Sentence #5097675 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
How 要不 is built
Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
要yàoto want; to need; to ask for
覀cover form of 襾 · yà
女woman · nǚ
Memory aidOnce drawn as a person with hands on the waist, its first meaning. That meaning moved to 腰 (yāo), and 要 became “to want”.
不bùno; not so
不 is a single shape of 4 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.
Memory aidPicture a bar 一 across the top that nothing below can get past: not, no.
How to write 要不
要 9 strokes · 不 4 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 要不 (yàobù). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
要不 (yàobù) means “otherwise” or “or else”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it yàobù: yào with a 4th tone, then bù with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 要不 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type yaobu with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 要不 from the suggestions. Typing yaobu into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
要不 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.
要yào4th tone, falling
