TongTong
Sign in

不许 (bù xǔ) — to not allow; to forbid

Definition

不许 means 'not allowed' and is stronger than 不要 (softer 'don't'). For written rules use 不得 or 禁止; for very strict rules use 严禁.

verb
to not allowto forbid

Examples

  • 不许。
    Jiào shì lǐ bù xǔ chī dōng xī.
    Eating is not allowed in the classroom.
  • 不许。
    Kǎo shì guī zé bù xǔ zuò bì.
    The exam rules forbid cheating.
  • 不许。
    Tā bù xǔ wǒ men tán lùn zhè jiàn shì.
    He doesn't allow us to talk about this matter.

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
许xǔallow

不 means not and 许 means allow, so the word means must not.

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.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 許; 许 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech; words
Sound part声符shēngfú
午
午wǔ許xǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 許 pairs 言, meaning speech or words, with 午 for its sound; 许 is a simplified form.

Open 许 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Will & Intention2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.