Adding 一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn before 也不 yě bù也不 yě bù or 都不 dōu bù都不 dōu bù strengthens a negation into “not even a little” — the pattern shows up with both adjectives and verbs, and this common spoken structure sounds very natural in everyday conversation.
1 Structure
一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn + 也 yě也 yě / 都 dōu都 dōu + 不 bù不 bù + Adj
Using 一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn with 也 yě也 yě or 都 dōu都 dōu highlights a complete lack of a quality. Without 一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn, the negation still works but feels far less emphatic.
我一點也不累我一点也不累
I’m not tired at all.
她一點都不開心她一点都不开心
She’s not happy at all.
他一點也不喜歡吃甜的東西他一点也不喜欢吃甜的东西
He doesn’t like sweets at all.
這本書一點也不好看这本书一点也不好看
This book isn’t good at all.
學中文一點都不難学中文一点都不难
Learning Chinese isn’t difficult at all.
一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn + (O) + 也 yě也 yě / 都 dōu都 dōu + Neg + V
When the negated part is a verb rather than an adjective, the object can slot in between 一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn and 也 yě也 yě / 都 dōu都 dōu, right before the negation and verb.
老師一點英文也不會說老师一点英文也不会说
The teacher doesn’t speak any English.
弟弟一點事都沒做弟弟一点事都没做
My younger brother didn’t do anything at all.
我一點都不想去我一点都不想去
I don’t want to go at all.
你一點責任感都沒有你一点责任感都没有
You have no responsibility at all.
他一點茶也沒喝他一点茶也没喝
He didn’t drink any tea. (it just didn’t happen)
他一點茶也不喝他一点茶也不喝
He doesn’t drink tea at all. (he refuses to)
Compare the two above: 沒 méi没 méi negates something that didn’t happen; 不 bù不 bù negates a general habit or refusal.
也 yě也 yě vs 都 dōu都 dōu
In this pattern, 也 yě也 yě and 都 dōu都 dōu are interchangeable — both simply add emphasis to the negation. Neither carries its usual separate meaning (“also” or “all”) here.
2 Common Mistakes
一點 yìdiǎn一点 yìdiǎn cannot stand on its own to mean “not at all” — it always needs a negative word after it.
❌
我一點也累我一点也累
✅
我一點也不累我一点也不累
Without 不 bù不 bù or 沒 méi没 méi, the sentence has no negation at all — 一點也 yìdiǎn yě一点也 yìdiǎn yě is not a complete phrase by itself.
3 Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
01This movie isn’t scary at all.
這部電影一點也不恐怖这部电影一点也不恐怖
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02I’m not busy at all today.
我今天一點都不忙我今天一点都不忙
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03He doesn’t care about money at all.
他一點都不在乎錢他一点都不在乎钱
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04This coffee isn’t sweet at all.
這杯咖啡一點也不甜这杯咖啡一点也不甜
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05I didn’t sleep at all last night.
我昨天晚上一點都沒睡我昨天晚上一点都没睡
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06She doesn’t know any Japanese at all.
她一點日文也不會她一点日文也不会
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07He hasn’t eaten anything at all today.
他今天一點東西都沒吃他今天一点东西都没吃
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08This test wasn’t difficult at all.
這次考試一點也不難这次考试一点也不难
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