绝非……
Reach for this when you want to deny something forcefully and formally — 'absolutely not,' 'by no means,' 'far from.' 绝非 stacks 绝 ('absolutely / cut off') onto 非 ('is not'), making a denial that brooks no argument. It lives in formal writing, news editorials, official statements, and prepared speech. Avoid it in casual chat — it sounds rehearsed coming out of a friend's mouth. Use it when you want readers to feel the door slam: this claim is not just false, it's emphatically false.
Structure
Subject + 绝非 + Noun/Adjective/Verb Phrase.
jué fēi
How to Think About It
Think of 绝非 as the formal cousin of 绝不是. Where 不是 is plain 'is not,' 绝非 is 'is absolutely, categorically not.' The 绝 functions like 'absolutely' or 'utterly'; 非 is the literary 'not be.' Pair it with stakes worth slamming the door on: weighty claims, easy mistakes, lazy assumptions. 这绝非小事 ('this is by no means a small matter') hits harder than 这不是小事.
Examples
这绝非偶然。
Zhè jué fēi ǒurán.
This is by no means a coincidence.
他的成功绝非运气。
Tā de chénggōng jué fēi yùnqi.
His success is far from luck.
解决气候问题绝非一日之功。
Jiějué qìhòu wèntí jué fēi yī rì zhī gōng.
Solving the climate problem is by no means the work of a single day.
这种行为绝非小事，必须严肃处理。
Zhè zhǒng xíngwéi jué fēi xiǎoshì, bìxū yánsù chǔlǐ.
Such behavior is by no means trivial and must be handled seriously.
Common Mistake
Learners stick 是 between 绝非 and the noun — 绝非是. 非 already means 'is not,' so adding 是 doubles up. The pattern is 绝非 + Noun/Phrase, never 绝非是 + Noun.
这绝非是一件小事。
这绝非一件小事。
Don't Confuse With
绝不是
Spoken/neutral equivalent. Same meaning, lower register. Use 绝不是 in conversation, 绝非 in formal writing or speeches.
并非
'Not at all / is not actually' — corrects a misconception. 绝非 is louder and more categorical; 并非 is calmer and more analytical.
绝对不
'Absolutely not' before verbs ('I absolutely will not go'). 绝非 introduces a noun or descriptive phrase; 绝对不 modifies an action.
Practice
Fill in: 他的成就____偶然。 (by no means)
Show answer
绝非
Translate to Chinese: This is by no means an easy task.
Show answer
这绝非一件容易的事。
Arrange: 一日 / 之功 / 学好 / 中文 / 绝非
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学好中文绝非一日之功。
Use 绝非 in a formal sentence denying that something was easy or accidental.
Show answer
这次胜利绝非偶然，而是长期努力的结果。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 绝非…… 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, no card.