Definition
不成 (bù chéng) means 'won't do' or 'not acceptable', similar to 不行 but often more emphatic or literary; it also implies 'not allowed', though less prohibitive than 不准 ('forbidden'). It appears in the structure 非...不成 to express necessity ('must'), and as a particle at the end of rhetorical questions (often with 难道) to add emphasis.
verb
(adjective/verb) won't donot acceptablenot allowedused in the structure 非...不成 to express necessity (must)
particle
used at the end of a rhetorical questionoften with 难道to add emphasis
Examples
- 不成，。Zhèyàng zuò bù chéng, huì yǒu máfan.It won't do to do it this way — there will be trouble.
- 不成。Zhè jiàn shì fēi tā qù bù chéng.He must go for this matter; nothing less will do.
- 不成？Nándào nǐ zhēn de bú qù bù chéng?Could it be that you really aren't going?
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