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

HSK 1
Tiānqì bùzěnmeyàng, wǒmen jiù bù chūqù le.
The weather isn't great, so let's not go out.
HSK 3
Zhè bù diànyǐng bùzěnmeyàng.
This movie is not that great.
HSK 5
Zhè jiā cāntīng de cài bùzěnmeyàng.
The food at this restaurant is mediocre.

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. 还不错 (not bad - mild positive).

Stroke Order

zěn
me
yàng