并不 / 并不是
Reach for 并不 or 并不是 when you want to push back against an assumption — 'it's actually NOT the case that...' The 并 doesn't add meaning by itself; it intensifies the negation and signals that the speaker is correcting something the listener might believe. Use 并不 before adjectives or verbs (并不贵, 并不喜欢), and 并不是 before noun phrases or whole clauses (并不是真的, 并不是因为...). Common in news, debate, and any time you want to refute a misconception.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 并不 [ADJECTIVE/VERB] / [SUBJECT] 并不是 [NOUN/CLAUSE]
bìng bù... / bìng bù shì...
How to Think About It
并 is a defensive shield. It tells the listener 'I know you think otherwise — you're wrong.' Plain 不 is a neutral negation; 并不 carries the extra meaning of 'contrary to what you might assume.' If no assumption is in play, 并不 sounds defensive without cause. Use it when you're correcting, not when you're just stating facts.
Examples
这件事并不简单。
Zhè jiàn shì bìng bù jiǎndān.
This matter is actually not simple at all.
他并不是不喜欢你, 只是太忙。
Tā bìng bù shì bù xǐhuan nǐ, zhǐshì tài máng.
It's not that he doesn't like you — he's just too busy.
成功并不容易。
Chénggōng bìng bù róngyì.
Success is not easy at all.
Common Mistake
Learners use 并不 in place of plain 不 even when there's nothing to correct, making sentences sound oddly argumentative. Save 并不 for moments when the listener actually holds a contrary belief.
我并不喜欢吃苹果。 (with no prior assumption you'd like apples)
我不喜欢吃苹果。
Don't Confuse With
不
Plain 不 is neutral negation. Add 并 only when refuting an assumption or correcting a misreading.
并非
并非 is the formal-written counterpart of 并不是. Use 并非 in essays, 并不是 in everyday speech and casual writing.
其实不...
其实 ('actually') also signals correction. 其实不 sounds more casual and conversational; 并不 is firmer.
Practice
这件事____简单。
Show answer
并不
他并不____不喜欢你, 只是太忙。
Show answer
是
Arrange: 这个 / 其实 / 并 / 女孩子 / 不 / 存在
Show answer
这个女孩子其实并不存在。
But what Xiao Li doesn't know is that this 'girl' actually doesn't exist.
Show answer
但是, 小李不知道的是, 这个“女孩子”其实并不存在。
Write a sentence using 并不 to correct a common misconception about your country or hobby.
Show answer
学中文并不难, 只是需要时间。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode. Press play to hear the sentence:
但是，小李不知道的是，这个“女孩子”其实并不存在。
However, what Xiao Li didn't know was that this "girl" actually didn't exist.
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Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 并不 / 并不是 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.