不甘

bùgān
verb #36,814

Meanings

  1. 1 unwilling (to accept)
  2. 2 unreconciled to
  3. 3 not resigned to

Examples

Tā bùgān shībài, juédìng zài shì yí cì.
Unwilling to accept defeat, he decided to try again.
Tā bùgānxīn jiù zhèyàng fàngqì mèngxiǎng.
She isn't willing to give up on her dream just like that.

Tips

usage
不甘 carries an emotional charge of pride or stubbornness — refusing to settle. Common collocations: 不甘失败 (unwilling to lose), 不甘落后 (unwilling to fall behind), 不甘寂寞 (unwilling to stay quiet/out of the spotlight). The fuller form 不甘 (bùgānxīn) is even more common in conversation.
memory
originally pictured something sweet on the tongue — by extension 'to find palatable, to accept willingly'. So 不甘 is literally 'cannot swallow it', a vivid match for 'refusing to accept'.

Stroke Order

gān