Not necessarily / may not (未必)

Structure 未必 + (claim being challenged)

未必 (wèibì) cautiously negates someone else's certainty: «not necessarily, it needn't be so». It refutes an inference taken for granted without fully denying it: 贵的未必就是好的 = «expensive isn't necessarily good». Its lower-level neighbour is 不见得 (HSK 4), same meaning but more colloquial; 未必 is distinctly more cultivated, at home in essays and the press. It often precedes 就/会 and leaves room for the exception.

Examples

贵guì的de未wèi必bì就jiù是shì好hǎo的de。
Expensive isn't necessarily good.
多duō数shù人rén赞zàn成chéng的de，未wèi必bì就jiù是shì正zhèng确què的de。
What the majority approves of isn't necessarily right.
努nǔ力lì了le未wèi必bì成chéng功gōng，但dàn不bù努nǔ力lì一yī定dìng失shī败bài。
Hard work may not bring success, but no effort guarantees failure.
他tā的de看kàn法fǎ未wèi必bì正zhèng确què，值zhí得de商shāng榷què。
His view isn't necessarily correct and is open to debate.

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