不得已 (bù dé yǐ) — to have no alternative; to be compelled by circumstances; to have no choice but to
Definition
A formal, written phrase meaning 'having no alternative' — used to describe a forced situation rather than to directly say you must do something (that's 只好 or 不得不).
adjective
to have no alternativeto be compelled by circumstancesto have no choice but to
Examples
- 不得已。Tā zhè yàng zuò yě shì bù dé yǐ de.He had no choice but to do this.
- 不得已，。bù dé yǐ, Tā zhǐ hǎo jiē shòu le zhè ge tiáo jiàn.Having no alternative, he had to accept this condition.
- 不得已，。Zài bù dé yǐ de qíng kuàng xià, wǒ men zhǐ néng fàng qì.In a situation where we had no choice, we could only give up.
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