Chinese word dictionary

不得已

bùdéyǐ · to act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to; to have no choice; must

Word information

Simplified不得已
Traditional不得已
Pinyinbùdéyǐ
Part of speech
HSK 3.07-9
HSK 2.06

How to learn 不得已

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.