions similarly to 'Exactly' or 'You can say that again' in English, often implying that the fact is obvious or undeniable.
Examples
“最近的天气真是热得让人受不了。”“可不是嘛，我都快中暑了。”
“Zuìjìn de tiānqì zhēnshi rè de ràng rén shòubùliǎo.” “Kě bù shì ma, wǒ dōu kuài zhòngshǔ le.”
“The weather lately is truly unbearably hot.” “Exactly, I’m about to get heatstroke.”
“他这几年进步挺大的。”“可不，他付出的努力大家都有目共睹。”
“Tā zhè jǐ nián jìnbù tǐng dà de.” “Kě bù, tā fùchū de nǔlì dàjiā dōu yǒumùgòngdǔ.”
“He has made great progress these past few years.” “Exactly, the effort he put in is obvious to everyone.”
“这孩子长得真像他爸爸。”“可不是嘛，简直是一个模子里刻出来的。”
“Zhè háizi zhǎng de zhēn xiàng tā bàba.” “Kě bù shì ma, jiǎnzhí shì yígè múzi lǐ kè chūlái de.”
“This child really looks like his father.” “Isn't that so! He's practically a chip off the old block.”
Common mistakes
Do not treat '可不' as a negative response (meaning 'cannot'); despite the '不', it is used to affirm a statement, not deny it.
Tip
In casual conversation, you can use '可不' and '可不是嘛' interchangeably, but '可不是嘛' adds a bit more rhythmic emphasis to the agreement.
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See 可不（是嘛） in real Chinese
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