未尝不…
it is not that … not; may well be: a cautious double negative
Structure
主语 未尝不／未尝没有 …
What it means
It is not that … not; may well be: a cautious double negative that adds up to a hedged “yes”.
How it is built
Subject + 未尝不／未尝没有 + …: 这未尝不是一个好办法 (This may well be a good way).
When to use it
未尝 is 未曾, “never”; 未尝不 is a hedged yes, softer than 的确是. Use it to concede a point politely in essays and careful speech. Similar: 不无道理 (not without reason).
Watch out
Two negatives make a soft positive, so don’t read it as a denial: 这未尝不可 = this could well work. Without 不, 未尝 alone means “never” (= 未曾).
Examples
鲁迅的语言未尝没有幽默，却总带着刺。
Lu Xun’s language is not without humour, but it always carries a barb.
这未尝不是一个好办法。
This may well be a good way.
Learn this in Lesson 210 · HSK 9+: 鲁迅与白话文 (Lu Xun and the birth of modern writing)
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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