不值
bù zhí · HSK 6
not worth
不 = not + 值 = worth/value; literally 'not worth'
不 (bù) negates; 值 (zhí) means value or worth, as in 价值 (jiàzhí, value). Together: not worth the cost or effort. Common in 不值得 (bù zhídé, not worthwhile).
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
值 — person radical 亻 + 直 (straight/upright)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The person radical 亻 gives the meaning, while 直 (straight, upright) supplies the sound zhí. Originally referring to a person standing in for duty or watch, it extended to mean 'worth,' 'value,' and 'to be on duty.'