不久 bù jiǔ
“not long (after); before too long; soon”
numeral, adverb, time word2021 list level 2
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
不久 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 540: 不久 bùjiǔ — Level 3; official annotation 3 (形). PDF page 93
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 不久
不久 means "not long after (that)" or "before long, soon"; the short span is measured from a stated or implied point, so it usually follows a clause (上个月来的，不久就习惯了) or appears in patterns like 不久就+verb, 不久以后, 过了不久. For "not long ago" Chinese uses 不久前/不久以前, not 不久 alone. As a time expression it comes before the verb or at the start of the clause; it is read bù jiǔ in all these uses.
例句Example sentences
- 哥哥上个月刚去上海工作，不久就习惯了。gē ge shàng gè yuè gāng qù shàng hǎi gōng zuò, bù jiǔ jiù xí guàn le.My older brother just went to work in Shanghai last month and soon got used to it.
- 下课不久，天就下起雨来了。xià kè bù jiǔ, tiān jiù xià qǐ yǔ lái le.Not long after class ended, it started to rain.
- 不久以后，我们还会见面的。bù jiǔ yǐ hòu, wǒ men hái huì jiàn miàn de.We'll meet again before too long.
易混词Easily confused
不久vs最近
最近 means "recently/lately" and can stand alone as a time frame (最近我很忙); 不久 looks forward from a starting point (他上个月来的，不久就找到了工作), and "not long ago" is 不久前/不久以前.