Zi:不

不 [bù] not; no; neither; non-/un- [bú] (sandhi: as in 不​对 búduì); (HDZ:) … [pī] ​丕 [bǐ] ​鄙 [fǒu] ​否 [pǐ] ​否 (HDC:) ​善不/​否, ​臧不/​否 [fōu] (​姓) [fū] ​柎: ​花​萼

2 monosyllabic entries in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

►¹bù* ​不 {A} adv. ①not ②no ◆cons. ① ∼ A ∼ B (where A B are paired synonyms) not A B ‖ ∼huāng∼máng ∼慌∼忙 unhurried ② ∼ A ∼ B (where A B are antonymous stative verbs) neither A nor B ‖ bụ̀dàbùxiǎo ∼大∼小 neither (too) big nor (too) small ③ ∼ A ∼ B (where A B are antonymous verbs) no B without A ‖ bụ̀pòbụ̀lì ∼破∼立 no constructing without destroying ④ ∼ A ér B do B without doing A ‖ bụ̀zhàn'érshèng ∼战而胜 win without fighting ⑤ A ∼ A (the matter/question of) A or not A ‖ bóshì ∼ bóshì, wǒ wúsuǒwèi. 博士∼博士, 我无所谓。 Whether or not I get a PhD makes no difference to me. ⑥ V1 ∼ V1V2 (variant form of V1V2 ∼ V1V2, where V1V2 is a compound verb) whether or not V1V2 ‖ kě ∼ kěnéng? 可∼可能? Is it possible that ...? ◆pref. non-; un-
►bu ​不 inf. (used in r.v.) ‖ tīng∼dǒng 听∼懂 don't understand (by listening) See also ¹bù

The Shuōwén Seal form of 不(​𠀚) bù/fǒu ‘no (higher)’ is said to depict a bird which flies/soars up into the sky (one can fly no higher) and circling/hovering above does not return back down to the earth (in this sense read 不 fǒu); the top line ​一 is short for ​上(​𠄞​丄) shàng ‘(sky) above’ (upper extreme/limit), as in ​帝(​𢂇) dì ‘god/king’; and the bottom parts of the graph depict the body and wings of the bird, as in the inverted form ​至(​𦤴) zhì ‘reach/attain (alight/land)’.
    Compare: ​乍 zhà ‘try to hide; hastily/suddenly’; ​毋 wú ‘stop! do not!’; in both of these characters the ​一 component is said to signify restriction/prohibition (crossing out).
    In old texts 不 is used for words now wr. ​丕 or ​否 (in which it is said to be the phonetic or phonosemantic).
    Note: An old usage of 不 for ​柎/​拊 fū ‘(botany) thalamus/receptacle/torus; calyx’ (​花​蒂, ​萼​足, ​花​萼/​𣎴) seems to relate to the shape of the character, and some say this was the original meaning (HDZ). In botany, the stem of the flower is joined to the thalamus/receptacle/torus, above which is the sepals/calyx (from which the petals/flowers and fruit grow).
    Compare: ​𣎴 è/niè ‘tree stump’, in which the top central branch of ​木 mù ‘tree’ is cut off; ​杯(​桮) bēi ‘cup’ (​大​酒​杯 ‘chalice’).
    Note: In modern usage, if the syllable after 不 has a falling tone, then 不 bù (falling tone) becomes 不 bú (rising tone); for example, 不​对 bùduì → búduì (for other “tone sandhi” rules, see ​一 yī).
    “Picture of a flying bird...” —Karlgren(AD).
    “A bird that rises, flapping the wings, straight towards ​一 the skies; ​鸟​飞​上​也。​从​一​天​也。​象​形​兼​指​事。...It is now used (​假​借 jiǎjiè) as an adverb of negation; ​为​非。​为​无。” —Wieger.
    HDZ: 不 : bù : (​古) ​柎 (fū), ​象​花不​形, ​鄂​足 (​花​托, ​萼 è, ​花​萼, cf. ​𣎴 è); ​孳​乳​为​丕, ​丕​显; ​非, 不​是; (​副​词) (​否​定 (不​吃, 不​去, 不​信); ​勿, 不​要, ​禁​止; 不​管, 不​论, 不​介; 不​可​能; ​反​问; ​疑​问); (​助​词) (​加​强​语​气; ​调​整​音​节); ​丕 (pī): ​大; ​鄙 (bǐ): ​视​为​鄙​陋 • fǒu : ​鸟​向​上​飞​翔​貌; ​否 (cf. ䷋) • fōu : (​鸟​名) ​夫不=​鳺​鴀; (​姓) • fū : ​柎: ​花​萼
►references: Guǎngyùn:208.23,323.08,475.21,484.17; Wieger:133a; Karlgren:AD37,GSR999a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.11.6; Mathews:5379; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:76.15; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:006.0.04; Wáng(1993):41; EDOC:1
►components: ​一​​
►Cantonese: bat\
►stroke 不 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 不 as a component
►list words containing 不 (most common words first)
Unicode: U+4E0D
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