Bù le 不了: So Simple, So Unknown to Foreigners
I’m not really sure why most of us laowai don’t know about this little phrase. It’s certainly not because it’s too complicated. Maybe it’s just so short we don’t realize we’ve heard it. I’ve never seen any books or dictionaries that explain it, so I’ll try:
Bù le 不了 = No thanks (I don’t want to do something)
It’s not really “no thanks,” because there’s no xiè 谢 in there, but it does mean “no” and I get the feeling it’s used in situations where we would say “no thanks.”
Apparently, it’s best used between friends or someone you can speak informally with rather than shop owners or your boss. Here are the two situations in which I’ve heard it used:
1. A friend on her balcony waving to a friend walking past:
A: Nǐ yào bú yào shàng lái hē chá? 你要不要上来喝茶?
Do you want to come up and have some tea?
B: Bù le. Wǒ huí qù le. 不了. 我回去了.
No thanks. I’m going home.
As I understand it, in this situation “bù le” 不了 is short for “bú yòng le” 不用了 meaning “that’s not necessary.” But that explanation doesn’t really help me because if I were inviting you for tea, I wouldn’t assume it was necessary. Again, that’s why I translate it as “no thanks.”
2. Two friends (A and B) chatting at a sidewalk cafe. A third friend (C) walks past.
A: Nǐ hǎo! Gēn wǒmen yìqǐ chīfàn ba. 你好！跟我们一起吃饭吧.
Hi! Eat with us.
C: Bù le. Wǒ yǐjīng chī le. 不了. 我已经吃了.
No thanks. I already ate.
Notice in both situations they are friends. Also notice that “bù le” 不了 is immediately followed by a jièkǒu 借口 of some sort.
Does anyone else have some insight into this little nugget? Please enlighten us.
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20 Responses to “Bù le 不了: So Simple, So Unknown to Foreigners”
Daan
said:
Interesting. So they were saying “bù le” and not “bú le”? That seems to make more sense if it’s short for “bú yòng le”.
Comment date: May 6, 2010
Dion said:
Daan
Isn’t the bú in bú yòng le only 2nd tone because it is followed by a 4th? Remove the 4th tone that follows and bù should return to its standard 4th tone.
Comment date: May 6, 2010
Ana
said:
I think situations listed below could possibly be explained by “No,thanks.”
1.not necessary for the person being invited.Fellows could have seen each other the other day and both of them don’t think meet again so soon is necessary.”Bu Le”could be use in here.
2.just find some topics to talk about.
Perhaps the story could help you to understand it better.My classmates came to return my camera back to me and we had a long chat while my mother coming home from work.It was almost 6 p.m.,my mom invited her to stay for supper.The girl said “不用了bu yong le.And said her mother had finished cooking as supplimentary.
Cultural background may be the story for this situation.Inviting people to stay for a meal is what Chinese always do.It’s not necessarily mean you must accept the invitation.
Like what you said,”No thanks”followed by an excuse.Indeed,I think it could be used as a relatively polite way to refuse invitation or not to have everything on the table,esp.people’s intention.(Peihaps they’re not really inviting you for meals.)
Comment date: May 6, 2010
Albert
said:
Dion is right. “Bu” 不 is 4th tone unless it’s followed by another 4th tone. In this case, since “le” 了 is the “neutral” tone “bu” stays as “bu4.”
Comment date: May 6, 2010
Dave
said:
I’ve heard it sometimes during nearly 4 years in Taiwan. But if not used at the right time, it actually seems like it might be considered quite rude, is this phrase common in China?
Comment date: May 7, 2010
David
said:
As a laowai I speak Chinese with my spouse every day, and sometimes w/ Chinese friends, but haven’t heard this one. My initial thought is that there’s an undertone of friendly banter or feigned assertiveness (i.e., strongly or stubbornly refusing to do something, suggested by the “le”)–since, between good friends, you can complain or tease. But #2 in Ana’s comment implies my guess probably isn’t true?
Comment date: May 7, 2010
Helen
said:
2. 不了 bù liǎo
挽回不了wǎn huí bù liǎo
走不了 zǒu bù liǎo
Comment date: May 10, 2010
China
said:
Interesting post! I personally have never heard this phrase before, though. Albert, have you heard it in a specific region or more all across China?
I somehow tend to link it to the 不 that is commonly used in Chinese subtitles to translate “no”. Using that 不 in real life however has been criticized by my Chinese friends.
不了 appears to be a really useful and simple chunk, but that might just be a reason to be cautious of “Laowai overuse”.
I’d love to read about more situations where 不了 would be appropriate.
Comment date: May 10, 2010
Albert
said:
@China,
I heard it the first time in Kunming spoken by a native of Guangxi (I think) and just recently in Guangzhou spoken by a native Cantonese speaker. So far, only heard it in the South, but I suspect it’s up North too. Can anyone confirm?
Comment date: May 10, 2010
Olle Linge
said:
I have lived in Taiwan for two years and I’ve heard this phrase in Taiwanese a million times. However, I have never ever heard anyone say it while they speak Mandarin! Could this be related to dialect in other places as well?
Comment date: May 10, 2010
Jim Mahler
said:
I think of it as short for 不用客气, “There’s no need for such nicities between friends.”
Comment date: May 11, 2010
Olle Linge
said:
It seems I was wrong. The expression I’ve heard so many times is something else I can’t write with Chinese characters, but it means more like “没有了”. It’s not the same expression anyway, sorry.
Comment date: May 12, 2010
Stuart
said:
I thought this was an abreviation of bú yào le
bú yào = No, I don’t want it/too (a bit abrupt/rude/childish)
bú yào le = same meaning but the tone is softened a bit by the le
Bù le = a more informal version of above
sorry not my PC so I can’t easily use characters.
Comment date: May 16, 2010
Ron
said:
bù = no
bù le = more polite way of saying no
Comment date: May 18, 2010
John
said:
There’s an example of this phrase in the movie “To Live” (活着). I remember clearly because I had just started learning Chinese when I watched the movie, so I asked my teacher about it. I think it appears when someone offers Ge You’s character to come in for tea, and he declines.
Comment date: May 19, 2010
James
said:
I like the movie “To Live” it’s a great movie from Ge You.
Comment date: May 24, 2010
Albert
said:
John,
The votes are in. We’ve got one bona fide situation where it’s absolutely appropriate to use “bu le”: when someone invites you for tea and you decline!
Comment date: May 25, 2010
learning Chinese
said:
I guess you can use it in not so serious setting
Comment date: Jun 9, 2010
Ben
said:
Just asked my Taiwanese friend about this. He said it’s a short version of 不用了 or 不用麻煩了. He said a typical situation might be where you’re visiting someone’s house eg in the afternoon, and end up staying quite long and they offer for you to stay for dinner, but you need to go. So you might say:
不了不了,不用麻煩了,我真的該走了…
Comment date: Jul 10, 2010
ung
said:
dont we use bu with the verb, eg bu shi
Comment date: Jul 12, 2010