Meaning of 不要
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- don't!; must not
How to use 不要
不要 goes before a verb to tell someone not to do something, like "don't" in English. It can sound direct, so people often soften it with 了 or a polite word. Example: 不要说话。(Bùyào shuōhuà.) Don't talk.
不 (bù) means "not" and 要 (yào) means "want" or "should". Put them together and you get "don't want" or "don't do it", a simple way to tell someone to stop.
Common mistake: Learners often say bùyào with 不 in fourth tone, but before a fourth tone like 要 (yào), 不 changes to second tone: búyào. Another trap is mixing it up with 不用 (bùyòng), which means "no need to", not "don't".
不要 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
- 3
- 4
要 yào · to want · 9 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 不要.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 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 |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 就要 | jiùyào | will; shall |
Questions about 不要
What does 不要 mean?
不要 (bùyào) means "don't!; must not" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 不要?
不要 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 要 (9 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 不要 an HSK word?
Yes. 不要 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 不要 also mean "I don't want it"?
Yes. When used alone or with a noun, 不要 can mean "don't want". For example, 我不要咖啡 (wǒ bùyào kāfēi) means "I don't want coffee".
What is the difference between 不要 and 别?
Both mean "don't" before a verb, as in 别走 (bié zǒu) and 不要走 (bùyào zǒu), "don't go". 别 is shorter and more casual in speech, while 不要 is common in both speech and writing, such as on signs.