Sentence patternsHSK 6
Adding emphasis with "非...不可"
The 非...不可 structure adds strong emphasis, showing the speaker is absolutely determined to do something. It often translates to "must" or "have to" in English, but carries a more forceful tone. Be careful not to take 不可 literally as a prohibition; here it reinforces the speaker's insistence.
Structure
Subj. + 非(要) + Verb Phrase + 不可
expresses strong determination; the optional 要 makes the pattern more colloquial
Examples
- 我非要学会中文不可。Wǒ fēiyào xuéhuì Zhōngwén bùkě.I absolutely must learn Chinese.
- 他非去不可，谁也拦不住。Tā fēi qù bùkě, shéi yě lán bu zhù.He insists on going; no one can stop him.
- 你非试一下不可，这个菜太好吃了。Nǐ fēi shì yīxià bùkě, zhège cài tài hǎochī le.You absolutely have to try this dish — it's so delicious.
- 妈妈非要我穿上外套不可。Māma fēi yào wǒ chuān shang wàitào bùkě.Mom insisted that I put on a coat.
- 他非要把所有的钱都花光不可。Tā fēiyào bǎ suǒyǒu de qián dōu huāguāng bùkě.He is determined to spend every last penny.