Meaning of 只得
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to
How to use 只得
只得 sits before a verb to show you had no choice, and it often follows a reason in the first clause. It is a bit more written and formal than 只好 (zhǐhǎo). Example: 雨太大了，我们只得取消比赛。(Yǔ tài dà le, wǒmen zhǐdé qǔxiāo bǐsài.) The rain was too heavy, so we had to cancel the match.
只 (zhǐ) means only, and 得 (dé) here means must or have to. So 只得 is literally only have to, which means there is just one road left and you are forced to take it.
Common mistake: Learners often read 得 as neutral de, as in 觉得 (juéde) or 记得 (jìde), but in 只得 it is a full second tone: zhǐdé. Also, 只得 cannot stand alone as an answer. It must be followed by a verb phrase.
只得 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.
只 zhǐ · only · 5 strokes
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得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 只得.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only; obliged to do sth |
| 懂得 | dǒngde | to understand; to know; to comprehend |
| 取得 | qǔdé | to acquire; to get; to obtain |
| 得出 | déchū | to obtain (a result); to arrive at (a conclusion) |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
| 只有 | zhǐyǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (th |
| 不得不 | bùdébù | have no choice or option but to; cannot but |
| 值得 | zhídé | worth the money; to merit; to deserve; to be worth (doing sth) |
Questions about 只得
What does 只得 mean?
只得 (zhǐdé) means "to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 只得?
只得 is made of 2 characters: 只 (5 strokes), 得 (11 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 只得 an HSK word?
Yes. 只得 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 只得, 只好 and 只能?
只得 and 只好 both mean having no choice but to, usually because of circumstances. 只得 sounds more formal or written. 只能 (zhǐ néng) stresses ability or limits, meaning can only, and is more common for describing what is possible.
Can 只得 be used for future plans?
Yes, it can describe a forced choice in the future, such as 如果没有车，我们只得走路去 (Rúguǒ méiyǒu chē, wǒmen zhǐdé zǒulù qù), If there is no car, we will have to walk. It is most often used for past situations, though.