不怎么样

不怎麼樣
bùzěnmeyàng
adjective HSK 6

Meanings

  1. 1 not up to much; so-so; mediocre
  2. 2 not all that great; nothing special

Characters

Not how/what kind — not up to any particular standard, therefore mediocre.

Examples

Zhè bù diànyǐng bù zěn me yàng.
This movie is not that great.
Tā de Zhōngwén bù zěn me yàng.
His Chinese is not very good.
Zhè jiā cāntīng de cài bù zěn me yàng.
The food at this restaurant is mediocre.
Tiānqì bù zěn me yàng, wǒmen jiù bù chūqù le.
The weather isn't great, so let's not go out.

Tips

usage
不怎么样 is a mild, understated criticism — it sounds polite but actually means 'not good.' It's the Chinese equivalent of saying 'meh' or 'nothing special.' Very common in spoken Chinese.
usage
Compare: 不怎么样 (not great, mild negative) vs. 怎么样 (how about it? / what do you think?) vs. 不错 (hái búcuò, not bad — mild positive).

Stroke Order

zěn
me
yàng