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不得不 (bù dé bù) — have no choice but to; have to

Definition

不得不 emphasizes no choice — driven by circumstances or external pressure. Like 必须 and 只好, but unlike 必须 (a general 'must'), it specifically highlights inability to do otherwise.

adverb
have no choice but tohave to

Examples

  • 不得不。
    Wǒ bù dé bù qù shàng bān.
    I have no choice but to go to work.
  • 不得不。
    Tā bù dé bù jiē shòu zhè ge rèn wu.
    He has no choice but to accept this task.
  • ，不得不。
    Yīn wèi tiān qì bù hǎo, wǒ men bù dé bù qǔ xiāo lǚ xíng.
    Because the weather is bad, we have no choice but to cancel the trip.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Will & Intention2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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