HSK 6 grammar · conjunction
不…不…
不…不… — not … until … / won't … unless …
Pattern
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Two 不 clauses can form a tight condition — the second is withheld until the first is met, "won't … unless …", "not … until …". Common in sayings: 不见不散, 不到长城非好汉.
Examples
我们不见不散。
Wǒmen bú jiàn bú sàn.
Let's not leave until we meet (be sure to be there).
不下苦功，不出成绩。
Bú xià kǔgōng, bù chū chéngjì.
Without hard effort, there are no results.
他不问清楚不罢休。
Tā bú wèn qīngchu bú bàxiū.
He won't rest until he has asked and made it clear.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 不…不… is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.