# Using 不怎么样 in Chinese: HSK 3 Fixed Phrase Guide | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-fixed-phrases-b1e94743cb Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-fixed-phrases-b1e94743cb HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:49.488Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to use the Chinese fixed phrase 不怎么样 to express mild dissatisfaction or mediocre quality, including sentence patterns and common mistakes. Grammar [HSK 3 · Phrases › Fixed phrases › Other fixed phrases](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g043) # HSK 3 Fixed Phrase: 不怎么样 (Not Very Good / Mediocre) The fixed phrase 不怎么样 (bù zěnmeyàng) means 'not very good,' 'nothing special,' or 'mediocre.' It is used in spoken Chinese as a predicate or after 得 to give a mildly negative evaluation of a thing, person, or action. Subject / Topic 不怎么样 Example sentence 今天的天气不怎么样。 Jīntiān de tiānqì bù zěnmeyàng. Today's weather is not very good. Used directly as the predicate describing the subject. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Core Meaning and Tone In the supplied HSK 3 outline, 不怎么样 is classified under fixed phrases (固定短语). While 怎么样 is a common question word asking 'how is it?', adding the negation word 不 turns the expression into a statement of evaluation rather than a question. It translates into English as 'not very good,' 'not so great,' 'mediocre,' or 'nothing special.' Speakers use 不怎么样 to express mild disappointment or a low opinion without using harsh or extreme adjectives like 坏 (bad) or 差 (poor). It belongs primarily to everyday spoken Chinese and informal writing. Note that the HSK 3 level label reflects the supplied syllabus outline and does not establish which exam version a specific test center currently administers. ## Pattern 1: Describing Things or People 不怎么样 can be a complete predicate: 那部电影不怎么样. No linking 是 or degree word 很 is required in this neutral model. But emphatic 是 is possible in 那部电影是不怎么样，但音乐不错. Do not confuse not required with impossible. Subject / Topic 不怎么样 今天的天气不怎么样。 Jīntiān de tiānqì bù zěnmeyàng. Today's weather is not very good. Used directly as the predicate describing the subject. 那家饭馆的菜不怎么样，别去了。 Nà jiā fànguǎn de cài bù zěnmeyàng, bié qù le. The food at that restaurant is nothing special; don't go there. Expresses mild dissatisfaction to advise against going. You can place connecting adverbs such as 也 (also) or 都 (all) immediately before 不怎么样 when the context calls for them. 他写的汉字也不怎么样。 Tā xiě de Hànzì yě bù zěnmeyàng. The Chinese characters he writes are not so great either. Shows how the adverb 也 can precede the fixed phrase. ## Pattern 2: Evaluating Actions with 得 When you want to evaluate how well someone performs an action or how a situation turned out, place 不怎么样 after the main verb and the structural particle 得. In this position, it serves as a complement of assessment. Subject Verb 得 不怎么样 我昨晚睡得不怎么样。 Wǒ zuówǎn shuì de bù zěnmeyàng. I didn't sleep very well last night. Used after Verb + 得 to evaluate the quality of an action. 这次考试他考得不怎么样。 Zhè cì kǎoshì tā kǎo de bù zěnmeyàng. He didn't do very well on this exam. Evaluates the result or performance of taking the exam. ## Common Mistakes and Useful Contrasts Use 那部电影不怎么样 as the basic model. Emphatic conversational forms such as 很不怎么样 also occur; they sound stronger and less neutral. The fixed phrase does not create a universal ban on preceding emphasis. Learn the plain form first, then judge stronger variants by context and register. 那部电影很不怎么样。 Nà bù diànyǐng hěn bù zěnmeyàng. That movie really is not very good. An emphatic colloquial variant, with 很 strengthening the negative evaluation. For a neutral beginner model, use 那部电影不怎么样; do not treat the bare form and this stronger conversational form as having exactly the same tone. 那部电影不怎么样。 Nà bù diànyǐng bù zěnmeyàng. That movie is not very good. The basic, less emphatic evaluation uses 不怎么样 without 很. It is also important to distinguish 不怎么样 from the similar-looking phrase 不怎么 (bù zěnme). While both contain 不 and 怎么, their grammatical roles in a sentence are completely different: - 不怎么样 stands at the end of a clause as the predicate or complement and is not followed by another verb or adjective. - 不怎么 means 'not very' or 'not often' and functions as an adverbial modifier that must be followed by a verb or an adjective. 他不怎么喜欢看电视。 Tā bù zěnme xǐhuan kàn diànshì. He doesn't like watching TV very much. Contrasts 不怎么 + Verb with standalone 不怎么样. Quick check: If nothing follows the phrase at the end of the clause, use 不怎么样. If an adjective or verb immediately follows it, use 不怎么. ## Frequently asked questions **Is 不怎么样 a question because it contains 怎么样?** No. In standard usage, 不怎么样 is a statement meaning 'not very good' or 'nothing special.' Even though 怎么样 asks 'how is it?' on its own, the combination with 不 forms a fixed evaluative phrase. **Can I put 不怎么样 before a noun, like 不怎么样的菜?** Yes. It can modify a noun through 的, for example 质量不怎么样的衣服, clothes whose quality is not very good. As a beginner model, 那里的菜不怎么样 is a simple complete evaluation; the modifier pattern is also grammatical. **Is 不怎么样 polite?** It is softer than saying something is terrible or awful, because it literally means 'not so great.' However, it is still a direct negative judgment and sounds casual, so avoid using it directly to someone's face about their own work in formal situations. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 393](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=393) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)