Introduction
有 (yǒu) means "to have" or "there is". It is the one verb in Chinese that refuses 不 (bù): to make it negative you must use 没 (méi). 没有 (méiyǒu) covers both meanings at once — "do not have" and "there is not" — so the same negation works for possession and for existence.
Overview
Structure: Subject + 没(有) (méi yǒu) + Object
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| S + 没有 + O | 我没有钱。(Wǒ méiyǒu qián.) | I don't have any money. |
| S + 没 + O | 我没钱。(Wǒ méi qián.) | I've got no money. |
| Place + 没有 + O | 房间里没有人。(Fángjiān lǐ méiyǒu rén.) | There is nobody in the room. |
| S + 有没有 + O？ | 你有没有时间？(Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān?) | Do you have time? |
| Short answer | 没有。(Méiyǒu.) | No / I don't. |
有 (yǒu) only ever takes 没 (méi):
- 我没有姐姐。(Wǒ méiyǒu jiějie.) ✓ — I don't have an older sister.
- 我不有姐姐。(Wǒ bù yǒu jiějie.) ❌ — this is never correct, at any level.
- 没 and 没有 mean the same thing here. 没有 (méiyǒu) is the fuller form; 没 (méi) alone is more spoken: 我没钱。(Wǒ méi qián.)
- Every other verb takes 不 for habits and 没 only for things that did not happen: 我不喝酒。(Wǒ bù hē jiǔ.) — I don't drink.
Examples
我没有钱。
Wǒ méiyǒu qián.
I don't have any money.
他没有哥哥。
Tā méiyǒu gēge.
He doesn't have an older brother.
桌子上没有书。
Zhuōzi shàng méiyǒu shū.
There are no books on the table.
今天我没有时间。
Jīntiān wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.
I don't have time today.
你有没有中文书？
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu Zhōngwén shū?
Do you have any Chinese books?
我们家没有狗，有一只猫。
Wǒmen jiā méiyǒu gǒu, yǒu yī zhī māo.
We don't have a dog, we have a cat.
Usage Notes
- 没有 negates both having and existing. 我没有书。(Wǒ méiyǒu shū.) — I have no books. ／ 这里没有书。(Zhèlǐ méiyǒu shū.) — There are no books here.
- After 没有, drop 一 (yī) and any number: 我没有一个姐姐 (Wǒ méiyǒu yī gè jiějie) sounds wrong — say 我没有姐姐。(Wǒ méiyǒu jiějie.)
- To answer 有……吗？(yǒu … ma?) negatively, repeat the verb: 你有笔吗？(Nǐ yǒu bǐ ma?) — 没有。(Méiyǒu.)
- 都 (dōu) goes before 没有 for "none at all": 我什么都没有。(Wǒ shénme dōu méiyǒu.) — I have nothing at all.
- Tone: 没 is second tone (méi) and never changes. 有 is third tone, so 没有 is méi yǒu; in fast speech 有 weakens to a neutral tone.