不断/不斷 búduàn — continuously, unceasingly

Meanings

1. 1

   continuously, unceasingly

   Says that something keeps happening without stopping, and usually that it is *growing* — 不断提高, 不断增加. Unlike 一直, which reports a state holding, 不断 reports repetition.

   adverb

Character breakdown

• 不

  bù (fourth tone, falling)

  not, no — the general negative, placed before verbs and adjectives

  4 strokesRadical 一

Example sentences

• 他的汉语水平在不断提高。/他的漢語水平在不斷提高。Tā (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) Hànyǔ (fourth tone, falling) shuǐpíng (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) búduàn (second tone, rising) tígāo. (second tone, rising)···

  His Chinese is improving all the time.

• 雨不断地下了一整天。/雨不斷地下了一整天。Yǔ (third tone, dipping) búduàn (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) xià (fourth tone, falling) le (neutral tone) yì (fourth tone, falling) zhěng (third tone, dipping) tiān. (first tone, high and level)···

  It rained without stopping all day.

Similar words

Words containing 不

• 不bù (fourth tone, falling)not (negates verbs, adjectives and modal verbs)
• 不要bù (fourth tone, falling) yào (fourth tone, falling)don't!
• 不错/不錯bù (fourth tone, falling) cuò (fourth tone, falling)correct
• 不同bù (fourth tone, falling) tóng (second tone, rising)different
• 不过/不過búguò (second tone, rising)but, however (a lighter contrast than 但是)
• 不如bùrú (fourth tone, falling)to be not as good as; had better
• 不再bù (fourth tone, falling) zài (fourth tone, falling)no more
• 不用bù (fourth tone, falling) yòng (fourth tone, falling)need not
• 不少bù (fourth tone, falling) shǎo (third tone, dipping)many
• 不但búdàn (second tone, rising)not only … (but also)
• 差不多chàbuduō (fourth tone, falling)about the same, close enough, not much different
• 不然bùrán (fourth tone, falling)otherwise, or else
• 不管bùguǎn (fourth tone, falling)no matter (what/how…), regardless of
• 不足bùzú (fourth tone, falling)insufficient, inadequate; a shortcoming
• 不够/不夠bù (fourth tone, falling) gòu (fourth tone, falling)not enough
• 不行bù (fourth tone, falling) xíng (second tone, rising)won't do
• 不仅/不僅bù (fourth tone, falling) jǐn (third tone, dipping)not only (this one)