不得不 - Mandarin word #860

不得不

bùdébù

Traditional: 不得不

HSK 4

#860 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

have to, cannot but, must

Stroke order

不

得

不

。

I have to leave.

。

She cannot but accept reality.

。

He had no choice but to apologize.

雨yǔ，取qǔ。

Because of the rain, we had to cancel.

。

He had no choice but to accept this fact.

不得不 (bù dé bù) means have to, cannot but, must. It is used as an expression in everyday Mandarin speech.

必要

necessary, essential

不必

need not, not necessary

该

should, ought to

应该

should, ought to (traditional)

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

This word is part of lesson 18.