DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

不對勁

简不对劲 · 繁不對勁

Mandarin · pinyin bù duì jìn

not right; amiss
to feel uncomfortable or unwell
to not get along

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
對: duì · correct, right; facing, opposed
勁: Look up this written character
对: duì · correct, right; facing, opposed
劲: jìn · strong, unyielding, tough, power

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–4 · bu4 dui4 jin4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

不對勁 · find source passages ↗ · 不对劲 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

adj

(colloquial) something not right; abnormal; odd; at odds; awkward

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack