How to use 不到
不到 + Number + Measure Word + Noun
不到 says an amount does not reach a specified value. Place it before the number and the appropriate unit or classifier. It works with age, distance, money, and duration, and it establishes an upper boundary rather than promising that the actual amount is close to that boundary. English “less than” is often the clearest interpretation.
A time or age expression with 不到 can precede 就 to highlight an unexpectedly early development. The quantity establishes the milestone that had not yet been reached; 就 introduces what had already happened. This pairing is useful for emphasizing earliness, but 就 is not a grammatical requirement in every sentence containing 不到 and a time expression.
Examples with pinyin and English
我女儿不到三岁。
My daughter is not yet three years old.
我昨天睡了不到五个小时。
Yesterday I slept for less than five hours.
这件衣服花了不到一百块。
On this piece of clothing I spent less than 100 RMB.
我家到公司不到五百米。
My house is less than 500 meters from the office.
What to remember
- Put 不到 before the quantity.
- It sets an upper bound, not an exact estimate.
- 就 can emphasize an early outcome.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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