There are different views concerning the function of the adverb "bìng", which exclusively occurs before a negative word. It is generally recognized that "bìng" functions to emphasize negation, i.e. to deny a view or expression a truth, however, this paper maintains that the function of "bìng" is to deny an existing presupposition in the form of an existing background "knowledge" which is implicit in the context. By comparing of "bìng" and the adversative conjunction, the author finds that the two have a similar meaning, but "bìng" often occurs in adversative sentences in the negative. Further, "bìng" occurs in other sentences as well.
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