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不要 (bù yào) — don't; must not

Definition

不要 is the basic negative imperative 'don't / must not' used before verbs. 别 means the same thing but sounds more conversational; 不得 is for formal rules only.

adverb
don'tmust not

Examples

  • 不要。
    Nǐ bù yào qù.
    Don't go.
  • 不要。
    Qǐng bù yào shuō.
    Please don't say it.
  • 不要。
    bù yào Chī tài duō.
    Don't eat too much.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
要yàowant/need

不 adds negation to 要, which expresses want or need, so the word means refusing or forbidding something.

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →

Grammar

Appears in
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