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不得已
bùdéyǐ
1. to act against one's will
2. to have no alternative but to
3. to have to
4. to have no choice
5. must
HSK 6 Common • Top 8%

Character Breakdown

不
bù
no, not, un-; negative prefix
HSK 1 4 丶
得
dé
to obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable, proper; ready
HSK 2 11 丶
已
yǐ
already; finished; to stop; then, afterwards
HSK 2 3 丶

Compound Words (3)

万不得已
wànbùdéyǐ
only when absolutely essential (idiom); as a last resort
迫不得已
pòbùdéyǐ
to have no alternative (idiom); compelled by circumstances
不得已而为之
bùdéyǐérwéizhī
to have no other choice

Metadata

Category
Chinese
Word Frequency Rank
7,099 of 84,292