不至于: not go so far as to
副词 / adverbs
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
不至于 says a situation won't go as far as an extreme or exaggerated outcome: "it's not that bad", "it won't come to that". Used to reassure or tone down a fear.
Common as a question: 不至于吧？ ("Surely not!", "Isn't that a stretch?"). The positive 至于 ("go so far as") mostly appears in rhetorical questions: 至于这么生气吗？
Examples
一次考试没考好，不至于影响你的将来。
Yí cì kǎoshì méi kǎo hǎo, bú zhìyú yǐngxiǎng nǐ de jiānglái.One bad exam won't go so far as to affect your future.
他只是有点儿累，还不至于生病。
Tā zhǐshì yǒudiǎnr lèi, hái bú zhìyú shēngbìng.He's just a bit tired: not to the point of being ill.
为这点儿小事，至于这么生气吗？
Wèi zhè diǎnr xiǎo shì, zhìyú zhème shēngqì ma?Is it worth getting so angry over something so small?
Common mistakes
✗ 不至于 + a neutral action: ✗ 他不至于吃饭。 → the verb must be an exaggerated consequence.
✗ Confusing 至于 ("go so far") with the preposition 至于 ("as for", 至于钱的问题…).