非…莫属
nobody (nothing) but …; … and no other
Structure
（要说／论……，）非 人或物 莫属
What it means
“Nobody (nothing) but …”: 莫 means “no one” and 属 “belongs to”, so the title belongs to no one but X. A fixed, slightly formal emphatic pattern.
How it is built
(要说／论 + topic ，) 非 + person or thing + 莫属, with 莫属 ending the sentence: 论做饭，我们家非爸爸莫属 (when it comes to cooking, nobody in our family beats Dad).
When to use it
For who deserves a title or the top spot. The 非 is the “if not” of 非…不可 (2-2), but 非…不可 says something must happen, while 非…莫属 says who deserves a title.
Watch out
Write 莫, not 不, and add nothing after 莫属. ✗ 非她不属 ✗ 非她莫属了 ✓ 这次的冠军非她莫属.
Examples
要说把京剧带向世界的第一人，非梅兰芳莫属。
If one man took Peking opera to the world, it was Mei Lanfang.
这次比赛的冠军，非她莫属。
The title this time can only go to her.
论做饭，我们家非爸爸莫属。
When it comes to cooking, nobody in our family beats Dad.
Learn this in Lesson 100 · HSK 6–7: 京剧 (Peking opera)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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