I don't like him very much.
这个句子，只有一种意思，没有第二种理解。就是：
“我不是非常喜欢他”。
not 不是否定 like，而是否定程度状语 very much。即：
I like him not very much.
【注】not 可以修饰 very much，但不能反过来， very much 不能修饰 not。
如果表达“我非常不喜欢他”，应说：
I hate him very much.
I don't like him at all. （但不如第一句准确）
这种现象，这属于英语的“否定范围” 问题，即：形式上否定谓语动词，实则否定状语。分解如下：
They didn't come by train. 他们不是坐火车来的。
（not 否定方式状语 by train，相当于 They came not by train.）
You can't fool people all the time. 你不可能一直都在欺骗人。
（not all the time）
We can't judge a person by his appearance. 我们不能以貌取人。
(not by his appearance)
They never talk about that matter in public. 他们从不在大众场合谈论那件事情。
(never in public)
Don't read in the sun. 不要在阳光下看书。
(not in the sun)
Don't talk with your mouth full of food. 不要口里含着食物说话。
(not with ...)
The ant is not gathering food for itself alone. 蚂蚁不只是为自己采食。
(not for itself alone)
She had not been married for many weeks when he saw her. 他看见她时，她结婚还没几个月。（不是“没结婚”）
We didn't wait for long. 我们等了不是很久。
（不是“没等”，而是“时间不长”）
His uncle didn't die happily. 他叔叔死得很惨。
（不是“没死”，而是“死得不幸”）
有趣的两个句子：
两个非常有趣的英语句子，它们一个单词也不多，一个单词也不少，但却表达了几乎相反的两种意思。这两句英语是：
Happily his uncle didn't die. 幸运的是，他叔叔没有死。
His uncle didn't die happily.他叔叔死得很惨。
一个是“幸运没有死”，一个是“死得很惨”。差别为何如此之大？问题在哪里呢？通过分析，我们发现：
第一句：Happily 修饰全句（评注性质），相当于It was fortunate that his uncle didn't die. 译为：幸运的是，他叔叔没有死。
第二句：His uncle didn't die happily. not不是修饰die，而是修饰happily。所以，句子的实际含义是：His uncle died not happily. 译为：他叔叔死得很惨。
