不行
HSK 3 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)
不行 (bùxíng) · not OK
不行 (bùxíng) means “not OK; won't do; no good”. It is written with 2 characters: 不 (not) + 行 (OK). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 不行 is built
The characters
不 bù · not
What 不 is made of
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: A bird flying toward the sky 一 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
行 xíng · OK
What 行 is made of
- 彳chì — to step with the left foot
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 亍chù — to take small steps
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丁dīng — male adult
Origin hint: To take small steps 亍 with one's feet 彳 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
明天不行，我很忙。Míngtiān bùxíng, wǒ hěn máng.Tomorrow won't work, I'm busy.
在这儿吃东西不行吗？Zài zhèr chī dōngxi bùxíng ma?Can't we eat here?
Questions about 不行
What does 不行 mean?
不行 (bùxíng) means “not OK; won't do; no good”.
How do you pronounce 不行?
不行 is pronounced bùxíng.
Which HSK level is 不行?
不行 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021).
Related words
- 不大bùdànot very
- 不对bùduìwrong
- 不客气bùkèqiyou are welcome
- 不用bùyòngno need
- 对不起duìbuqǐsorry
- 是不是shìbushìis it or not
- 不错bùcuònot bad
- 不但bùdànnot only (... but also ...)
- 不够bùgòunot enough
- 不过bùguòbut
Learn 不行 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 42: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.