要不是

要不是 yàobushì

If it were not for the fact that (if not for)

yaobushi

What 要不是 means

  1. If it were not for the fact that (if not for)

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 要不是 will read it the same way this page does.

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Character by character

要不是 is written with 3 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

要
yào
Want (need - request - must - demand)
不
bù
No (not)
是
shì
To be (is - are - am - yes)

How to write 要不是

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Practise 要不是 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

Questions about 要不是

What does 要不是 mean in English?

要不是 is pronounced yàobushì and means If it were not for the fact that (if not for).

How do you pronounce 要不是?

要不是 is yàobushì in pinyin — written yaobushi without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 要不是?

要不是 is written with 3 characters: 要 (yào) Want (need - request - must - demand), 不 (bù) No (not), 是 (shì) To be (is - are - am - yes). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

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