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不得不

bù dé bù

HSK 3 · word 1302 of 3,000

Meaning

Example sentence

她不得不哭。

tā bù dé bù kū

She could not refrain from tears.

Characters in 不得不

不 not plus 得 to be able plus 不 not — a double negative meaning cannot but, hence have to. Chinese builds obligation out of two refusals.

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