b
mi
VS
Have you ever answered like this?
A: N zhum yukng ma?
B: B yu. (X)
A: Sh yo jibn ma?
B: Mi sh. (X)
Correct Answer
miyu
Correct Answer
bsh
2 Ways to Master "" & ""
Probably you have been confused with "b" and "mi". Because I frequently see Chinese learners making this mistake, I always wandered about origins of this confusion. Is it caused by a confusing explanation from the teacher? Insufficient exercises in class? I couldn't find a solution to make it clear from a teacher's perspective, then I tried to think about this issue from students' perspective.
My first step is to collect those common mistakes with "b" and "mi" in our daily life and look for a pattern. In some cases, there are no patterns, unfortunately. "b" and "mi" are used in fixed expressions, which I call 'Set Phrase'.
Some mistakes are caused by 'direct translation' that many beginners rely on. When learning a language, try to avoid translating from your mother tongue. It rarely works, and it is even less the case in Chinese.
Although this is not the best method, I found out how to distinguish "b" and "mi" by 'Correspondence in English and Chinese'. I would like to share these two methods with you today. Hopefully, it will help you mastering these two characters and may inspire you to learn more.
Set Phrase
There are 63 words with the root "b" in HSK1-HSK6 vocabulary, while there are only four words with the root "". Two of them are pronounced "mi", the other two are pronounced "m". I will list bellow frequently used words in which "mi" and "b" are misused. Pay attention at "b" and "mi" in these words. I call them 'Set Phrase'.
b
1 | bsh - not |
2 | bzhdo - no idea brnshi - not know |
3 | bky - can not bxng - no way |
4 | bkqi - you're welcome bhoysi - excuse me |
5 | |
3 |
mi
1 | miyu - don't have |
2 | migunxi - it doesn't matter mishr - never mind |
3 | miwnt - no problem mibnfa - there is no way |
4 | michxi - good-for-nothing mishjin - not available |
5 | |
3 |
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Correspondence in
English & Chinese
The original meaning of "b" and "mi" is to express negation in Chinese. When they follow characters or words with different parts of speech or in certain structures, the new words convey more information or meaning. While in English, negative form is shown by words or prefixes like 'no, not, un- and none' etc. When learners directly translate from English to Chinese, sometimes they fail to use the correct word. I will show you correspondence in English and Chinese below to explain more about "b" and "mi".
Situation 1
Only translated to "b"
1 | No! |
2 | When 'No' is used alone, it can be translated to "b" only. For instance, A: (N ch pnggu ma?) B: (B, w bch.) A: Would you like to eat an apple? |
2 | un- 'un-' as prefix words can only be translated to "b". For instance, (b goxng) - unhappy (b xngde) - unfortunately |
Situation 2
Only translated to "mi"
1 | none |
2 | When 'none' occurs as a pronoun, it is translated to "mi". For instance, (Wmen zhng mirn zhdao zhjin shr.) None of us know. |
3 |
Situation 3
"b" and "mi" both
not
1 | +verb VS +verb |
2 | - +verb 1. The verb is an action verb or directional verb to indicate something will not happen. For instance, - (T bq shnghi.) He will not go to Shanghai. - (W xizhu b shngk.) I will not attend the class next week. 2. The verb is an auxiliary to indicate the possibility or willingness. For instance, - (T b knng li. ) He may not show up. - (T byuny chchi.) He is not wiling to go on a business trip. 3. The verb is a psychological verb to indicate the negative form of certain kind of feelings. For instance, - (T bp zhzh.) He is not afraid of spider. - (W bi ch jiozi.) I do not like eating dumplings. - +verb 1. Specific nouns for time is need to indicate somebody did not do something in the past. For instance, - (T zutin mili.) He did not come yesterday. 2. "+verb" followed with "" to indicate somebody have not done something. For instance, - (T miqgu X'n.) He has not been to Xi'an. |
2 | +noun VS +noun |
For more explanation about "" and "", if you are interested in learning, please write your comment below or apply for our FREE trial lesson.
HSK 1 ""
dubq
Sorry!/ Excuse me!
bkqi
You're welcome!
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Contents are provided by Beijing Purple Bamboo Chinese.
Supervisor: Crystal Huang
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