Kilo Lingo

(fēi) - not, non-, to be against, must (in 非...不可) in Mandarin

fēi

Traditional: 非

Line drawing of 非
Coloured illustration of 非
#1821 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

not, non-, to be against, must (in 非...不可)

Word origin

Originally a pictograph of two wings spreading in opposite directions, giving rise to the meanings of opposition and negation.

Origin
pictograph
Root
a drawing of two opposing wings

Stroke order

Stroke order for 非

Examples

This matter can only be done by him.

Right and wrong must be clearly distinguished.

He absolutely insists on going.

This is an illegal act.

I simply must finish reading this book.

非 (fēi) means not or non-, and marks opposition or wrongdoing. In the pattern 非...不可 it conveys a strong sense of must or have to.

Where this fits

Appears in 2 words

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 非.

Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

非: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "非" (not, non-, to be against, must (in 非...不可)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 37.