Meaning of 不得不
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- have no choice or option but to
- cannot but
- have to
- can't help it
- can't avoid
How to use 不得不
不得不 goes before a verb and shows you are forced by circumstances to do something you might not want to do. It sounds a little more reluctant than 必须 (bìxū, must). Example: 下雨了，我不得不打车回家。(Xià yǔ le, wǒ bùdébù dǎchē huí jiā.) It started raining, so I had to take a taxi home.
Read it piece by piece: 不 (bù, not) + 得 (dé, can, may) + 不 (bù, not). "Not able to not do it" means you have to do it, like a double negative that leaves you no way out.
Common mistake: Learners often read 得 here as de or děi. In 不得不 it is dé, so the whole word is bùdébù, and the first 不 stays fourth tone because 得 is second tone. Also, do not drop the second 不. 不得 alone means "must not", which is nearly the opposite meaning.
不得不 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
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- 2
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得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
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不 bù · no · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 不得不.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
Questions about 不得不
What does 不得不 mean?
不得不 (bùdébù) means "have no choice or option but to; cannot but".
How do you write 不得不?
不得不 is made of 3 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 得 (11 strokes), 不 (4 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 不得不 an HSK word?
Yes. 不得不 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不得不 and 只好?
Both mean you end up doing something because there is no better choice. 只好 (zhǐhǎo) is softer and more casual, like "had no option but to". 不得不 stresses outside pressure more strongly.
Can I use 不得不 for things I want to do?
Usually not. It suggests reluctance or pressure, so it fits situations you would avoid if you could. For things you simply need or plan to do, use 要 (yào) or 得 (děi).